John joined the Air Force in 2001, and spent his first eight years as a Munitions Technician, keeping aircraft armed and missions moving. He deployed three times between 2004 and 2007 for OIF, OEF, and the GWOT — including a 2004 deployment building munitions specifically targeted for Saddam Hussein's palace. Those intense years built a foundation of heavy logistics, fast problem-solving, and resilience under pressure.
In 2009, he pivoted into a completely different field, retraining as a Dental Laboratory Technician. This required mastering the micro-precision of crafting custom medical prostheses. He ultimately rose to manage a major dental clinic, overseeing personnel, budgets, and daily operations. A definitive highlight of his 18-year career came in 2017, when he was selected to serve as a stand-in First Sergeant, a role dedicated to the health, morale, and readiness of the airmen.
Before medically retiring in 2018, John's career spanned the flight line to medicine. It was at times incredibly tough, but it remains the best professional decision he ever made — a journey of absolute dedication with 100% no regrets.
John joined the Farmer Veteran Coalition five years ago, right as he was launching his small farm. Coming from a non-agricultural background, he had never farmed before and knew absolutely no one in the industry. In those early days, FVC was a lifeline; he spent countless hours on the resource pages and reading veteran stories just to glean the basic knowledge he needed to get started.
"The tangible impact FVC has had on our business since then has been immense. We were fortunate enough to be awarded two gift cards through the Fellowship Fund, which provided critical funding right when we needed it most. We also immediately adopted the Homegrown By Heroes label for our packaging. Here in New Hampshire, that label has been a major asset — we have had multiple customers comment that they chose our products over others specifically because of that veteran branding. FVC didn't just give us resources; it gave a brand-new, first-generation farming family the credibility and support to build a thriving business."
AOR Farmstead is a small-scale farm dedicated to giving their animals the best life possible while utilizing them to actively manage and improve the landscape. Their focus is on high-quality, pasture-raised and forest-raised meats, rotationally grazing their stock to ensure both animal health and top-tier products for their community.
The diverse farm ecosystem includes pasture-raised Katahdin sheep used for intensive landmanagement, and forest-raised pigs, pasture-raised turkeys, and meat birds raised outdoors where they can forage naturally. They also manage a flock of free-range egg layers for fresh farm eggs. While they originally started geese with the intention of selling Christmas goose, they have successfully transitioned that part of the business into breeding and selling goslings, alongside a newly launched small rabbit enterprise.
"My wife and I talked for years about starting a small farm because we wanted higher quality and more nutritionally dense foods. What the market had to offer at the time was not great. I enjoy the manual labor - keeps me active and gives me the ability to get out of my own head
and relax. The farm gives my wife a sense of purpose and direction. Together as empty nesters, it gives us something we work on together."
For John, farming is a natural continuation of his service because it centers on stewardship and community care. How he manages his animals and stewards the land is a direct reflection of that commitment. Providing the highest quality livestock through humane, ethical care is neither easy nor cheap, but he refuses to cut corners. At the same time, he focuses on operational efficiency — they do not waste time or resources on unnecessary overhead just to add a few dollars to the retail cost. Their goal is simply to provide an honest, premium product that their community can trust.
"To me, being an American farmer brings a deep sense of pride. This life is demanding, the margins are tight, and balancing a working farm with a full-time off-farm career requires immense dedication. It is incredibly hard work, but I believe small, sustainable farms are the future of American agriculture. Having the opportunity to feed our neighbors while respecting the land is a privilege, and I hope our community continues to see the value in supporting these efforts."
