I've spent 40 years as a fire protection specialist dedicated to ensuring the safety of others in jobs with the U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. While the personal reward for my own service has been saving lives, enjoying stable employment and the privilege of achieving the position of Fire Chief - one of the profession's highest honors - I have watched too many of another group that should be first languish - our nation's military heroes. Too often, these heroes have a difficult time finding work or are underemployed when they come back home from service. I'm now paying it forward as Co-Founder and Vice President of Finance at Troops To Firefighters, Inc. Troops To Firefighters is a nonprofit delivering on its mission to transition military service members and their spouses to careers in fire service and 9-1-1 emergency call center operations.