Charles A BidwellCharles A. Bidwell was born on June 24, 1963, in Joplin, Missouri, the third of eight children. His adventurous spirit showed early-at age five he snuck into school alongside a friend already in kindergarten.His family lineage traces back to 1634, whn ancestors sailed from England to North America aboard the John and Mary. Growing up, Charles played Little League baseball, but school proved difficult. Undiagnosed dyslexia left him struggling to read until his third-grade teacher noticed he was writing backwards. From then until seventh grade, he attended special education classes for half the school day, continuing to battle academic challenges through middle school.During his sophomore year, a school counselor told him he wasn't "intelligent enough" for high school and suggested he join the military. Charles walked out of school that day and, in March 1981, enlisted in the Missouri National Guard as a combat medic, serving alongside his uncle. His exceptional ASVAB score ranked in the top one percent, allowing him to choose any specialty. After completing basic and medical training, he earned his GED with some of the highest scores in the state.In September 1981, Charles joined the active-duty Army, training as a helicopter avionics and electronics mechanic. While serving, he met his future wife, Kris, on October 29, 1984. They married two months later, just before the Army transferred him to Korea. After returning to Texas, he reenlisted and was stationed in Hawaii until leaving active service in 1989. In 1994, a friend encouraged him to join the Naval Reserves, where he served as a corpsman with the Marines. The following year, he returned to the Missouri National Guard, remaining until 2010. During that time, he served alongside his brother, stepson, and eldest daughter, and deployed to Iraq for three tours as a combat medic: - 2003-2004: With his home unit, building schools and bases while staffing a military aid station that cared for over 2,000 coalition troops and contractors.- 2005-2006: Assigned to an engineer unit, he worked with the North Dakota National Guard clearing routes in the Sunni Triangle, searching for roadside bombs.- 2008: With a medical unit, he provided care for Iraqi detainees in a prison-many of whom recognized him from his second tour.Preparing for a deployment to Afghanistan, Charles was diagnosed with a minor traumatic brain injury during medical screening. This ended his ability to serve overseas, and he retired after 23 years of military service. Throughout his tours, he also wrote articles for his hometown newspaper.In civilian life, Charles held diverse roles: glass crusher, nursery owner in Oregon, psychiatric/medical technician at his birth hospital, JROTC substitute teacher, long-haul truck driver, public affairs specialist for the Missouri National Guard, data analyst for the Kansas Social Welfare Office, and security training officer working alongside his youngest daughter. He later became a security assistant manager.Today, Charles is a 100% disabled war veteran living in Miami, Oklahoma, with his wife Kris, his partner of 42 years. Read More Read Less