BeTempered Episode 83 - Building a Practice on Gratitude and Trust with Dr. Craig Hewitt - BeTempered

Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_02 (00:04):
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SPEAKER_03 (02:09):
Welcome to the Be Tempered Podcast, where we
explore the art of findingbalance in a chaotic world.

SPEAKER_06 (02:14):
Join us as we delve into insightful conversations,
practical tips, and inspiringstories to help you navigate
life's ups and downs with graceand resilience.

SPEAKER_03 (02:22):
We're your host, Dan Schmidt, and Ben Sparr.
Let's embark on a journey tolive our best lives.

SPEAKER_05 (02:28):
This is Be Tempered.

SPEAKER_03 (02:30):
What's up, everybody?
Welcome to the Bee TemperedPodcast, episode number 83, Dan.
Good job, Dan.

SPEAKER_05 (02:36):
Thank you.
Good job.

SPEAKER_03 (02:37):
Hey, today on the Be Tempered Podcast, we're joined
by a man who embodies service,faith, leadership, and community
at the deepest level.
Dr.
Craig Hewitt is a proud EtonHigh School graduate whose roots
in Preble County run generationsdeep.
He and his wife, Bethany, haveraised five incredible kids
here, each one shaped by thesame small town values and

(02:59):
school system that shaped Craighimself.
After earning his dental degreefrom the Ohio State University,
Craig went on to serve ourcountry and the United States
Navy, where he further advancedhis training and built the
foundation for the practice heleads today.
When his service ended, he feltcalled to come home.
Back to Eton, back to community,back to the people he loves.

(03:23):
For more than two decades now,Craig has been caring for
families, treating patients ofall ages, and continually
expanding his expertise tobetter serve those who walk
through his doors.
He's respected in hisprofession, trusted in this
community, and known for the wayhe treats every patient with
kindness, humility, and agenuine desire to make their

(03:45):
lives better.
But beyond the scrubs and thecredentials, Craig is a husband,
a father of five, a man deep offaith, and a friend who always
shows up.
He's the kind of guy who quietlyinvests in others, who leads by
example, and who uses his giftsto strengthen the community he
loves.
Today we get to unpack hisstory, where he came from, what

(04:06):
shaped him, and the values thathas guided his life and career.
Craig, welcome to the BeTempered Podcast.

SPEAKER_07 (04:13):
Well, thank you for having me.
I mean, what an honor.
Uh it's just something somethingspecial to be here.
And uh I think what you guysboth are doing is uh really
neat, really special, and umgreat helping people out.
And so anything I can do uh totry to help.
Yeah, I'm here and I appreciateit.
It's it's been a great list ofguests you've had on there, on

(04:36):
here, and for me to be one ofthem is is an honor.

SPEAKER_03 (04:39):
Yeah, well, we're we're honored to have you.
And like we were just talkingabout earlier, you know, I'm
excited to to hear your storyand kind of what shaped you to,
you know, to push you to thecareer that you you chose and
and uh in your heart because Iknow you're a giving man.
Um you know, I I I you know I'veknown you for for many years

(05:01):
now.
And uh like I told you earlier,I did floss and brush before we
came on today.
So you'll be happy to know that.
Um and yeah, so anyway, so howwe like to start every podcast
is we like to start back inchildhood.
So if you would talk about whatlife was like for you growing up
as a kid.

SPEAKER_07 (05:19):
Okay.
Um, pretty typical, really.
I was uh stable home.
Mom and dad uh both work.
There were five of us.
I was number two of five.
And uh so I had the oldersister, she kind of guided us
and I followed along, and thenthere were several behind us.
But um mom grew up, uh, she wentto a Catholic school.

(05:39):
They're both from Cincinnati,and she went to Catholic school,
I think fairly, you know,strict.
Uh, they went to mass regularly.
And uh dad grew up, his wholehousehold was a little less
stable, and we talked a littlebit about that.
And it's um, I think I neverquestioned they they really
showed us what true love was.

(06:00):
Uh we never saw if they everbickered or had issues with each
other.
We never knew of it and uh stilldon't.
I mean, they they really justeverything that they did in
front of us embodied a lovingrelationship.
And so we were we grew up in avery stable, loving home.
And dad was his his uh dad wasmilitary, so he was a military

(06:23):
kid, and they moved around some,and uh so his was a stable.
But uh we grew up Marion, Ohio,so it's about an hour north of
Columbus, and there it's aboutthe size of Richmond, so about
30,000.
Of course, we went to theCatholic school there, Marion
Catholic, uh St.
Mary's was the elementary,Marion Catholic was high school

(06:45):
and sports, everything.
So mom and dad were always theresupporting us, practices,
sports.
I don't remember it being likeit is now, you know, where
parents are at every singlepractice, every single game you
don't miss no matter what.
I remember not that they weren'tpresent in our lives, but it was
something they drop us off atpractice and we were there, and

(07:06):
you kind of learn on your own.
And we had good coaches andthey'd pick you up at the end of
practice, mainly because I thinkthey were with the other
siblings.
But uh, so grew up there and youknow, I think just had a very
nice American childhood.
We had lived in a neighborhood,and mom and dad both worked.

