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10th HOOAH Tennessee

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10th HOOAH Tennessee

Board

Chapter President

Todd Connor Bio | Email

Todd Connor

Todd Connor served 5 years in the Army and loved being a soldier. He served as a 25Q and was stationed at Fort Campbell. Unfortunately, he was injured and could no longer serve. When Todd originally got discharged, he felt like a huge part of him was destroyed and didn’t have purpose. Todd struggled with life and the obstacles presented to him from deployment. When he returned home, he became another statistic and got a divorce, started drinking, and more. He was fortunate to have a lot of people in my corner one of which is joining the HOOAH team. Todd now is 100% disabled and retired from the military, 5 years after being MED Boarded. He has worked for many companies after getting out and even started his own company searching for that purpose again. He worked for a cable company, moved on to be a subcontractor, worked on Fort Campbell (where he was fired for having a service dog), and finally his career with Faith Technologies. They support him and his service dog working together to live normal lives and understood the difference and help the service dog provided for Todd.

In between all these jobs Todd had many struggles and obstacles to overcome trying to better himself and find his purpose. He was turned away and mocked for having PTSD and many other issues. His disabilities are only getting worse and causing permanent nerve damage throughout his body, fought cancer, and struggled to move past his disabilities. With the help of his retired 1SGT and his family, they pushed him to be the best person Todd could be and helped him understand his value.

Since being out Todd has lost 4 Soldiers from his unit to suicide and 2 more that he had the pleasure of serving with. He finally, somewhere in this mess, decided that he can’t be another statistic and has to survive for them and keep their memories alive. Todd started receiving phone calls about the processes he has gone through to help those transitioning and needing to talk about life. One of which had lost her husband and contacted wounded warrior for help. She was forgotten about by the Military and WWP. Todd began helping those like me and tried to prevent yet another suicide. He finally felt like he had purpose again and serving something greater than himself. He realized that his oath doesn’t stop, he still has purpose and that purpose is to help veterans (all veterans). The bias view needs to end, and we all need to help our brothers and sisters, stop the suicides, help them transition, make them understand they have something amazing to offer and help ALL VETERANS. There is no reason to turn any veteran away and it should not be acceptable to do so.

Todd’s goal is to start a TN, HOOAH chapter. He wants to make a difference in our community and help those who need it. Not for publicity or profit. Its our duty the day we joined, continue to help our brothers and sisters in arms, and all his board members agree with this vision. The WWP did nothing for a veteran’s family and continue to check the box and have become misguided. Todd truly believe in HOOAH’s purpose and mission. There is no excuse for leaving a veteran behind. We all need to carry out this mission and keep our vets and their families alive. No bias view, no selection process, no checking the box for quota, actually make the difference and stand behind our veterans.

Vice President

Kerry Koepke Bio | Email

Kerry Koepke

1SG Koepke (Ret.) entered the United States Army on 3 June 1999, attending Basic Combat Training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina. From there he completed Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Gordon, Georgia where he was awarded the MOS of 25U, Signal Support Systems Specialist. He has served in a variety of leadership positions to include Team Chief, Squad Leader, Senior Instructor, Recruiting Station Commander, Battalion Signal Support Systems Chief, Platoon Sergeant, Brigade Signal Support Systems Chief, First Sergeant, and Brigade Operations Sergeant Major.

His assignments include: HHC 3rd BDE 3rd Infantry Division, Ft. Benning, GA, 463rd Military Police Company, Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, Alpha Company 369th Signal Battalion, Ft. Gordon, GA, Kansas City Recruiting Battalion, 3rd Military Intelligence Battalion (AE), Camp Humphreys, Korea, 14th Military Police Brigade, Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, 51st Expeditionary Signal Battalion, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, and 177th Armored Brigade, Camp Shelby, MS. 1SG Koepke (Ret.) retired from the Army 1 July 2019.

His military education includes: Warrior Leader Course, Advanced Leader Course (Profession of Arms Recipient), Senior Leader Course, Signal Digital Master Gunner Course, Standardized COMSEC Custodian Course, Cadre Training Course, Army Recruiter School, Commanders Safety Course, Total Army Instructor Training Course, Army Safety Program Management Course, and the Combat Lifesaver Course. 1SG Koepke (Ret.) also holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in computer information systems.

1SG Koepke (Ret.) is married to his wife Wendy and has three children. They currently reside in Clarksville, TN where he is a Workforce Manager for a large Electrical Contractor. Even as a permanently and totally disabled Veteran, he has found it extremely difficult to navigate the VA system for himself as well as his family. The opportunity to continue to take care of Soldiers while retired, as a member of a Non-Profit that truly provides all proceeds to the local Veteran community is a blessing. 1SG Koepke (Ret.) goal is to provide all Veterans in need with the service or care when they need it. No red tape, no quota, just unbiased assistance to the local Veteran community. He would also like to establish services to help navigate and eventually eliminate the roadblocks in our current Veterans health care and benefits system.

