Doyle Barnes:  

Thought I better at least get someting in here! I'll try to give a quick chronological story... Graduated HS and worked at Alkota for 18 mos. Then went to Sioux Falls College for two years. Lost intreast in Pre-Med and worked with Coach House gifts. Was promised the Colorado Springs store while I was training for Management. Moved out to Rock Springs Wyo. as the store manager when the one there quit unexpectedly. Was still looking to move to Colorado but found out that they have a hard time getting anyone out to Rock Springs. So when they get someone there, they leave them.... Married Crystal while I was out there. She was from Sioux Falls and we had met a few years before I went out there.We moved back to Sioux Falls and I worked in retail sales. Then went back to Alkota and worked up to leadman for Testing and Quality Control. Then went out and worked the service side of the business for about 11 years. We were living in Beresford at the time and I deciided to get into a business for myself and started "Doyle's Clean Tech". I did carpet and upholstery and furnace and ductwork cleaning and even went into fire and flood damage restoration. I owned that business for about 14 years. We had our three kids in this time frame as well. Kelsey was born in 1982, Jeremy in 1985, and Kiley in 1987. I joined the SD Nat'l Guard in 1982 and was enlisted for 9 years and then went to Officers Candidate School (OCS) and worked my way up to Executive Officer for A Btry out of Mitchell,SD. When I started my own business, I went into the Inactive Ready Reserve with the military. After 4 years I missed the military and joined back with the Army Reserve out of Iowa. I eventually was promoted to Captain and served as Commander of a unit in Fort Dodge,Ia for four years. I trained up a strength challenged unit and built it up to a combat ready unit. They deployed two of my three platoons but wouldn't let me deploy with them because I was branched Field Artillary instead of Adjudent General. I had never heard of such a thing and was deeply disappointed. Bummed me out so I switched back to the SD Nat'l Guard who I had heard was possibly going to deploy. Deployment in a combat situation was the only goal of mine that I hadn't acheived in the military so I resigned my rank as Captain and went back to being an Enlisted Soldier so that I could get a slot on the deployment roster since they already had a commander for the deploying unit. I put my name on the voluteer list and was selected to deploy. We went to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I sold my business before I left so that if anything happened, my wife wouldn't have to try and sell it. We were on one of the most attacked FOBs in Baghdad and were training the Iraqi police. Four of our fellow soldiers gave their lives over there. But we are all proud of what we accompished and how much the Iraqi people loved having us there....REGARDLESS of what the media told you in all thier lies and propaganda!!!!! Spent one year over there in the baking sun and desert. 137 degrees was the hottest day we had but most days ranged up around 120-127 degrees. N...Expand for more