(07:27):
So dad was terminal manager.
I don't know if you know roadwaytrucking.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So that was yellow trucking, Ithink it was a big one.
So roadway and yellow were bigback in the day.
And so dad was a terminalmanager for roadway trucking, so
around a lot of truck driversand everything else.
And um, but mom, she worked uhER nurse.

SPEAKER_04 (07:47):
Okay.

SPEAKER_07 (07:48):
And uh, so it was something they both had to work,
and but it was important thatthey were somebody home with us
all the time.
And so dad worked, you know,regular nine to five or 40-hour
work week through the week.
And then mom worked, uh, she wasa nurse that worked 12-hour
shifts, and she did it on theweekends.
So Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 12P to 12A.

(08:09):
She'd come back and sleep, andthey did that for years.
And I mean, really, they justmade it work.
And um, so we were we were okayto be on our own, but there was
always somebody around.

SPEAKER_03 (08:19):
Yeah, yeah.
Do you what what sports did youplay growing up?

SPEAKER_07 (08:23):
Um soccer was the big one for for my family.
Uh, we were all undersized.
Yeah.
So uh we'll we can talk aboutthat later.
But I mean, as far as you know,I was teeny tiny, even in high
school.
And um, but uh soccer was big,basketball, baseball, we played
a lot of baseball.
And I think that was just afunction of our neighbors.

(08:45):
And so we lived next door to themussers.
And again, we lived on a justregular, you know, street in the
middle of a city.
We had neighbors on either side,neighbors behind us across the
street.
You know, so I mean it was justsmall, smaller yards, not tiny,
um, but you know, modest.
There was we all had our ownbedroom, but it it wasn't

(09:06):
anything, you know, grandiose orso.
And so, um, but we had greatfriends around.
And so back in that day, before,and I'll date myself here, you
know, is uh, you know, no cellphones, no internet, really even
the TV.
And you gotta imagine this wasonly like three channels on TV
and everything.
So there really wasn't much on.

(09:26):
And so we spent a lot of timeoutside and and we played all
the usual games kickball, wiffleball.
Um, we played a little football,but soccer, and but the family
next door to us was veryathletic.
And so they had there were fourof them, and they're our ages
were about the same as theyounger two.
So we had those were kind of therole models for the older two

(09:48):
siblings there, and and so Ididn't really get to know them
too well, but I saw how theyacted, kind of wanted to be like
them.

SPEAKER_03 (09:55):
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 (09:56):
So that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_03 (09:57):
So, how long were you guys in Marion?

SPEAKER_07 (09:58):
So we lived there.
Uh based uh, I mean, I was bornin Cincinnati, but moved Marion
when I was very young.
And so my only memory ischildhood or Marion.
And so this, you know, you talkabout like a hardship.
I mean, really for me, one ofthe more challenging things when
we moved.
So I was in Marion Catholic uhall the way through freshman
year high school.

(10:19):
And Marion Catholic, smallschool, you know, there was, I
think, 25 in a class.
So, you know, from seventh totwelfth grade, there was, I
don't do the math, there, youknow, 150 kids.
Right.
And so everybody knew everybody,everybody knew each other's
siblings, their parents, and itwas just kind of a small family.
And here I moved to, you know,the huge school of Eton.

(10:43):
Right.
So Dad got transferred.
He was roadway trucking, gottransferred.
He was uh uh terminal manager atMarion, got uh the job at
Richmond, and so actually heworked not too far from here.
Yeah.
Um, and uh so they decided, Ithink they looked around
different schools.
Richmond would have been a bigjump going from that size

(11:03):
school.
And uh, you know, I think as faras mom was a big advocate for
the Catholic schools and sure,and um but they're really I
think Seaton was Seaton and St.
Mary's were very small and Ithink kind of still getting
started in the high school ages,I believe.
So they decided on Eaton andthey built a house out there

(11:24):
back in the the neighborhood.
They were one of the first fivehouses I think built out there.
Yeah, and so we moved here itwas summer after my freshman
year.
And right as you know, youyou're coming into your own,
you've got through junior high,freshman year, and you know, if
you're in a small town,everybody kind of has their

(11:44):
place.
You've got your your friends,the the coaches know you, they
know what to expect of you, andyou know, so it was just kind of
a given every year where youwere gonna be.
And I think we we see that withour kids, and you and I've
talked about that, you know,with the boys.
And um so when I moved to Eaton,now all of a sudden my identity

(12:05):
was gone.
You know, I mean, I didn't knowanybody.
It wasn't as if we moved closerto family or anything.
I knew nobody we moved here.
Mom and dad were building thehouse in Eaton, so we moved to
an apartment out here inRichmond, all seven of us.
And uh so it was across thestreet from the Walmart there.

