With over 25 years serving our country in the Coast Guard, Robert is planning on transitioning to life as a civilian. The mission of the Coast Guard is “to ensure our nation’s maritime safety, security, and stewardship”. They have a presence on all 7 continents and the oceans of the world. They are both a branch of the US Armed Forces and the Department of Homeland Security.

When you think about people like Robert transitioning, they bring a tremendous level of operational and management experience. The concept of teamwork permeates their training and how they operate – the focus is on the mission, the goal. Of course as with any organization the armed forces has a political side, but the main focus is success of the mission. And teamwork – many of the missions they perform are complex, requiring pulling together disparate resources, and having them work effectively together, often in critical situations and often without the luxury of time to adequately plan.

Robert came to my studio as part of the Portraits for Patriots program and is the 80^th person I’ve shot as part of that program. Portraits for Patriots is a nationwide non-profit organization of headshot photographers who provide complementary headshots to transitioning military service members, their spouses, and Gold Star families. Since its inception, P4P has provided 1000’s of portfolio quality headshots to help these heroes in their transition process.

It's an honor for me to have the opportunity to give back and say thank you to these heroes such as Robert. They are so appreciative, have interesting stories (for what they can share!, and frankly are very often great in front of a camera! Plus I get to connect with them on LinkedIn and follow them as they transition to civilian life. Some have gone onto grad school, some now work in biotech, hitech, the VA – and it always brings a smile to my face when I see the image we created on their LinkedIn profile, knowing that I played some small role in helping them transition.

Thank you for your service Robert, and the best of success in your future endeavors!