William Emigh
Navy
William joined the Navy in September of 1995 after graduating high school. He served until 1994, having served several tours including the Persian Gulf in support of Desert Shield Desert Storm. While serving he received several awards and commendations for his assistance in helping other squadrons in their own efforts to meet the needs of the Navy.
Williams 100% VA rates for PTSD and 100% disabled in a wheelchair due to a non service injury.
He is a volunteer certified hunter education safety course instructor for his district. He has mentored his own sons and other young hunters and is. Ow mentoring his 2 grandsons in support of their passion for hunting . One of not both of them will be sharing this adventure with him.
Nicholas Goodall
ARMY
Nick Goodall is a native of Ohio who dedicated his entire military career to serving with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), where he built a reputation as a highly skilled aviation professional, leader, and teammate. Beginning his career as an avionics mechanic, Nick eventually transitioned to an operational MH-47G helicopter crew member, serving in several key leadership positions throughout his career. He completed multiple combat deployments in support of U.S. military operations, consistently placing the mission and his teammates before himself.
During a combat mission in Afghanistan, Nick was serving as a flight engineer aboard a helicopter that crashed, resulting in the death of one service member and serious injuries to the remaining crew. Following the crash, Nick immediately focused on helping the injured and protecting his fellow survivors. In an isolated and uncertain environment, he provided aid to those who were wounded and helped maintain security until rescue forces arrived. His actions exemplified the courage, selflessness, and commitment to his teammates that defined his military service.
The injuries Nick sustained during that crash ultimately contributed to his medical retirement from the Army. He was also recently awarded the Purple Heart in recognition of the wounds he received in service to his country. Despite the challenges associated with his injuries and transition from military service, Nick remains devoted to his family, including his two children, and carries with him the values and bonds forged through a lifetime of service.
A veterans hunting experience would provide Nick with an opportunity to step away from the demands of recovery and reconnect with the outdoors, while spending time with fellow veterans who understand the unique experiences of military service. More importantly, it would be an opportunity to recognize a Soldier who spent his career quietly serving others, enduring significant sacrifice, and putting his teammates and mission first. Nick is exceptionally deserving of this experience and the opportunity to create new memories with fellow veterans in an environment centered on camaraderie, healing, and appreciation.
Travis Yates
MARINE
Husband 100% disabled
Gulf War
4 years
Injured on the uss wasp fast roping training mission overseas.
Jamie Catlett
Army
Unfortunately this person doesn’t know I’m nominating them and they don’t share a lot of their story because it’s brings things up. But I do know he served in Afghanistan Oct 2011-Nov 2012. He struggles with severe PTSD.
AFGHANISTAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL W/ CAMPAIGN STAR
ARMY COMMENDATION MEDAL
ARMY GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL RESERVE COMPONENTS ACHIEVEMENT MEDAL
NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL
MERITORIOUS SILVER STAR MEDAL
GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM SERVICE MEDAL
KENYA WAR ON TERRORISM GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL
ARMY SERVICE RIBBON
OVERSEAS SERVICE RIBBON
ARMED FORCES RES SERVICE MEDAL
Connor Cantara
Air Force
Air Force commendation medal
Deployments to Jordan and Qatar
4 years active duty
Michael Barnes
Army
My Husband Who sever in The Army from 2004 to 2018 is a distinguished veteran of the Iraq war. This man was in a transportation Company, field artillery units, and Air missile defense units. He was always on the road, clearing the roads from broken down vehicles, as he operated a wrecker truck. He deployed a total of six time to Iraq. I wish I could till you how many missions this man did, but he doesn’t talk to me about his time there. He is 100% Disable veteran who loves to hunt. We where able to buy some raw land to build a house, but the water well and power out there seemed to be more difficult to obtain then what the seller told us. So our 30 acres became more of a burden then a place to call home. He had to sell his hunting paradise and by a home in the city to take of Myself and my 2 boys. This man does not stop giving to help others, always volunteering for local events working 12 hour days to provide, I know it gets to him and he needs a trip for himself. To hunt and hopefully relate to another military member, to get him talking so I don’t feel like he is keeping everything bottle in side. So I nominee the greatest man I know. My husband.
Jason Stanley
Army
I am honored to nominate Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) Jason Stanley for Bucks for the Brave. Jason’s nearly 31 years of service to our nation represent an extraordinary career of sacrifice, leadership, courage, and commitment to the United States Army and the Special Operations community.
Jason’s military story began in 1987 while he was attending Stephen F. Austin State University and playing college football. He and his high school sweetheart, Melissa, were building a life together when they both felt called to something greater. Together, they made the decision to join the United States Army.
Jason attended Basic and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, while Melissa attended Basic Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Following his initial training, Jason attended Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia. His next assignment would take him to West Germany, but before leaving the United States, Jason made one very important stop.
He traveled to Melissa’s Advanced Individual Training post at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, where the two were married in the post chapel—on Melissa’s lunch break. After a short 18-hour honeymoon, Jason departed for Germany. It is difficult to imagine a more fitting beginning to a marriage that would endure the deployments, separations, uncertainty, and sacrifices of nearly 31 years of Army service.
In Germany, Jason was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. His abilities quickly distinguished him among his peers. He was one of only eight team members selected from IV Corps to participate in the 1990 Boeselager NATO Reconnaissance Competition, an Olympic-style, physically grueling military competition that tested running and shooting, tactical swimming, and challenging nighttime orienteering through the rugged Bavarian mountains. Jason and his teammates emerged victorious in the NATO competition.
Jason’s service in Germany also placed him at the center of one of the defining moments of the Cold War. He was stationed in Berlin and was on duty when the Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989. For most Americans, the fall of the Berlin Wall is something remembered through photographs, television footage, and history books. Jason experienced it in uniform, on duty, as an American soldier serving on the front line of the Cold War.
It would not be the last time Jason found himself personally witnessing history.
Within months of his team’s NATO reconnaissance victory, Jason chose an even more demanding path and applied for Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection. In August 1990, he was selected to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, graduating in May 1992.
Jason was subsequently assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, beginning a long career in Army Special Forces. He specialized in the Middle East, with Farsi as his language specialty, and served in numerous assignments and operations throughout the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
One of the defining moments of Jason’s career occurred while he and his team were on a mission operating from the United States Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, when it was attacked by terrorists. Jason was among the survivors of the bombing. Rather than focusing solely on their own survival, Jason and his Special Forces team immediately went to work.
With the Marine Embassy Security Guard devastated by the attack, Jason’s A-Team helped clear and secure the heavily damaged embassy and prepared for the possibility of a follow-on attack. In the weeks that followed, Jason assisted the surviving Embassy Regional Security Officer in restoring basic security functions at a new location.
Jason understood the significance of what had happened. The bombing was a warning of the threat posed by international terrorism, and the next two decades of his career would be shaped by America’s response to that threat.