(12:27):
Now there's apartments.

SPEAKER_03 (12:29):
Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_07 (12:29):
Yeah, yeah.
So we were back behind there.
Uh they promised us a pool.
Well, we show up there in thesummer and it's June.
Have you seen that pool?
About three feet of green waterand maybe a tree growing in it.
Yeah, yeah.
So promise one, you know, notfulfilled.

(12:51):
And uh so it but it was theright thing for dad.

SPEAKER_03 (12:55):
Right.

SPEAKER_07 (12:55):
But I mean, completely uprooted the family.

SPEAKER_03 (12:58):
How did you do you remember when your parents came
to you and told you, hey, we'removing?

SPEAKER_07 (13:03):
Yeah, I don't know, I don't remember the exact
moment, but I mean, I was, I didnot receive it well at all.
My older sister, um, at thatpoint, she was in um, she was at
a boarding high school down inFerdinand, Indiana.
So they with her class and only25, um it's you know, if you get

(13:25):
a a a group, a vocal group thatgoes one way, a lot follow.
Right.
And she, I mean, hats off to hersh for recognizing what was the
right thing to do and followingthe, you know, that popular
group was not the right thingfor her to do at that time.
And um, so they looked aroundand you know, she ended up at a
a boarding school down inPrudent, Indiana, Marion

(13:46):
Heights.
And I think it was the rightthing for her at the time.
And so she was gone, you know,and she left a few years prior
to that.
I had my younger siblings, and Ibecame very close with my
younger sister, Ezra, Jill.
I don't know if you've ever metJill, but um, she's an amazing
woman.
And so she's two years youngerthan me.

(14:08):
And so that was the stability Ihad.
But when dad broke that to me,um, you know, it was like that
can't be right.
Like, what other options do Ihave?

SPEAKER_03 (14:18):
Right.

SPEAKER_07 (14:19):
You know, because this is my life.
Um I'm accepted, I knoweverybody.

SPEAKER_03 (14:23):
Um at that point, I can see the plan ahead of me,
what's coming sports-wise,school-wise.

SPEAKER_07 (14:28):
Yeah.
And and and you know, we allplay sports.
I mean, that's a that's a hugepart of the identity uh for us
and for my family.
And I was, you know, playing thesoccer team, playing the
basketball team, playing thebaseball team.
To this day, I have the uh thefirst uh winning game for Marion
Catholic high school pitching.
Yeah, congratulations.
It was the first season.

(14:50):
That part didn't need to besaid.
Yeah, just yeah, the first one.
Yeah.
So uh, but uh again, that was Iwas set.
I was happy where where thingswere, and um they just uprooted
that.
Again, worse things happen, butit was.
So I had a lot of questions anda lot of uncertainty.

(15:11):
But we moved here, moved intothat tiny apartment or a
three-bedroom, seven of us inthere.
Um got introduced to soccercoach, um, Matt Money out here
at Eaton, and this was in hisprime.
And uh I think the mentalitythere, because it soccer was
newer to Eaton, uh, we were justgonna outrun everybody.

(15:33):
Yeah.
So yeah.
So we were very, very wellconditioned.
Um, yeah, unfortunately, youknow we had a great team, but a
lot of us hadn't played.
Uh there was uh a few of us thathad played travel ball, which is
standard now.
Right.
You know, you play year-roundand coming from Marion, it was.
So I did that.
But at Eaton, it just reallywasn't much of an option.

(15:55):
So yeah.
So we we moved here and that'sthat's where we got started.

SPEAKER_03 (16:00):
So you you finally the house gets done, you move
into the house, school's goingon.
Talk about that transition whenyou actually show up and walk
through the halls the first timewhen you're used to 25 kids in a
class and now you got probably150.

SPEAKER_07 (16:13):
Yeah.
I mean terrifying.
I mean, and that's what it onceI got to know people and they
got to know me, is they'd askabout it, and I'm like, you say,
Oh, Eaton is huge.

SPEAKER_03 (16:22):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 (16:23):
I mean, this is a monstrous school.
And they're like, Are youkidding?
Yeah.
And uh, but in my world it was.
And so we moved back and thehouse didn't get finished until
um after November.
I remember moving in.
I believe it was Christmasbreak, freezing cold.
Um, I don't think the heat wason or something.

