Turning Down the Heat

A PASSION FOR HELPING OTHERS MAKES THE JOB EXTRA REWARDING

WRITTEN BY: EMMA VATNSDAL PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA

Curt Cannon’s life can be summed up in one word: compassion.

And when you’re working to help change the lives of your brothers and sisters, compassion can be your biggest strength.

There are many challenges veterans face after they leave the military. Unemployment, homelessness, physical handicaps and poor mental health barely scratch the surface. Then the added stress of figuring out how their country is going to serve them after they risk their lives to serve their country.

“My whole life has been helping people,” he said. “You don’t go into nursing if you’re not compassionate and want to help people. I have a business and a nursing degree, so I put the two together and went the healthcare route.”

He served as the CEO of an assisted living facility in Minnesota before he retired from the Army in 2014.

Cannon took the Clay County Veteran Service Officer position in September 2015 and he hasn’t looked back.

For Cannon, navigating the maze of the ever-changing military benefits, and all the complex issues veterans face after their service, is all in a day’s work.

Every veteran that walks through the doors of the Clay County Veterans Service Office in North Moorhead has a story. And with each story comes a unique set of obstacles they must get through in order to survive and thrive in civilian life.

“It’s been one of the most rewarding jobs in my career,” he said. “You’ve got a veteran sitting across from you crying because they don’t know what to do, they don’t have health care, they’re going to lose their job or their house, and you have resources to help. And you get them into the VA and now they have a lifetime of health care, or you provide a resource that helps them pay their rent, mortgage or utilities. There’s nothing better than that.”

Transitioning back into civilian life is a drastic shift for many, and that little bit of magic can make it a little easier.

“(While you’re stationed) you take orders, you deliver orders, you do a mission and hope everyone is safe. You were fed, your laundry is done for you, and you have no bills. There is daily stress of missing your family and hoping your soldiers stay alive, but you execute the mission to best of your abilities, serve your time and come home to your family,” said Cannon.

“Back here, you have the home fight. — I mean, how do you cope with that? That’s the biggest question. Can you cope when you return to civilian life? That’s where we come into play. We’re dealing with way more than just taking orders. You have housing, kids, spousal, social, financial, employment… Those compound and it can make or break you. Some can handle the heat of the daily stressors, and some can’t, but our job is to try to turn the heat down.”

From housing allowances and retirement benefits, to medical care and disability with everything in between, Cannon and his colleagues wear multiple “hats” to make the process as smooth and easy as possible.

“We’re advocates for our county veterans that deal with state or federal benefits, and we offer the resources to try to direct (the veterans) in the right path,” he said. “In my opinion, you just have to find the person or the people that have the answers. And in Clay County, that’s us. We’re a one-stop shop, and we know and have access to the resources available to them. We have the answers, and if we don’t know (the answer), we know people that we can call and get it.”

Cannon and his team Jennifer and Bonnie create a support network for veterans who need it.

But they don’t do it alone. In this area, finding help is sometimes a short drive or phone call across the river.

“We work closely with Chris Deery, the VSO in Cass County, and his team,” he said. “We flip-flop answers and we take care of each other, and we take care of each other’s vets. We couldn’t be a better team.”

Life In The Forces

Cannon’s life with the military started before he was even born. His father served in the Air Force.

It was while he was attending Valley City State University in 1989 that he got his chance to join the military.

“I wanted to join the Air Force, but that was in Fargo and I didn't have a good car to make it,” he said with a laugh. “So I had to walk up the hill to the Army National Guard Armory.”

Cannon enlisted as a combat medic for the field artillery company as a Private First Class. He went through basic and advanced individual training and eventually became a specialist. In 1992 he attended the Minnesota Military Academy (OCS Class 37) to become an officer. He graduated in 1993 as a second lieutenant, and stayed in the medical field as a platoon leader where he was in charge of 40 to 50 soldiers. He worked his way up the ranks to executive officer and company commander of the medical unit, Charlie Med. He also served as the rear Battalion Commander at the end of his 26-year military career.

He was deployed to Iraq in 2005, where he commanded 133 soldiers spread throughout the country.

“In Iraq, we were the third medical unit on the ground so our mission was changed to providing in-hospital level two-plus trauma care and convoy escort teams. My doctors, my nurses, my dentist and a few specialized medics remained in the hospital on base to provide care,” Cannon said. “The remainder of the medics with our supply section had to retrain and refit to, quite frankly, do the toughest job: run gun trucks from southern Iraq to Baghdad every three to five days. We were also assigned a patrol section of our perimeter ‘outside the wire.’”

The escorts and patrols were very difficult missions for trained personnel. We had two to three weeks to retrain, refit and execute missions.”

Cannon’s unit spent 16 months in Iraq.

“We did an outstanding job with our missions,” he said. “We brought everybody home. A few got hurt, but everybody came home alive.”

Home Life

Cannon does a lot for his community, but he would argue his family does even more.

“You can’t do a career like this without family,” he said. His wife and children have been with him for the whole ride.

“I think the biggest thing for children of a service member is coping with them being gone so long and so often,” Cannon said. “For the National Guard, you have one weekend a month and then two weeks (of training) so that’s up to many active duty days a year. Then add in the multiple state active duty days and deployments, it accumulates to years of time gone from your family and having no dad around to contribute to day-to-day life.

And while dad is deployed, it’s mom who holds down the most important fort.

“It definitely made Yvonne more independent,” he said. “She bought a house, took care of the bills, took care of the kids when they were sick, coordinated daycare and after school events while working a full time job. She deserves the recognition and medals. She’s a saint to put up with me and I can’t tell her enough how much she means to our family. The kids have been great and have supported me throughout my military career.”

“It definitely takes a village,” he said. And to Cannon, that, he says, is the good life.

“It’s taking care of fellow veterans and taking care of family,” he said. “Spending time with family and friends because life is too short. The good life also extends to the work and what our local and state team members do to help veterans and their families. After my 26 year career in the army, I’m taking care of veterans, my brothers and sisters to make sure they have direction and the proper resources to succeed — not just in Clay County, but all over the world.” •