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the operational tempo of Jason’s career increased dramatically. As a member and later Team Sergeant of a Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA), he served on numerous deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen. He spent years conducting special operations alongside American and host-nation Special Operations Forces in some of the most demanding environments in the world.
As his career progressed, Jason was repeatedly entrusted with positions of greater responsibility. His operational and senior leadership assignments included Special Forces ODA Team Sergeant, Special Forces Company Sergeant Major, Battalion Operations Sergeant Major, a nominative Senior Enlisted Advisor position on the Joint Staff, and Battalion Command Sergeant Major at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.
Jason’s career culminated with his selection as Command Sergeant Major for Special Operations Command Yemen.
He also served in an operational assignment with U.S. Central Command’s Special Operations Command Central in Tampa, Florida, and later brought decades of operational experience to Fort Polk and the Joint Readiness Training Center. There, as a Special Operations Forces observer/controller, Jason helped mentor and prepare another generation of American soldiers for the realities of the Global War on Terrorism.
Decorations, Medals, Awards, and Qualifications
The scope of Jason’s service is further reflected in the extraordinary number of decorations, campaign medals, unit awards, badges, and qualifications he earned throughout his career. His awards include:
Soldier’s Medal
Bronze Star Medal – 4th Award
Defense Meritorious Service Medal – 2nd Award
Meritorious Service Medal – 5th Award
Army Commendation Medal – 4th Award
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Army Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award – 3rd Award
Meritorious Unit Commendation
Army Superior Unit Award
Army Good Conduct Medal – 10th Award
National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star
Iraq Campaign Medal with Seven Campaign Stars
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal – 2nd Award
NATO Medal
Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon – 5th Award
Army Service Ribbon
Overseas Service Ribbon – 4th Award
Combat Infantryman Badge
Special Forces Tab
Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge
Senior Parachutist Badge
Air Assault Badge
Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
These decorations are impressive on paper, but what they represent is even more significant. Seven campaign stars on the Iraq Campaign Medal, an Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star, four Bronze Star Medals, ten Army Good Conduct Medals, and the Combat Infantryman Badge speak to a career that was not spent watching history from the sidelines. Jason repeatedly served where our nation needed experienced Special Operations soldiers the most.
The Soldier’s Medal stands out among an already remarkable list of decorations. Awarded for heroism, it demonstrates that Jason’s service was defined not simply by professional accomplishment, but by personal courage.
A Family Legacy of Service
Jason’s story is also the story of a family built around service.
Jason and Melissa joined the Army together in 1987 and squeezed their wedding into Melissa’s lunch break before Jason departed for Germany. They could not possibly have known where that decision would eventually take them.
Melissa stood beside Jason through the deployments, separations, uncertainty, and responsibilities that define a career in Army Special Operations. Their story is a reminder that military service is rarely carried by the service member alone.
That tradition of service has continued into the next generation. Jason’s son-in-law is also an accomplished Green Beret, carrying forward a family connection to the Special Forces community that has been such a significant part of Jason and Melissa’s lives.
Their daughter, Brenna, has literally spent her entire life standing alongside a Green Beret—first her father and now her husband.
For a man who spent decades training, mentoring, and leading Green Berets, there is something especially meaningful about seeing that tradition of service continue within his own family.
From Special Forces to German Shorthaired Pointers
Retirement from the Army did not mean retirement from having a mission—a meaningful task, challenge, and purpose.
As Jason approached the end of nearly 31 years of military service, his family understood that transitioning from the extremely demanding, high-tempo world of Special Operations to civilian life would not necessarily be easy. After decades of preparing for and completing multiple combat tours, Jason needed something in retirement that could challenge him physically and mentally while providing a new sense of purpose.
His family decided that what Jason needed was a dog possessing many of the same qualities that had defined so much of his professional life: drive, intelligence, athleticism, determination, and functionality.
They chose a versatile hunting breed—the German Shorthaired Pointer.
The decision proved to be far more important than simply adding a hunting dog to the family. The high-drive German Shorthair gave Jason something productive to focus on as he transitioned from military life. Breeding, training, handling, hunt testing, and hunting the Great Plains provided structure, purpose, and another demanding pursuit to master.
The family affectionately refers to his first versatile hunting dog, Zoey, as Jason’s “PTSD dog.” Zoey became an important companion during his transition and helped introduce Jason to what would become the next major chapter of his life.
What began with one German Shorthaired Pointer ultimately grew into Bones Fork Kennels, founded by Jason and Melissa after his military career.
Jason approached breeding and training dogs with many of the same principles he carried throughout his Army career: discipline, preparation, high standards, attention to detail, and an unwillingness to settle for mediocrity.
Through Bones Fork Kennels, Jason has dedicated his post-military life to raising, developing, and training high-quality German Shorthaired Pointers. His goal is not simply to produce beautiful dogs, but to develop high-drive, functional, versatile hunting dogs capable of exceptional performance in the field—much like our nation’s Green Berets.
Over time, Bones Fork Kennels has produced some of the finest German Shorthaired Pointers in the country, giving Jason an entirely new community in which to teach, mentor, hunt, and share his experiences.
There is a fitting connection between Jason’s two careers. For nearly 31 years, he developed soldiers and teams by identifying and mentoring individual potential, demanding excellence, building confidence, and preparing them to perform when it mattered most.
Today, he applies that same patience, discipline, and commitment to developing exceptional working dogs.
The uniform changed. The mission did not.
Why Jason Stanley Deserves Bucks for the Brave
The titles, medals, badges, assignments, and accomplishments are remarkable, but they still tell only part of Jason Stanley’s story.
For more than three decades, Jason served wherever the Army and his country needed him. He progressed from a young paratrooper and Border Scout to a seasoned Green Beret and ultimately a Command Sergeant Major entrusted with leadership at some of the highest levels within the Special Operations community and Department of Defense.
His career intersected with history in ways few veterans can say they personally experienced. He stood duty in Berlin as the Berlin Wall fell. He survived the terrorist bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi. Following 9/11, he repeatedly deployed into conflicts that would define a generation of American military service.
Jason served multiple tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, Yemen, and throughout the Middle East. He led Special Forces soldiers in demanding operational environments, served on the Joint Staff and within joint and special operations commands, and ultimately used his decades of experience to prepare the soldiers who would follow him into harm’s way.
When his military career ended, Jason found a new mission through the outdoors and the German Shorthaired Pointer. What began as his family’s effort to help a career Green Beret transition into civilian life became a passion and ultimately a second career through Bones Fork Kennels.
That makes Jason an especially fitting candidate for Bucks for the Brave.
For Jason, hunting and working dogs are far more than recreation. They became part of his transition from a lifetime of military service into the next chapter of his life. The outdoors gave him another place to focus his energy, challenge himself, build relationships, and continue pursuing the sense of purpose that had defined his military career.
Bucks for the Brave exists to recognize veterans whose service, sacrifice, courage, and character deserve to be honored. Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) Jason Stanley embodies exactly that spirit.