(16:44):
Yeah, it was it was rough.
Yeah, it was rough, but we wereso happy to get out of that
apartment.
But yeah, the first six monthswe were in that apartment
together.
And so this was before I had adriver's license.
So, but I was playing soccerover in Eton.
We're living in Richmond, and Iwas the only one going to school
over there.
So they were mom washomeschooling my younger

(17:05):
brothers and sisters, and sothey would drop me off.
And this was at the time uhCoach Money bought into the
three-day practices.
So they dropped me off in themorning, and of course they were
at work and and such.
And so we'd practice for an hourand a half and run, and I didn't
know anybody.

(17:25):
And I'm just and they said,We'll come back and get you in
the evening.
You know, because I mean it wasotherwise a back and forth.
I think they did it for like oneor two days, and then like we
can't, this is not sustainable.
So they dropped me off.
So I after practice, I'd walk tothe library, hang out there, you
know, and then go back for thenoon practice, hang out, and or

(17:45):
go to Marsh.
So it was not fun.
Yeah.
I mean, I was I I think reallykind of disappointed in my folks
at that point that they put methrough this.
And again, there's far worsethings in the world, but it it
at that time it was just a ruggot pulled out from underneath

(18:06):
me.
And um, so thank goodness youknow, Kevin Schaefer took took
mercy on me and took pity on me,I guess, and invited me over
like during these three days.
And he's like, Hey, you want,you can come over to the house.
And so I remember Sherry made usmac and cheese, and and my gosh,
that was a it was like, okay,there's a glimmer of hope.

(18:26):
Right.
Yeah, this may actually work.
But I mean, at that point, I wasstill trying to figure out an
angle, how do I get back tomarrying?

SPEAKER_04 (18:32):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 (18:33):
I hadn't kind of given up that this is where I'm
gonna be.
So that went through the summer,and then uh, you know, school
starts up.
And so I'd gotten my you know,group of people I knew.
I don't know that they werefriends just yet, you know, they
were teammates, but most of themwere younger than me.
There were only two other guysin my class, um I think three,

(18:56):
but anyway, that I played.
And um but they were already intheir friend groups, you know.
So I show up and you know, kindof expecting to be you know
incorporated in their friendgroups, and it wasn't that way.
And so it was, I mean, it was atough six months.
And I think that's the thing,like it's a small town.
It's if you if you're raised init, it's wonderful.

(19:20):
But if you come into it, it it'stough because again, I think the
things that we like about it forour kids make it challenging for
others to come in.
But for me, um, that wasprobably my first real adversity
in my life.
And yeah, I think it lookingback on it, it was a it was a
good thing.
It it helped me to get out of myshell because with my friends I

(19:43):
was very comfortable.
But outside of that, I mean Iwas very much an introvert and
quiet.
And so it it helped me to kindof climb out of that and get a
little bit of confidence justbeing around new people.
Yeah.
But it I mean, it took a goodsix months of you know, before I

SPEAKER_03 (20:00):
Found the the people that I really kind of
assimilated with the otherpeople that and started to feel
like you fit in with the odd manout, yeah, all those things, and
then you get into the house,which I'm sure that helped,
yeah.
Um, tremendously.

SPEAKER_06 (20:13):
Was it just the the aspect of like the different
size of school, or was it alsolike was there a big jump
between like going from Catholicschool your whole entire
childhood and then all of asudden going to public school?
Is that a like a shift as well?

SPEAKER_07 (20:24):
Yeah, that's that's a really good question because a
Catholic school is it's very youknow rigid.
Yeah, I mean, we go to massevery Wednesday.
Um, you know, so I think it wasjust something that got
comfortable.
You had your uniforms, right?
So I mean, you knew what you'regonna wear.
Um it was either a a blue shirt,a white shirt, or a yellow
shirt, but it was always youknow, navy blue pants.

SPEAKER_04 (20:46):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 (20:46):
And so now all of a sudden, for the first time in my
life, uh at sophomore in highschool, I'm wearing jeans.
And I had to go buy jeans, andyeah, so it was it was strange.
And I yeah.
So uh that's interesting.

SPEAKER_03 (20:59):
I, you know, you're making me think of you know, my
wife Kim's from St.
Henry, Ohio.
Yeah, and I for some reason inmy head I it just clicked.
Um, there's a little bar upthere called Fish Mose.

SPEAKER_07 (21:11):
Okay.

SPEAKER_03 (21:11):
And and I remember the first time walking in there,
I think we were going to getpizza or something or have a
beer.
And it's like a scene from themovie.
Well, any movie, when you walkin and it's like you feel like
the music just stops.
And then everybody turns aroundand looks at you because they
know you're not from that area.
I I would imagine it's the samekind of feeling as a kid.

SPEAKER_07 (21:33):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (21:34):
You walk into this school or onto this soccer team,
and everybody's like, Who's thiskid?
And then they're sizing you up,and then they're trying to, I'm
sure, push you around a littlebit to see how tough you are.
Yeah, it'd be challenging.

