Casey Bentley-Craig:  

After graduating from Midway, I began the fall semester at MCC on a Speech Scholarship, majoring in Radio and Television. I was also on the Debate team. While there, I started working as a Radio Announcer at KWTX-FM radio. I was the 2nd female in the Waco radio market. I hated school, quit and got married. Had a wonderful baby boy: Robert. By this time, I was working as Weekend Anchor/Producer of the 10 pm Newscast on KCEN-TV. When I got pregnant with Robert, they started a Noon News program that I co-anchored with 2 other men AND was still anchoring on weekends. So, while most of you were in College, I was doing what I always dreamed of doing..and at that time, did not need a degree to do so. I stopped weekend anchoring, to do the noon show and co-anchor at 6pm. While my boss was sick, I was moved up and anchored/produced both 6 and 10 pm Newscasts. I married the Sports Director and at the time there was a nepotism rule, so I quit and had my first bout of depression. I do not remember anything from March until August, when we moved to B/CS, his hometown. We began working at KBTX-TV. He was News Director and anchored at 6pm, and I anchored at 10pm. It was here I had a life-changing experience. I joined a Bible Study group. Had anyone told me a few years before, that the hole I was feeling could be filled with a relationship with Christ, I would have laughed. But, I flourished! One of the highlights there was telecasting the Jerry Lewis telethon for MD and flown out to Las Vegas, meet him and do a commercial with him! We then moved to Beaumont, where I got pregnant with Casen. His dad worked at a radio staion there. He got the idea to start a Mail Sorting business, and with baby Casen in hand, along with Kindergartner Robert, we moved back to B/CS where we started a business. He worked radio, morning rush hour with his own show and did mail for his customers when he got off at 9am. I had a nervous breakdown when Casen was in 2nd grade. I was told, 'I enjoy being a dad, but not a husband. I want a divorce.' He did not want to wait on me to get well. I was diagnosed with chronic depression and still take meds, see a psychiatrist and psychologist on a regular basis. I was also diagnosed with PTSD from childhood experiences of emotional abuse and neglect. While driving to Houston once a week for therapy, I began volunteering at the Bryan Police Dept in CID with the Detectives. I LOVED IT. I answered phones and typed into the BPD computer some of the Detective's case summaries. They accepted me as one of the guys and even invited me to an autopsy! I went on several ride alongs with patrol officers and found out what happens to drunk Aggies when they go to the wrong side of town! Was in a bad relationship, but learned about raising F-1 Braford heifers and their calves, raising coastal hay and attended many an A&M football and Men's basketball game as he was head of the stat crew for both sports..so occasionally I was able to watch from the press box! At this time I also started doing voice-over work for a local cable company on their real estate channel. I love doing that! I then met a man I think God intended for me all along. He was a professional college student. Had never been married and had never wanted children. We married the year he joined the Army. John joined at the age of 34, when the cut-off age was 35. He turned 35 in Basic Training. He became a Combat Engineer. By this time Robert had graduated from Bryan High School, was at A&M and Casen was going to Allen Academy..a local prep high school. Our first duty station was Ft. Stewart, GA...just outside Savannah. I'd move back in a heartbeat! We were there almost 5 years. I volunteered at Army Community Service in Mobilization and Deployment program, started learning all I could about the Army. Remember, my dad was Air Force..well, they are TWO different animals! While there, John was in Kosovo on a peace-keeping mission when 9/11 occurred. While there I started becoming involved in the Family Readiness Group, FRG. I was asked, because of my broadcasting background, to narrate and be the face of an OPSEC video. (Operational Security) It won a FORSCOM award! I had not lost my touch! In 2003, he went on his first and worst deployment to Iraq. He had 3 soldiers die in 4 days. The first was a personal friend in our company and he was the first recipient of the Medal of Honor for the war in Iraq. John went on to do 3 more tours of Iraq when we moved to Baumholder, Germany in 2004. In 2005, the widow of our friend, SFC Paul Smith, was notified he would be receiving the MOH. She needed to give a speech the next day at the Pentagon when they unveiled the new plaque of the Iraq war in the Hall of Heroes. Knowing I had broadcast experience, she asked if I would write her speech. I felt honored and wrote what I thought Paul would want her to say. While John's Chain of Command denied him leave to attend the ceremony at the White House, because of the time difference, we were able to watch the MOH ceremony and hear Birgit read my words the next day at the Pentagon at 4pm Germany time on the Military Channel which broadcast them live! We lived in Germany for 6 years and I traveled everywhere..while John was deployed and together when he was back. Many people who have only done 3 years in Europe, long to go back. But, in those 6 years,...Expand for more