After nearly 31 years of service—including decades in Army Special Forces, numerous combat deployments, and a career devoted to leading and preparing America’s soldiers—Jason has more than earned an opportunity to spend time in the outdoors among fellow veterans who understand what service and sacrifice mean.
For most of his adult life, Jason answered when his country called. Today, his son-in-law continues that proud Special Forces tradition, while Jason has found a new purpose in the hunting fields and in the dogs he breeds and trains.
There may be no better way to honor Jason than through an organization that brings together three things that have become central to his life: veterans, fellowship, and the outdoors.
It would be a privilege to see Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) Jason Stanley selected for Bucks for the Brave. I can think of few veterans more deserving of the recognition, fellowship, and experience this program provides.
I proudly and wholeheartedly nominate Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) Jason Stanley for Bucks for the Brave.
benjamin Jaquay
Army & First Responder
August 17th, 2026
To Whom it May Concern;
Although I know that there was a devastating flood at the Thumbtack Ranch which may preclude this year’s Bucks for the Brave program, I would like to submit this individual’s short biography for your consideration.
I have known and respected Mr. Benjamin Jaquay for twenty years. Ben was raised in a large family on a farm near Dolgeville, NY. Growing up hunting and fishing and working on the family’s farm. He left his family and enlisted in the United States Army near the end of the Viet Nam conflict in 1972. After his enlistment, Ben served as a police officer in Kansas City Mo. For a short time before returning to N.Y. state.
After a break-in service, Ben enlisted in the U.S.Army reserves and served in different capacities which included a stint as a drill Sgt. At Ft Leonard Wood Mo. Additionally Ben became a medic in the Army and added his LPN license too. While working at Fort Drum, N.Y. as an M.P. Game Warden, Ben also obtained his N.Y. State Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification and volunteered with the Carthage Area Rescue Squad and the West Carthage Fire Dept. as a volunteer firefighter. Upon completing courses at the Jefferson County Community College, Ben obtained his licensure as a N.Y. State and Nationally registered Paramedic. Married and living in the City of Watertown, Ben joined the Black River Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Squad and served as an officer in that service for many years.
During his employment at Fort Drum, Ben became the lead instructor at the Medical Simulation Training Center where he trained thousands of Army and civilian personnel in a variety of Emergency Medicine curriculums. He additionally recruited many volunteers into serving with volunteer ambulances in the area. As a member of the Army reserve, Ben attained the rank of Master Sgt and the position of Chief Ward Master of the field hospital unit and deploying to Iraq in 2007-2008 where he was responsible for the care and treatment of the allied wounded personal.
Retiring at age 60 from the Army Reserve with almost 40 years of service, he continued volunteering as a paramedic and teaching as an instructor at the training center. Upon retiring from his civilian position he and his wife Liz moved to the finger lakes region of NY state to be closer to family.
While hunting and fishing remained his passions in retirements from his military and civilian lives, and always staying in good physical condition, Ben recognized his own health problem during the 2025 hunting season and he underwent a successful quadruple-bypass cardiac surgery in January of 2026. After his short cardiac rehab Ben has returned to his formal good health and activity and can be found on his boat on one of the nearby lakes on most good-weather days.
From my years of Deer hinting with Ben, I know that inclusion in the Bucks for the Brave experience would be the highlight of his life. I can heartily recommend Benjamin Jaquay for the Bucks-for-the-Brave program of Trinity Oaks Outdoors. I can’t access a photo of Ben in uniform without divulging a potential surprise if he’s selected.
Douglas Phillips
Army
COL (Ret) Douglas A. Phillips enlisted in 1990 into the United States Army Reserve as a construction surveyor in the 429th Engineer BN. He contracted as a scholarship Cadet in 1992 and began his journey to become an officer. Doug earned his bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1994 from Waynesburg University and was a Distinguished Military Graduate from California University of Pennsylvania ROTC. Then, 2LT Phillips, entered active duty as a registered nurse in 1994 and was assigned to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. His assignment there progressed him from staff nurse to emergency room nurse where he earned the M5 designator (now the 66T identifier). The Phillips’ family moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma and he worked as an emergency room nurse assigned to the 47th Field Hospital. Doug was accepted into the U.S. Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing in 2000 and graduated as the distinguished honor graduate from Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center in 2002 with a Master of Science in Nursing Anesthesia Degree. He was then assigned to Winn Army Community Hospital and in the winter of 2003 deployed to Baghdad Iraq with the 31st Combat Support Hospital. Doug returned home and moved to Fort Polk, Louisiana where he provided humanitarian aid in the aftermath of hurricanes and left, this time to Tikrit, Iraq with the 47th Combat Support Hospital. He returned back to Fort Polk and deployed again with the 541st and 2nd FSTs in Qalat, Afghanistan. Upon redeployment he moved to Fort Belvoir, Virginia and helped transition medical facilities in the National Capital Region. After another deployment in 2011 to Kuwait with the 325th Combat Support Hospital, he returned home with orders bringing him to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Col (Ret) Phillips deployed for the last time in 2016 to Kuwait and places unknown as a member of the 31st Combat Support Hospital on their last mission before being reflagged. All in all, he spent three years and one day downrange providing and overseeing care of combat injuries as an anesthetist. Col (Ret) Phillips has held positions from staff nurse, Chief CRNA, Chief of Anesthesia, Chair of the Surgical Service Line, Chief Nurse (BN), Chief Nurse (BDE), Deputy Commander for Inpatient Services, and Master of his Own Lunchbox. Col (Ret) Phillips is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and a member of the Order of the Military Medical Merit. He has earned The Surgeon General’s 9A proficiency Designator, and numerous awards and decorations that include: the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (8), Joint Forces Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (5), Army Achievement Medal (3), Combat Action Badge, Airborne Badge, Air Assault badge, and others.
Kyle Palmer
Navy
Payton Henderson
Army
Michael Stiltz
First Responder
Retired fire captain from Mckinney Fire Department and retired deputy fire chief from Princeton Fire Department
Octavio Ureste
Marine
He proudly served four years in the United States Marine Corps and is a combat veteran who continues his commitment to serving our country and community as a Lieutenant with the Texas Highway Patrol.
During his service in the U.S. Marine Corps, he attained the rank of Sergeant and deployed to Ramadi, Iraq. His military service and dedication were recognized through numerous awards and decorations, including the Combat Action Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Medal (2nd Award), Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (2nd Award), Korean Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Expert Rifle Marksmanship Badge (2nd Award), and Sharpshooter Marksmanship Badge.
Following his military service, he continued his career of service in law enforcement and currently serves as a Lieutenant with the Texas Highway Patrol. Throughout his career, he has answered the call during critical incidents and emergencies across the state, including deployments to Kerrville, Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts, and numerous Texas border operations.