SPEAKER_07 (21:44):
Yeah.
I mean, it and it really isn't.
It it makes you question yourown identity, I think, at time.
And and so soccer again.
I mean, I went from being, youknow, just starter to freshman,
and again, we didn't have a bigteam, didn't have big school, so
not a really a greataccomplishment, but I played a
lot of soccer back in thosedays.
And so, I mean, it was somethingwhere I just assumed that was

(22:05):
how it was going to be.
And then I get to Eaton, andagain, it's bigger, and I was, I
mean, really undersized.
Um, I think probably when I gothere, I think when I graduated
from school, I I might have been130, maybe.
Sure.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And uh, I mean, I I grew a fewinches after in college, and um
not that I'm I'm still not tall,but I mean, it was something I

(22:27):
was, you know, really littlecoming out here.
And so again, that was the wayI'm I'm sure I was perceived or
viewed.
It was who's this little scrawnykid?
And um, yeah, so it was just itit was tough.
And the same thing when you walkin the the halls, it's trying to
figure out okay, where are theclasses?
You go sit down in a newclassroom and you don't know
anybody.

(22:48):
The teachers don't know you,they don't know what your work
ethic is, they don't know youknow what grades you're getting
you're used to getting.
And and it again, it was likewow.
So I I think the the other partof it is I really try to I
stayed true to who I was.
I don't think that changed orthat you know that experience

(23:10):
changed who I was.
I was always a you know, glasshalf full guy, just smile on my
face and happy to be there.
And but it it was challenging.
And I think it was that muchmore gratifying once I did find
my people and start to getaccepted, um, really made me
appreciate that.

SPEAKER_03 (23:28):
Yeah.
So then so at some point youmake that switch and and then
you're you know, you're I'm notgonna say cruise control, but
things are things are good.
You're new new community, newschool, new friends, things are
on their way up.
So talk about that change andwhat that looks like, you know,
moving into the future.

SPEAKER_07 (23:44):
Yeah.
So I think just that acceptanceand um being adopted by the
community, getting to knowpeople.
Um, yeah, it was just it it feltgood again.
You know, it was, I think again,for six months, it was like, how
do I go back to where I was?
And now that this had changed,it was kind of moving on and and

(24:05):
growing.
And so high school and and so Ithink the Lord's plan here is
where I've always said that thereason I I, you know, we moved
to Eton was so I could meet mywife.
And so Bethany and I starteddating.
It was um, it was a trip toEurope.
They do this every other year.
And it was something schoolsponsored, but you know, mom and

(24:28):
dad paid for it.
And again, it was one of thosethings like I never once
questioned my parents' love forme.
I mean, if I wanted something,they would make it happen, uh,
even if it was painful for them.
And so it mom wanted me to go todo this 10-day Europe thing.
And and so Bethany and I, yeah,Bethany was there as well.
And and really we didn't talk alot in school before that.

(24:50):
Um, we'd had both worked at theuh pool.
We were lifeguards, but she wasalways out of my league.
And uh, so thank goodness shesaw something.
I'm still waiting to figure outwhat it is, but she saw
something in me and uh maybejust took pity.
But so we got together.
So I think it took Paris tobring us together.
And so that's actually where weended up starting to talk and

(25:13):
and get together.
And and so the rest is historyfrom there.
And so I've always looked backat that.
The the reason I went throughthat, I think it helped me again
to get out of my show, butreally God's plan was for me to
meet her there because otherwisethere's there's absolutely no
chance the two of us ever wouldhave met.
And uh so life was good, youknow.
We started dating and dated oursenior year, our whole senior

(25:34):
year.
And then uh she went to schooldown in eastern Kentucky, and
then I went to college atWittenberg.
And so we're two and a halfhours away from each other, and
uh that was tough, you know.
I mean again, just before cellphones and internet and
everything.
So we had, I mean, you gotta yougotta try to picture this again,
date myself, but back in thattime, you know, a regular phone

(25:57):
call, long distance.
I mean, if you call in themiddle of the day, it was like
35 cents a minute.

SPEAKER_04 (26:02):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 (26:02):
And you know, when you're only making five bucks an
hour, that puts a dent in it.
And uh, so we had set times.
It was like twice a week.
After seven o'clock, it was like7:30, we would call each other.
And I mean, that's that's how welive for a while.
I mean, we see each other someweekends, but as far as
conversation, uh, it was, youknow, kind of those two times

(26:24):
during the week.
And uh yeah, that was that wastrying too.
But um, yeah, got through there.

SPEAKER_03 (26:31):
So you go to Wittenberg.
What are you studying atWittenberg?

