My family instilled in me a deep desire to give back by serving our country. Both sets of my grandparents lived through the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II. My maternal grandfather was a student leader who was arrested for protesting the occupation. He escaped and had to live in hiding for more than 2 years. My paternal grandfather was an officer in the Dutch army and held a high position in the resistance movement. My grandparents always spoke with passion, reverence, and appreciation for what the United States did to liberate and rebuild Europe.Ìý
My deep-rooted need to honor what they had to endure makes me passionate about helping to defend freedom and democracy. Because I was fascinated by flying and space, I decided the Air Force would be the right place for me to start my career, and I spent 7 years on active duty. I’ve been with Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Allen for 21 years now, and I’m happy that I’ve been able to continue giving back by supporting our clients in the Air Force—and now the Space Force.