From serving our nation as a United States Marine in combat to protecting and serving the citizens of Texas, he has demonstrated a continued commitment to service, leadership, sacrifice, and duty. His distinguished military and law enforcement careers make him highly deserving of recognition and consideration for this event.
jANETTE wILLIAMS
US Coast Guard
Boatswain’s Mate First Class Janette S. Williams, I-MBA, Ph.D., United States Coast Guard
It is my privilege to nominate Honorably Discharged U.S. Coast Guard veteran Boatswain’s Mate First Class Janette Corneck-Williams for Bucks for the Brave. Janette’s story is one of service, leadership, determination, education, and a lifelong willingness to challenge herself—whether aboard a Coast Guard cutter, leading boat crews, pursuing higher education, writing books, serving her community, or hiking alone through the mountains of the American West.
Janette joined the United States Coast Guard shortly after high school and spent nearly nine years serving her country. During those years, she operated Coast Guard boats and cutters, conducted maritime law enforcement and drug interdiction operations, and participated in search-and-rescue missions.
Her service took her across an extraordinary geographic area—from the Bering Sea to the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Sea of Cortez. These were not simply duty stations or places on a map. They were environments in which Coast Guard men and women were expected to perform difficult missions, often in unpredictable seas and under demanding conditions.
Among Janette’s assignments was service aboard the USCGC Mellon, a 378-foot Hamilton-class high-endurance cutter. Serving aboard a high-endurance cutter exposed her to the type of extended operations and demanding maritime missions that defined much of her Coast Guard career.
She also served at U.S. Coast Guard Station Freeport, where she rose to a significant position of leadership and served as the station’s second-in-command and Executive Officer. Her selection for this responsibility reflected the trust placed in her leadership, seamanship, judgment, and ability to lead Coast Guard personnel in carrying out the service’s missions.
Her final duty station was aboard the USCGC Tybee in San Diego, California, bringing to a close nearly nine years of active Coast Guard service.
A Golden Shellback and a Coast Guard First One of Janette’s proudest memories from her time at sea came when she crossed the International Date Line and the Equator at the same time. That rare maritime crossing earned Janette and her fellow crew members the distinction of becoming Golden Shellbacks.
For Janette, the experience also carried a little Coast Guard pride. It was proof that Coast Guardsmen and women are certainly not “puddle jumpers.”
Her service carried her far beyond America’s harbors and coastlines and into waters across the Pacific and beyond.
Janette also achieved an especially significant professional distinction when she was named the first Coast Guard Sailor of the Year, an accomplishment that reflects the professionalism, leadership, work ethic, and commitment she brought to her military service.
Throughout her career, she lived by the Coast Guard’s motto: Semper Paratus — Always Ready.
That philosophy did not end when Janette took off the uniform. It became a principle she carried with her into civilian life.
A New Mission After Military Service
Some people leave military service and spend years searching for their next challenge. Janette seems to have made a habit of finding one challenge after another.
Her accomplishments following the Coast Guard are every bit as representative of her determination as her years at sea.
Since leaving military service, Janette has pursued education with extraordinary dedication, ultimately earning seven academic degrees. Among those achievements are a Master’s degree in International Business and a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology.
Earning either advanced degree would represent a major personal accomplishment.
Earning seven degrees over the course of her educational journey speaks to something deeper about Janette: she has never stopped learning, growing, or challenging herself.
Her education also reflects the same characteristics that helped her succeed in the Coast Guard—discipline, perseverance, independence, and the willingness to keep moving forward when something is difficult.
Janette has also become a published author, adding yet another accomplishment to an already remarkable post-military career. Through her writing, education, professional experience, and involvement in her community, she has continued to serve and influence the people around her.
Nearly nine years in the Coast Guard may have been one chapter of Janette’s life, but the values she developed there have remained with her ever since.
Finding Challenge and Peace in the Mountains
For all of Janette’s academic and professional accomplishments, one of the best ways to understand her character may be to look at what she chooses to do when she gets away from everything else.
Janette is an avid solo hiker.
She especially enjoys hiking sections of the Pacific Crest Trail through California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, where the terrain, elevation, isolation, and constantly changing conditions demand preparation, self-reliance, physical endurance, and mental toughness.
There is something fitting about a former Coast Guard Boatswain’s Mate finding fulfillment in those mountains.
For nearly nine years, Janette worked in environments where preparation mattered. She learned to understand weather, evaluate risk, depend upon her training, and remain calm when circumstances changed. Today, she carries many of those same qualities onto the trail.
The ocean and the mountains may appear to be completely different worlds, but both demand respect. Both reward preparation. Both have a way of reminding a person how small we are compared with the world around us.
And both seem to suit Janette perfectly.
Someone willing to shoulder a pack and head alone into the Sierra Nevada is clearly someone who still believes in being Always Ready.
Janette’s life cannot be summarized by a single title.
She is a Coast Guard veteran, Boatswain’s Mate First Class, former Executive Petty Officer, Golden Shellback, Coast Guard Sailor of the Year, scholar, published author, community servant, and outdoorswoman.
More importantly, she is someone who has continued to serve and challenge herself long after her military career ended.
Bucks for the Brave recognizes veterans not simply for the uniform they once wore, but for the sacrifice, character, resilience, and spirit of service that uniform represents. Janette embodies those qualities.
She spent nearly nine years serving her country on waters stretching from the Bering Sea to the Gulf of Mexico and across the Pacific. She performed search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, and drug interdiction missions. She operated Coast Guard vessels, assumed positions of leadership, and earned recognition for excellence among her fellow Coast Guardsmen.
Then she came home and kept pushing herself.
She earned six degrees, including advanced degrees in International Business and Organizational Psychology. She became a published author. She continued serving her family, friends, and community. And when she wants a new challenge, she puts on a backpack and heads into some of the most spectacular and demanding mountain country in America.
Bucks for the Brave brings together veterans, fellowship, challenge, and the outdoors. Those things make Janette an exceptional candidate for this experience.
From navigating the waters of the Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean as a young Coast Guardsman to hiking the Pacific Crest Trail through the Sierra Nevada years later, Janette has spent much of her life proving that adventure, service, and personal growth do not have an expiration date.
The Coast Guard taught Janette to be Semper Paratus—Always Ready.
She has spent the rest of her life proving that she still is.
It would be an honor to see Boatswain’s Mate First Class Janette S. Williams, I-MBA, Ph.D. selected for Bucks for the Brave and given the opportunity to share an outdoor experience with fellow veterans who understand the meaning of service, sacrifice, and camaraderie.
I proudly and wholeheartedly nominate Janette S. Williams for Bucks for the Brave.