SPEAKER_07 (26:34):
Well, I went in as a chemistry major, and I I knew
when I went to college I wantedto be a dentist.
And so I think to to backtrack alittle bit, mom was a ER nurse
and we she worked there on theweekends.
And so dad, again, true to dad,uh, he'd we'd go up and take her
dinner.
And I think it probably lookingback, it was just because he
wanted to see her and probablyget out of the house from us a

(26:57):
little bit.
There were five of us.
So uh, but we'd take her dinnerup there, you know, Friday,
Saturday night or so.
And I always enjoyed being inthe hospital.
I don't know what it was, butsomething about being there,
being in that environment alwaysappealed to me.
And so early on, I think Iwanted to get into medicine.

(27:18):
And uh, but then Bethany's dadis a funeral director, and I
would see him oftentimes.
I mean, he was one of the firstguys I knew that had a a pager
and a cell phone because hewould get calls at all hours of
the day and he'd have torespond.
And so for him, you know, workat at Saturday at 11 o'clock at

(27:39):
night wasn't an option.
He would have to respond.
You're familiar with that, yeah,with being the Schmidt part of
it.
Yeah.
Um, and uh, so I realized Ididn't want to have that be a
regular thing, you know, not tosay I haven't gone into the
office at midnight or, you know,on the weekends or you know,
early in the morning.
But it's, you know, not atypical thing.

(28:02):
Right.
And so I realized I didn't wantto, I wanted to be in medicine.
I wanted to, you know, be ableto help people, but I didn't
want to that lifestyle.
And so uh along the way in highschool, had my braces and uh uh
Dr.
Reynolds here in Richmond, uh,just super, super guy.
And uh just I mean, so smart,but just a caring person.

(28:23):
And he really kind of took meunder his wing and said, Craig,
here, you know, I want you to dothis, why don't you look into
this for me?
And so I knew when I left highschool, I went in wanting to be
a dentist.
And at the same time, I'm not arisk taker at all.
I'm very calculated in what Ido, and that's what inspires me.
Or it really I think is amazing,like yourself and some of the

(28:45):
other guests you've had on thatjust, you know, they put all in
the line and go for it.
And I am not that way.
You know, I'm not a gambler.
And um, so you know, I I wentthere with the expectation of
going to dental school, butrealizing it may not work out,
you know, if I didn't have thegrades or, you know, I didn't
get admitted.
So what was my fallback plan?

(29:07):
And for me, chemistry, I thinkprovided other options, other
avenues.
And in fact, that's where I metmy brother-in-law, Mike.
So he and I were fraternitybrothers at Wittenberg.

SPEAKER_03 (29:17):
Oh, I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_07 (29:18):
Yeah, so it's it's actually a pretty neat story.
So uh so I get to Wittenberg,and you know, I I played soccer
all the way through high school,but I I maybe could have made
D3, maybe, but out of sat thebench, you know, I did not have
speed.
Um so I get there and ended uptrying out for this men's club

(29:40):
volleyball team.
All right.
And uh so one thing I could do,I could jump.
That was about it, you know.
And um, so I make that team, sodid Mike.
And then he's like, hey, youneed to come to our fraternity,
you know, recruiting thing.
And and I'm like, nah dude, I'mI'm good.
My girlfriend's down inKentucky, like I'm not around

(30:01):
much anyway.
And uh he's like, no, you needto come.
And so he he kind of coerced meinto doing that.
I end up joining the fraternity,and uh, and so he's my big
brother and in the fraternity.
And then when Bethany and I gotmarried, and see he'd met his
wife, Denise, multiple times onand off, and one was dating

(30:24):
somebody, or one was datingsomebody, you know, and so they
they it was one of those likeback and forth things.
They never really both ended upthere single at the same time.

SPEAKER_03 (30:32):
Now you need you gonna clarify who Denise is?

SPEAKER_07 (30:35):
Uh Denise's Bethany's sister, sorry.
Yeah, that's it, that's the keypart of it.
Yeah, so Bethany, uh Denise isBethany's older sister, and um,
so they they were never reallykind of single at the same time.
We get married, and again, weget married at St.
Mary's over here in Richmond,and uh, you know, it they were

(30:56):
both in the uh wedding party.
Yeah, yeah, obviously, Denisewas you know the maid of honor
and Mike was in the you know thein the wedding with us.
And so um, again, same typething.
That was the first time theywere both single.
Uh and so here they end up, youknow, together.
And we Beth and I after ourwedding went down to Jamaica for

(31:17):
a honeymoon.
And I'm fast forwarding, butwent down to Jamaica for a
honeymoon and called back home.
And again, this was the expense.
So, you know, we only called, itwas on we got married on
December 20th.
So we were down there forChristmas, our first Christmas
together.
And so we called back to herparents on Christmas, and Mike
was there having breakfast withthem or having lunch.

(31:39):
And and I remember I'm like, ohman, and we we both got so
excited.
We're like, how cool would thisbe if your sister and my best
friend from college ended uptogether?
And lo and behold.
Um, so now, yeah.
So uh I've gotten to I've I'vebeen fortunate or blessed to to
be able to raise our familieswith them and and do everything

(32:03):
with them.
And I mean, it's just that'sawesome.
A dream, really.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (32:07):
That's amazing.
So so you're in Wittenberg,you're chemistry major.
Um now you're now you're uhfraternity guy, right?
Yeah um what's next?