Secretary

Jessica Connor Bio | Email

Jessica Connor

Jessica began her career as a CNA and continued her education in polysomnography. Through helping others as a CNA she looked to further her education further and became a message therapist. She has worked at Clarksville nursing home and taking care of veterans, elderly and those with physical ailments. She began her message therapist career at a Chiropractor clinic and now works for EDEN.

Jessica Met her husband as he was transitioning out of the military and pushed for him to become the man he is today. She assisted with treatments, physical therapy, getting him a service dog, and finally completing his retirement. She watched him struggle through the years and loosing his Military family to suicide and struggles with PTSD. Jessica continues to support her husband through his career and personal goals.

Jessica now focuses on ways that she could give back to the community and disabled veterans now that her dad and husband are both Disabled and retired Army veterans. Seeing the struggles that they have gone through and the struggles of the people that directly affected has been hard to watch. She now wants to support her husband in the pursuit of creating a TN HOOAH chapter and prevent suicide in the veteran community. The VA system cant even help the veterans in the area and dropped her husband from VA care due to the lack of doctors on the staff. If it wasn’t for the retirement coming through 2 days after that notification from the VA her husband wouldn’t have his medications or treatment needed. Not knowing the path ahead Jessica preemptively submitted a request through the VA for him to see a civilian doctor.

This is just one example Jessica has experienced growing up in the military and being the wife of a veteran. The system is sometimes misguided and flawed. She believes through the HOOAH program, that the group can help serve our veterans with the most upmost care and respect that they deserve. Give back to those that sacrificed so much. HOOAH would be able to work directly with the VSO office, Fort Campbell, and VA to help our veterans in times of need, and work together as a community as a voice to represent our veterans and serve there needs to prevent suicide and a better way of life.

Treasurer

Angel Luciano Bio | Email

Angel Luciano

Pastor Angel Luciano is a husband, father, grandfather and a devoted man of God. He was born on June 26, 1965 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to Angel Luciano Sr. and Nereida Luciano. After graduating from High School (1983), he joined the U.S. Navy where he completed 5 ½ years of service. He then then crossed over to the U.S. Army to further his Aviation career, closely to the 6 year mark and after much thought he decided to leave the military, completing about 11 ½ years of military service.

He then pursued a career in Logistics and Hazmat/Environmental Safety. Throughout his career, Pastor Angel, as he is known today, has felt a void or a calling. Though he had a good life, though he had no need for anything, he still felt as if there was something missing. It was 2006 that this void led him back to Clarksville, TN., his last duty station. It was in Clarksville were he rededicated his life and excepted his calling into the ministry. Its been a long journey, however in 2018, Pastor Angel has been led to build a church “Trinity Church of Deliverance”.

There is a great need within the Clarksville Community, especially to our very own soldiers. Being a prior service member myself, I have come to understand that the sacrifices that we have made in most cases go on without the proper acknowledgment, proper care and support towards those who gave unselfishly. To the cause of freedom, liberty and justice for all. It is this cause that I served my country proudly, that I was then and still am now, willing to die for my country and yet, I too suffer, but my suffering is of a different nature, for a different cause. I suffer for my fellow brothers and sisters who served unconditionally, with sacrifice, who gave themselves to protect and to give the opportunity for freedom to exist everywhere!

I am so sick and tired of seeing or hearing of our fellow bretherens get rejected because they just don’t cut “their” standards or that they just barely made the mark of acceptance. However this country didn’t mind them giving up their all, to include their lives for the freedom of others. That is why I am so passionate in the support of this Non Profit Organization, where we shall strive to support everyone within our means. To assist and not to hinder, to build up and not tear down, to lift them up and not push them down. I am deeply honored to be asked to be part of what I believe will be one of the greatest Non Profit programs to exist in the support of our well deserving veterans.

Committee Leaders

Get In Touch

Email
hooahtn@hooahinc.org

About

10th H.O.O.A.H Tennessee is a chapter of H.O.O.A.H Inc. that was founded in 2019 to extend the mission and services of H.O.O.A.H Inc. to the state of Tennessee.

10th H.O.O.A.H Tennessee is an all-volunteer lead 501(c)(3); we are patriotic citizens committed to serving our veterans and their families by building relationships, identifying and supporting their immediate and longer term needs. We are dedicated to promoting public awareness of the many sacrifices made by our Armed Forces.

Our Mission is to Support the morale and well-being of our Armed forces by providing comfort & resources to them and their families both while they are deployed and after their return, assisting our veterans during their transition to civilian life after military service.

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