Eric Ortega
US Coast Guard
Eric J. Ortega, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 16 December 1991. After graduating as a Private, he went on to Combat Engineer School and gained the MOS 1371. He was assigned to 7th Engineer Support Battalion in Camp Pendleton, California and landed in Bridge Platoon, who specialized in construction, demolition, bridging and pantoon bridging. During this time PFC Ortega was sent to Saudi Arabia to help load ships with returning cargo from Desert Storm. In 1993, PFC Ortega was sent to Somalia to do his part during Operation Restore Hope. Here, he experienced his first true combative experience while sitting in Mogadishu. There, he was promoted to Lance Corporal (LCpl; E3). After his return to the states, over the next few years, LCpl Ortega participated in multiple training exercises along the Western Coast of California. In November of 1995, he received the rank of Corporal (Cpl;E4). One year and one month later, he was promoted again, to the rank of Sergeant (Sgt;E5) in 1996. In 1997, he and his wife were stationed in Okinawa, Japan. In March of 2000, he was promoted to Staff Sergeant (SSgt;E6). During these 3 years, multiple training exercises occurred and an addition to his family was added. He, his wife and daughter returned to the states after their three years in Okinawa. In 2001, SSgt Ortega earned his Green Belt Instructor Belt, which allowed him to train Marines in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP). During the year of 2002, another family member joined the Ortega ranks. Later in that same year, SSgt Ortega earned his 1st Degree Black Belt for the MCMAP program. In 2003, SSgt Ortega was sent to Iraq as a Communication Cheif with 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines. At this time he received the Combat Action Ribbon. In 2004, he was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt:E7). After finishing his tour with 11th Marines, he was stationed at 29 Palms, California as a Communications Instructor. There he taught up and coming Senior Marines the leadership importance as a “Comm Chief”. After completing his tour, he was stationed once again in Camp Pendleton as a Communications Chief with Combat Logistcs Battalion 1 (CLB1). Implementing his expertise in communication, he planned and executed multiple joint exercises aboard Camp Pendleton and 29 Palms. He was sent to Iraq a second time as a Comm Chief for CLB-7 in 2009. After, he returned back to CLB-1 and finished his service as a Gunnery Sergeant, making this his twilight tour to retirement. 31 December 2011 was his final day as an active duty Marine. Once a Marine, Always a Marine!
Nicholas Goodall
Army
Nick was a longtime member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment first as an Avionics repairer then as an MH47 crew chief. He was one of my flight engineers in B Co 4/160 out of JBLM. In Oct 2017, Nick was involved in a significant aircraft crash that severely injured the crew and claimed the life of CW2 Jacob Sims in Logan Province Afghanistan. Nick was the FE aboard the aircraft and suffered significant injuries of his own. Since that event, he’s understandably dealt with his own demons and I believe this event would be a well earned and worthy reprieve for him.
Michael Keough
Air force
Michael Keough – Principal & Veteran Educator
Michael Keough is a proud United States Air Force veteran whose service took him across the globe and through numerous assignments at military bases. Once he left the Air Force after serving his country, he found his niche in serving students. He continued his mission of service as the Education Services Flight Commander at Keesler Air Force Base—an experience that sparked his passion for education.
He soon discovered that education gave him the opportunity to inspire others to pursue their dreams and careers. As he often says, “Every student that walks into my classroom has a dream. It’s not my job to decide if that is a reality or a fantasy, but to provide them all the resources and skills necessary to achieve that dream.”
Michael believes that serving in the military and working in public education share a powerful connection—both require a deep commitment to service, a sense of purpose beyond oneself, and the drive to make a lasting impact on others. In both roles, he found fulfillment in supporting, mentoring, and leading others toward success.
Using his military benefits, Michael pursued a degree in education and began his teaching career in a fifth-grade classroom. Now, nearly two decades later, he continues to dedicate himself to student success, serving as a passionate and committed school principal.
Brody Williams
Army
I am honored to nominate my husband, Torigan “Brody” Williams, for the Bucks for the Brave hunting trip.
Brody proudly served eight years in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman, Traffic Accident Investigator, and SRT Sniper Team Leader. He deployed twice, first to Kuwait in 2005 for 3 months and then to Iraq in 2006, where he served for 15 months. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, 3 Army Achievement Medals, the Combat Action Badge, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, 2 Good Conduct Medals, and the Iraq Campaign Medal with 2 campaign stars. After his service, he was given a 100% disability rating from the VA.
Brody’s commitment to serving others continued after he got out of the Army. Since 2015, we have been therapeutic foster parents and have welcomed many children into our home. We are working toward adopting our current foster daughter. Brody has always given every child the same patience, love, and sense of security he gives our two biological children. Watching him care for children who have experienced so much has been one of the things I admire most about him.
Hunting has also been a lifelong passion for Brody. He grew up hunting and fishing with his family, and today he continues that tradition with our children. It gives him time outdoors, a chance to slow down, and an opportunity to create memories with our family.
A Bucks for the Brave hunting trip would mean so much to Brody. He spends most of his life putting his family and others first. This would give him a chance to enjoy something he loves, spend time with fellow veterans, and simply have an experience that is for him.
I have watched Brody give so much to our country, our family, and the children we have welcomed into our home. I would love for him to have an opportunity that recognizes his contributions and creates memories he and our family will cherish forever.
Thank you for considering Brody for this incredible opportunity.
John Sutherland
Army & Marine
My name is John A. Sutherland III, and I am deeply proud of my family’s legacy of service to our nation. Guided by the examples of my grandfather, who served for over 30 years spanning pre-WWII, WWII, and my father, a Naval Officer during the Korean War, I knew early on that I wanted to continue our family tradition. Inspired by a strong wave of patriotism during President Reagan’s first term, I joined the U.S. Marine Corps at age 18, heading straight to boot camp at MCRD San Diego immediately after high school graduation.
That initial step launched a rewarding 28-year military career. After three years of service in the Marine Corps, I transitioned to the Army National Guard, earned my commission through Officer Candidate School, and spent the next 25 years serving in both the National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserves, ultimately retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in October 2011. Throughout nearly three decades of service, my incredible wife Mary—whom I married in 1988—and our two wonderful sons always supported me. Their unconditional love and sacrifice mean that, in my eyes, they absolutely served right alongside me.
My military journey blessed me with rare, high-impact assignments. I attended the Defense Language Institute, graduating number one in my Vietnamese class. Later, I used those skills to qualify as a Foreign Area Officer and a Reserve Defense Attaché. I spent a decade deployed to the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM), working directly with U.S. Embassies and foreign militaries across Southeast Asia. I even taught myself Indonesian, polishing my skills alongside the 1st Special Forces Group at Fort Lewis. In 1994, I was awarded a Graduate Fellowship from the National Security Education Program (NSEP) to study in Vietnam. Years later, in 2008, I was selected as the sole U.S. Officer to represent our nation at Vietnam’s inaugural National Defense Academy International Senior Officer’s Course in Hanoi—a historic three-month summit alongside military leaders from 15 different nations. Closer to home, I deployed during a 1994 federal emergency to fight devastating wildfires in Washington State, earning the National Defense Service Medal and the Humanitarian Service Medal.
Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on our nation, I was deployed to the U.S. Pacific Command for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). During this deployment, I spent most of my time operating directly within Southeast Asian terrorist hot spots, for which I received imminent danger pay. Of all my assignments during my 10 years with USPACOM, the most profound and emotionally rewarding was my time working with POW/MIA recovery teams in Southeast Asia. Helping bring closure to American families who had spent decades waiting for news of their missing loved ones remains the highest honor of my career.
While I loved my time in uniform, the long separations from my family were always tough. Since retiring from the military in 2011—and recently retiring from my civilian career in 2021—what I have missed most is the irreplaceable camaraderie and deep esprit de corps shared between fellow Marines and Soldiers. I have never found that unique bond in the civilian workforce. To stay connected to the community, my family and I have led a military family support ministry at our church since 2001, sending care packages to deployed troops and lifting up their families back home.
I discovered a passion for hunting in 2021. Because I don’t have family or friends who hunt, my wonderful wife Mary has stepped up to be my hunting buddy. Breaking into established civilian hunting circles has proven to be a real challenge, and I am incredibly eager to recapture that familiar, lifelong military brotherhood. I look forward to connecting with fellow veterans and patriotic friends through Bucks for the Brave and Trinity Oaks Outdoors, sharing old stories around the campfire, and making unforgettable memories in the great outdoors. I hope to make friendships that will last long beyond the hunt.
Jared Pearce
US Coast Guard
It is my privilege to nominate Jared Pearce, a United States Coast Guard veteran, for Trinity Oaks Bucks for the Brave.
Jared served three years on active duty in the United States Coast Guard from 2007 to 2010, followed by five years in the Coast Guard Reserve. During a relatively short active-duty career, his service placed him in the middle of several major humanitarian, disaster-response, and environmental operations that affected thousands of people across the United States and Caribbean.
One of Jared’s early assignments was aboard USCGC Greenbriar. During that assignment, he participated in the final weeks of Coast Guard relief operations following Hurricane Katrina. The devastation left by Katrina required an enormous response from the military, federal agencies, state and local governments, and volunteers. For a young Coast Guardsman, it was an early introduction to what service often meant in the Coast Guard: being sent where help was needed and doing whatever work was required to help communities recover.
Jared later served aboard USCGC Oak, a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender whose missions included maintaining aids to navigation, maritime safety, and responding to major national emergencies.
In January 2010, a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, devastating Port-au-Prince and surrounding communities. The Coast Guard immediately became part of the United States humanitarian response, and USCGC Oak deployed in support of those operations.
Jared and his shipmates participated in the Haiti earthquake response by helping deliver desperately needed humanitarian relief supplies and working to restore aids to navigation and safe access to damaged Haitian ports. Restoring that maritime infrastructure was an important part of the larger relief effort because ships carrying food, water, medical supplies, equipment, and other aid needed safe access to the affected ports.
The mission placed Jared and his crew in an environment where normal infrastructure had been severely damaged and where the work they were performing directly supported an enormous humanitarian operation. It was the kind of mission for which the Coast Guard is uniquely suited: arriving in an uncertain environment, adapting quickly, working as a team, and helping restore the systems that allow others to continue saving lives and rebuilding communities.
Only months later, Jared and the crew of USCGC Oak were called into another historic disaster.
Following the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Coast Guard became one of the principal agencies involved in the massive response. Jared participated directly in those operations, including the deployment of containment boom and oil-recovery work using a Weir skimmer.
The Deepwater Horizon response became one of the largest environmental response operations in United States history. For Jared, it meant long days working as part of a much larger effort to contain and recover oil and protect the Gulf Coast and its waterways.
These missions were very different from one another, but together they represent what much of Jared’s Coast Guard service was about: responding when something had gone terribly wrong and helping put things back together.
His military recognitions include the National Defense Service Medal, Coast Guard Unit Commendation Award, Coast Guard “E” Ribbon, Coast Guard Sea Service Ribbon, Substance Abuse Free Environment Ribbon, and Coast Guard Pistol Marksman Ribbon.
Jared completed his active-duty Coast Guard service in 2010 and subsequently continued serving in the Coast Guard Reserve for another five years. He is now a service-connected disabled veteran.
The end of Jared’s military service did not end his drive to challenge himself, build things, learn new skills, or spend time outdoors.
Today, Jared works in the construction and engineering industry and has continued pursuing demanding professional goals. He is an Engineer-in-Training and a Florida Certified Building Contractor. The same qualities that served him in the Coast Guard, persistence, problem solving, adaptability, and a willingness to take on difficult challenges, continue to shape his civilian life.
Outside of work and family, however, one of Jared’s greatest passions has always been the outdoors.
He is an avid hunter, bowhunter, fisherman, boater, camper, and outdoorsman. He has extensive experience hunting whitetail deer, hogs, and turkey, and he is comfortable hunting independently and spending long days in the field. He hunts with both firearms and archery equipment, but bowhunting is his preferred method whenever the opportunity allows.
Jared is physically active and has no mobility limitations. In fact, some of the outdoor opportunities that appeal to him most are the difficult ones. He would gladly train specifically for a demanding mountain or backcountry hunt involving long hikes, steep terrain, difficult weather, or days spent away from comfortable accommodations.
As he has gotten older, his interest in hunting has expanded beyond simply harvesting another animal. What excites him now is experiencing something he has never done before: hunting a new species, seeing a completely different part of the country, learning a new style of hunting, or sharing camp with people whose paths he otherwise might never have crossed.
Western elk, bear, bison, sheep, mountain goat, aoudad, pronghorn, exotic species, mountain hunts, and other unusual adventures particularly interest him, but the species itself is only part of what attracts him to these experiences.
For Jared, the best hunts are the ones that become stories.
They are the early mornings, difficult hikes, miserable weather, missed opportunities, campfire conversations, laughter, new friendships, and moments that are still being talked about years later. Harvesting an animal is exciting, but he does not consider an unfilled tag a failed hunt. The experience, challenge, camaraderie, and memories are ultimately what make time outdoors meaningful to him.
Family is also an important part of Jared’s life. He is a devoted father and partner, and some of his most meaningful outdoor traditions revolve around family. Each November, he makes time for an annual Illinois whitetail hunt with his father. That tradition has become about much more than deer. It is protected time together and a reminder that some of the most valuable things hunting gives us cannot be measured by antler size.
That is one reason an organization like Trinity Oaks and an experience like Bucks for the Brave resonates so strongly with him.
Jared did not spend decades in uniform, attain a high rank, or build a military résumé filled with combat decorations. His Coast Guard career was comparatively short. But during those years, he answered the call during Hurricane Katrina relief operations, the catastrophic Haiti earthquake, and the Deepwater Horizon disaster. He served wherever his crew was needed and then carried the values he learned from that service into the rest of his life.
He does not talk about those experiences because he expects recognition for them. They were simply the job he volunteered to do.
Today, Jared continues challenging himself professionally and personally while remaining deeply connected to the outdoors. Given the opportunity to participate in Bucks for the Brave, he would appreciate far more than simply the chance to harvest an animal. He would value the people, the stories, the camaraderie among veterans, and the opportunity to experience a hunt that he would remember for the rest of his life.