SPEAKER_07 (32:18):
So get through chemistry.
Mike and I had a lot of classestogether.
He might, he was a year olderthan me, so he helped me out
with some of it.
Um but uh son I applied dentalschool, got in Ohio State, and
so I mean, that was that was theplan all along.
So we get into Ohio State, startup there, and it was funny, like

(32:39):
all the people around me, theyhad serious girlfriends,
boyfriends, whatever.
And and so all of a suddenthey're starting to get married,
and I'm like, oh man, I'm kindof missing the boat on this.
So I don't know that I was, youknow, I mean, I think it was
ready.
Beth and I dated for six, sevenyears or something at this point
before we got married.
And so we got married, uh, itwas again December, my second

(33:01):
year of dental school.
There's a a little like two,three-week break in there.
And that's really I find outthat's my brother.
He was in med school.
So Dave, he went.
So out of the the five of us,you know, that grew up, three of
us ended up in healthcare.
So I mean that that it kind ofshows mom's influence on us.
My brother, Dave, um, he's downin Florida, ER doc.

(33:22):
And my sister, my older sister,she's an OT just like Bethany.

unknown (33:25):
Okay.

SPEAKER_07 (33:25):
So occupational therapist.
So um, yeah.
So we end up getting married inthat little break there, halfway
through second year.
And, you know, I mean, shefinished up school right then.
And in December, and I think theweek later, we got married.
Because she had to do a with OT,had to do an internship thing in

(33:48):
it.
So it was an extra six months.
So we get married, she moves upto Columbus with me.
We're at the apartment up therefor the next two and a half
years.
You know, we were married.
I don't think we were marriedtwo weeks and went and got a
dog, of course, right?
So got our dog.
She said, We'll go look at it.
And I I've learned you don't golook at the puppies.

(34:08):
Yeah, you go pick them up.
Yeah, yeah, you go buy a puppy,yeah.
Yeah, so um, yeah.
So we get the dog and then umshe ends up pregnant.
Oh, I'm trying to think it wasabout a year later.
So, and I think the plan allalong was, you know, we were
gonna get through dental schooland then, you know, start the

(34:31):
family.
But, you know, Lord, Lord saidotherwise.
And again, it was it's always ablessing.
Right.
I I think every every child is ablessing, and and if if it isn't
on our on the time that weplanned on it.

SPEAKER_04 (34:49):
Right.

SPEAKER_07 (34:49):
So we were around home.
I mean, Columbus, so we wereonly a couple hours from all of
our family, so we had so muchsupport.
Grandparents and aunts anduncles and brothers and sisters,
everybody is there.
And so it was really a wonderfulway to get started because our
second we had when we were inthe Navy after, and he was born

(35:10):
in Hawaii.
And so, I mean, you go from oneextreme kind of to the other.
And so we were so thankful thatwe had AJ, the oldest, um, when
I was in dental school.
So it was about six months.
He was born in October of myfourth year of dental school,
and then you know, graduated inMay and started up with the Navy
after that.
Why the Navy?

(35:30):
So again, Dr.
Reynolds.
So when I got accepted to dentalschool at Ohio State, he was
obviously the first one Icalled.
And um in fact, he I went overand told him, I think, in person
and um, so these office here inRichmond.
And he said, I mean, he wasecstatic for me.
You know, he he knew that wasthe plan all along.

(35:52):
I think he had more faith in thefact that I would get there than
I did.
And so he said, Craig, now thatyou're in, he said, I want you
to look at the military, was noton my radar at all, you know,
even though I grew up in amilitary-style home.
So, I mean, I guess to to goback, we we grew up in a very
strict but loving home, youknow, and I think that was dad's

(36:13):
just part of his militaryupbringing.
His dad was military, my dad wasarmy, um, you know, served
during Vietnam.
All my uncles, uh uh, they allserved.
And so military wasn't somethingthat they he ever put on me or
expected me to do.
It wasn't like, hey, you need togo do this.

(36:33):
Um, but it wasn't anything likeI was like, I'm never gonna do
that.
And but it I hadn't thought ofit.
And so Dr.
Remlins is like, you need tolook at this.
I'm like, okay.
So I talked with the recruiter.
I reached out and talked to therecruiter, and and the more I
learned about it, the more itmade sense.
And so basically they had aprogram where it was an app, I
mean, it was a scholarshipapplication, and it wasn't just

(36:54):
like sign up and you can go,like you had to apply for it.
And it paid for four years ofdental school, and I owed them
four years after.
And so, again, at this point, wecome from you know, fairly
modest background, and I alreadyhad school loans from
Wittenberg, and it was somethingwhere I'd kind of worked

(37:15):
through, and this was before allthe CCP stuff the kids are
doing, right?
Um, I had started doing some ofthat.
It was the first year Ohiostarted.
So I took classes actually downat Miami, my senior year of high
school, uh, down in Oxford andMiddletown.
And so when I got to Wittenberg,I was able to get through there
and out of there in three years.
And but in those three years, Ialready had loans adding up.

