Transitioning from 20+ years in the Army to civilian life.

John Cotten is the Mason County Veterans Service Officer for the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs.   In observance of Veterans Day, John will be speaking about his transition from 20+ years in the Army to civilian life.

A little about John:

• Raised in a small town in northern Iowa, roughly the same size as Ludington

• Attended Texas A&M University on a four-year Army ROTC Scholarship

• Commissioned as a Field Artillery Officer in the United States Army in 1990

• Retired at the end of 2010 as a Lieutenant Colonel with two combat tours in Iraq

• Knowledge Manager/Project Manager for Volant and Associates and Intelligent Software Solutions from 2011 to 2020

• Traveled to Afghanistan seven times for tours lasting anywhere from four to 13 months between 2011 and 2018

• Mason County Veterans Service Officer from January 2021 to present

• President/lead dog trainer/book keeper/kennel boy at Cotten's Sunset Kennels