For those reasons, I am proud to nominate United States Coast Guard veteran Jared Pearce for Trinity Oaks Bucks for the Brave. I believe he would approach the experience with humility, enthusiasm, gratitude, and the same willingness to embrace a challenge that has followed him from his Coast Guard service into the life he has built afterward.
Nicholas Goodall
Army
He was medically retired from the army because of the wounds he sustained during this mission. One main reason he deserves and needs to be the recipient THIS YEAR is he is just now receiving a Purple Heart for what happened back in 2017 and it is bringing back a lot of bad memories. Being around other veterans at this time would be invaluable to his recovery.
Denys Rivas
US Coast Guard
Bucks for the Brave Nomination – Denys Rivas
It is my privilege to nominate retired U.S. Coast Guard Commander Denys Rivas for Bucks for the Brave. Few individuals embody the ideals of courage, selfless service, leadership, and resilience more completely than Denys. From humble beginnings as a skinny kid growing up in Manhattan to serving his community as a New York City police officer, a 23-year Coast Guard veteran, and now Director of Emergency Management for the Fort Bend ISD Police Department, Denys has dedicated his entire adult life to protecting others.
After serving as a police officer with the New York City Police Department, Denys enlisted in the United States Coast Guard in 2001, graduating from Recruit Training in Cape May, New Jersey. What began as an enlisted career quickly became one of exceptional achievement spanning more than two decades. Rising from Radarman to commissioned officer, Denys retired in 2024 after 23 years of distinguished service, leaving behind a legacy of leadership, operational excellence, and unwavering dedication to his country.
His first assignment aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Mellon placed him on the front lines of migrant interdiction, counter-narcotics operations, and international fisheries enforcement throughout the Pacific Ocean. Leading Combat Information Center and Law Enforcement teams, Denys operated from U.S. waters to South America, Southeast Asia, and the Russian Far East, protecting America’s maritime interests while combating transnational crime.
As a Search and Rescue Coordinator in Seattle, Washington, Denys managed emergency operations across more than 3,400 nautical miles of waterways throughout Puget Sound. During this assignment alone, he coordinated more than 300 search and rescue and maritime law enforcement cases, directly contributing to the saving of 37 lives and more than $4 million in property.
Following selection to Officer Candidate School, Denys served in increasingly demanding leadership positions throughout the Coast Guard. As Assistant Director of Incident Management at Sector Houston-Galveston, he directed responses to hundreds of hazardous material releases and oil spills in one of the nation’s busiest and most complex maritime environments. He played key leadership roles during several nationally significant environmental disasters, including the Morgan’s Point tanker collision and the Texas City “Y” Spill, leading multi-agency response teams while protecting both public safety and fragile coastal ecosystems.
As Operations Officer for the Maritime Safety and Security Team Houston, Denys commanded specialized deployable forces responsible for homeland security missions across the United States. Under his leadership, teams protected the President of the United States, supported border security and counter-narcotics missions, safeguarded critical infrastructure during Hurricane Harvey, and pioneered innovative interagency operations that resulted in the seizure of narcotics, the apprehension of undocumented migrants, and the disruption of criminal maritime activity. His leadership consistently produced highly trained, mission-ready teams capable of responding anywhere in the world.
Recognized for his expertise, Denys was selected to command the Pacific Regional Fisheries Training Center in Alameda, California. There he oversaw the education and certification of thousands of federal law enforcement officers while modernizing curriculum used throughout the Pacific region. His influence extended internationally through workshops conducted in Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hawaii, where he trained more than 400 officers from 27 nations in combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he transformed traditional training into a virtual learning environment, ensuring more than 1,200 officers maintained operational readiness despite unprecedented challenges.
His final Coast Guard assignment as Chief of Response at Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur brought him back to Texas, where he directed all-hazard response operations across two states and more than 300 miles of coastline. Responsible for overseeing responses to hundreds of pollution incidents, marine casualties, and maritime security operations, Denys managed over $8 million in federal environmental response funding while working alongside federal, state, and local agencies to safeguard some of America’s most strategically important ports and energy infrastructure.
While living in Texas, Denys embraced the outdoors and taught himself to hunt and fish. What began with a dove hunt in Hondo, Texas, sparked a passion that continues today. That first hunt ignited a desire to become a better shooter, leading him to dedicate countless hours to developing his marksmanship skills. Through discipline and perseverance, Denys has become an accomplished competitive marksman in the shooting sports. For him, hunting and shooting are more than hobbies—they are opportunities to challenge himself, build lasting friendships, and remain connected to the traditions and values of the outdoors.
Today, Denys continues his lifelong commitment to public service as the Director of Emergency Management for the Fort Bend ISD Police Department. Even in retirement from military service, he remains dedicated to protecting his community, preparing for emergencies, and ensuring the safety of students, educators, and first responders.
Throughout every stage of his career, Denys has demonstrated extraordinary leadership, integrity, humility, and an unwavering commitment to serving others. Whether serving on the front lines of search and rescue, leading responses to major environmental disasters, protecting our nation’s ports, mentoring law enforcement officers around the world, or discovering a passion for hunting and the shooting sports, Denys approaches every challenge with determination and excellence.
Denys Rivas exemplifies everything Bucks for the Brave stands for. His lifetime of service, remarkable leadership, passion for the outdoors, and continued commitment to protecting others make him exceptionally deserving of this honor. I offer my highest recommendation and wholeheartedly support his nomination for Bucks for the Brave.
Bucks for the Brave Nomination – Denys Rivas
It is my privilege to nominate retired U.S. Coast Guard Commander Denys Rivas for Bucks for the Brave. Few individuals embody the ideals of courage, selfless service, leadership, and resilience more completely than Denys. From humble beginnings as a skinny kid growing up in Manhattan to serving his community as a New York City police officer, a 23-year Coast Guard veteran, and now Director of Emergency Management for the Fort Bend ISD Police Department, Denys has dedicated his entire adult life to protecting others.
After serving as a police officer with the New York City Police Department, Denys enlisted in the United States Coast Guard in 2001, graduating from Recruit Training in Cape May, New Jersey. What began as an enlisted career quickly became one of exceptional achievement spanning more than two decades. Rising from Radarman to commissioned officer, Denys retired in 2024 after 23 years of distinguished service, leaving behind a legacy of leadership, operational excellence, and unwavering dedication to his country.
His first assignment aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Mellon placed him on the front lines of migrant interdiction, counter-narcotics operations, and international fisheries enforcement throughout the Pacific Ocean. Leading Combat Information Center and Law Enforcement teams, Denys operated from U.S. waters to South America, Southeast Asia, and the Russian Far East, protecting America’s maritime interests while combating transnational crime.
As a Search and Rescue Coordinator in Seattle, Washington, Denys managed emergency operations across more than 3,400 nautical miles of waterways throughout Puget Sound. During this assignment alone, he coordinated more than 300 search and rescue and maritime law enforcement cases, directly contributing to the saving of 37 lives and more than $4 million in property.
Following selection to Officer Candidate School, Denys served in increasingly demanding leadership positions throughout the Coast Guard. As Assistant Director of Incident Management at Sector Houston-Galveston, he directed responses to hundreds of hazardous material releases and oil spills in one of the nation’s busiest and most complex maritime environments. He played key leadership roles during several nationally significant environmental disasters, including the Morgan’s Point tanker collision and the Texas City “Y” Spill, leading multi-agency response teams while protecting both public safety and fragile coastal ecosystems.
As Operations Officer for the Maritime Safety and Security Team Houston, Denys commanded specialized deployable forces responsible for homeland security missions across the United States. Under his leadership, teams protected the President of the United States, supported border security and counter-narcotics missions, safeguarded critical infrastructure during Hurricane Harvey, and pioneered innovative interagency operations that resulted in the seizure of narcotics, the apprehension of undocumented migrants, and the disruption of criminal maritime activity. His leadership consistently produced highly trained, mission-ready teams capable of responding anywhere in the world.
Recognized for his expertise, Denys was selected to command the Pacific Regional Fisheries Training Center in Alameda, California. There he oversaw the education and certification of thousands of federal law enforcement officers while modernizing curriculum used throughout the Pacific region. His influence extended internationally through workshops conducted in Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hawaii, where he trained more than 400 officers from 27 nations in combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he transformed traditional training into a virtual learning environment, ensuring more than 1,200 officers maintained operational readiness despite unprecedented challenges.
His final Coast Guard assignment as Chief of Response at Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur brought him back to Texas, where he directed all-hazard response operations across two states and more than 300 miles of coastline. Responsible for overseeing responses to hundreds of pollution incidents, marine casualties, and maritime security operations, Denys managed over $8 million in federal environmental response funding while working alongside federal, state, and local agencies to safeguard some of America’s most strategically important ports and energy infrastructure.
While living in Texas, Denys embraced the outdoors and taught himself to hunt and fish. What began with a dove hunt in Hondo, Texas, sparked a passion that continues today. That first hunt ignited a desire to become a better shooter, leading him to dedicate countless hours to developing his marksmanship skills. Through discipline and perseverance, Denys has become an accomplished competitive marksman in the shooting sports. For him, hunting and shooting are more than hobbies—they are opportunities to challenge himself, build lasting friendships, and remain connected to the traditions and values of the outdoors.
Today, Denys continues his lifelong commitment to public service as the Director of Emergency Management for the Fort Bend ISD Police Department. Even in retirement from military service, he remains dedicated to protecting his community, preparing for emergencies, and ensuring the safety of students, educators, and first responders.
Throughout every stage of his career, Denys has demonstrated extraordinary leadership, integrity, humility, and an unwavering commitment to serving others. Whether serving on the front lines of search and rescue, leading responses to major environmental disasters, protecting our nation’s ports, mentoring law enforcement officers around the world, or discovering a passion for hunting and the shooting sports, Denys approaches every challenge with determination and excellence.
Denys Rivas exemplifies everything Bucks for the Brave stands for. His lifetime of service, remarkable leadership, passion for the outdoors, and continued commitment to protecting others make him exceptionally deserving of this honor. I offer my highest recommendation and wholeheartedly support his nomination for Bucks for the Brave.
Emily Locke
Air Force
It is my pleasure to nominate my daughter, Lt Col (Ret) Emily Locke, for the ladies’ Bucks for the Brave hunt.
Emily had a desire to serve and to fly airplanes from an early age. When she learned that she could do both together in the United States Air Force, she found her calling. She reported for basic training July 1, 1999 and then continued to complete four years of rigorous military, leadership, athletic, and academic training at the United States Air Force Academy. She earned her commission in the United States Air Force in 2003.
Following pilot training, Emily was awarded her first choice of aircraft and was selected for the C-21 and VIP transport mission. Her time in her first flying unit was unexpectedly curtailed due to Base Realignment and Closure plans. She volunteered to return to school for the KC10 Extender, quickly learning the tanker mission and world wide operations. In the KC-10, Emily deployed multiple times, supporting contingencies in both Iraq and Afghanistan. She earned multiple Air Medals for her decisive actions, courage, and expertise during critical aerial refueling missions. While flying in hazardous conditions, Emily and her crew, supplied time critical fuel to fighter and bomber aircraft that enabled close air support for troops in contact, strike assists, search and rescue, and show of force operations. These actions saved lives of coalition forces and directly contributed to the success of America’s Global War on Terror. During these missions, Emily also skillfully handled multiple emergencies keeping her crew and the $88.4M aircraft safe. Through all these challenges, Emily consistently held herself and her crew to high standards. She fostered superb crew resource management and mentored new KC-10 crews who arrived in theater.
While Emily loved the KC-10 mission, she was ready for the next challenge and returned to the training environment to teach in the T-6 Texan II. Her operational experience and calm demeanor made her the perfect candidate to develop and teach future Air Force pilots at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. Through daily instruction on the ground and in the aircraft, Emily helped shape future pilots with skill and confidence. She then continued to teach and train flight instructors at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
Emily balanced her love of flying with community building throughout her Air Force career. She enjoyed volunteering to host USAF Academy and Civil Air Patrol cadets for base tours. Her attention to detail and positive attitude made her the commander’s first choice for change of command ceremonies, spouse appreciation days, and pilot-for-a-day programs. At her base in San Antonio, Emily would often be found after her official duties mentoring high school students or gaining approval for flight simulator visits for them. She never hesitates to encourage and help others towards their goals.
After almost 23 years of service, Emily retired from the USAF Reserves. As she learns to embrace her new identity as a civilian, her selfless service still continues down new paths. She is always ready to assist at her daughter’s school and through the Ohio based organization, Warrior Weekend to Remember.
Besides serving our country, Emily has quietly served others all along the way, from caring for children when parents have to be at the hospital, preparing and delivering food to elderly or sick shut-ins or sending care packages to non-locals, and even physical labor. Emily has raised a Gold Star child while serving, ensuring opportunities for outdoor skills, archery, hunting, sports, travel were not missed just because Dad wasn’t there.
There is a time to give and a time to receive. I would like to nominate my daughter, Emily Locke, my hero, for consideration for the Bucks for the Brave Hero’s hunt for these reasons: 1- She has selflessly served others for most of her life. I would love for her to have the experience of being an honored guest. 2-She has taken her child to hunts and waited on the sidelines or volunteered to help and I would love for her to have this opportunity to have her own hunt. 3- It could be meaningful for her to have the time connecting and sharing stories with the other selected women who also chose a path of service to our country. Maybe she would even share the stories that mom’s don’t receive the details on, like landing a crippled jet in non-friendly territory.