(37:37):
And you know, I wasn't realcomfortable with that.
None of us are, right?
And having that hanging over ourheads.
So Navy made a lot of sense tome.
And so fortunately I was luckyenough to get the scholarship
signed up, and they paid fordental school, and we were able
to live, you know, comfortably.
And then, of course, Bethany wasworking as an OT.
So that was the first time in mylife I actually had money,

(37:59):
right?

SPEAKER_03 (38:00):
Well, and you because you got a young son,
too.

SPEAKER_07 (38:02):
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (38:03):
That's a big transition.

SPEAKER_07 (38:05):
Uh big time.
I mean, our life changed bigtime in that that four years, as
everybody does, yeah, in that inthat time frame.
So, but again, it was, you know,aside from AJ coming a year
earlier, maybe six months early,really wasn't that much
different.
Um, everything else I thinkreally went pretty much
according to plan.
And so we got done with got donewith uh dental school and then

(38:25):
went into the navy.
And so again, I'm so thankful ofDr.
Reynolds.
He was so influential on gettingme down that path.
And I really value the fouryears I had in the Navy.
Um, talk about that.

SPEAKER_03 (38:39):
You get accepted into the Navy.
Yeah.
Where do you go?

SPEAKER_07 (38:44):
So at that time they had residency programs.
So you come out of dentalschool, you're very
knowledgeable in what you needto do.
And like a lot of things inlife, you know, you know what
you need to do, it's justgetting the reps in.
And so coming out of dentalschool, it's it's about getting
the reps in.
And so uh they had residencyprograms, which most dentists in

(39:04):
the Navy did.
It was a year-long residencyprogram, and you basically do
two months at a time withdifferent specialties.
So I'm sitting side by sidedoing a surgery with a
periodontist or sitting side byside doing root canals with the
endonists and such.
And so we took out a lot ofwisdom teeth.
So even a lot of stuff I don'tdo now.
I did, you know, for that year.
And the reason they do that isto get you comfortable and able

(39:28):
to stick you on a ship.
And if you're the only dentistthere and out in the middle of
the Pacific, you can take careof anything.
And so it was um, it was neat.
I mean, I I'm so thankful tohave that experience and to be
able to work side by side withspecialists.
It's a rare thing.
And so did that for a year.
We were stationed in ParisIsland.
So that was uh Marine Corpsrecruit depot.

(39:50):
Uh and so taking care of all themarine recruits, and I tell you,
you want to uh uh needexperience, check that out
sometime.
Yeah.
Uh so I I I loved my Marines.
I I am I just I was blessed tobe with them for four years
because after Paris Island, wegot stationed with them again at
um the Marine Corps air stationuh down in uh Connieway Bay,

(40:13):
Hawaii.
So I'll talk about Hawaii in aminute.
Yeah.
Let me work through Paris Islandhere.
Yeah.
So Paris Island was somethingelse.
I know.
It was my hardship tour, as Ilike to say.
So yeah.
Um so we get to Paris Island,and again, it's a boot camp.
These poor guys and women, theyget down there and they're in a
bus all day or all night.

(40:33):
They bring them in the middle ofthe night, and you walk out and
you get on the road wherethey've got these footsteps.
Have you seen yeah?
I mean, if there's just theypaint, you know, footprints on
the road, and you just stand ina set of pair of footprints that
are painted on there, and that'show you stand at attention.
And I mean, it it's something.
We had I saw one you know youngMarine, one young recruit come

(40:57):
in.
He was in the bus all night.
They get up, you know, busstops, door opens, the gunny
goes in, and you know, joininstructors yelling at him,
everything else.
You know, and so he gets off,blacks out at the top, one of
the top stairs coming off thebus, face plants all the way
down, poor kid.
And that's how he, I mean, thatwas his introduction to the

(41:18):
Marine Corps.
So he spent the night at the ER.
Yeah, they they do surgery andeverything else.
So he shows up the next morningat the dental clinic, and so one
of my rotations was emergencyand emergency dentistry.
And and so he shows up, and Imean all his teeth are just
busted, his lips all you know,messed up and everything.
I mean, and so um it was youknow, unique, certainly.

(41:42):
Um so we did that for a year,and then uh I I think the these
kids come in to the clinic,they've been yelled at, but you
know, they're getting no sleep.
They're out in South Carolina inthe middle of July and August.
It's like 98 degrees and 99%humidity, miserable, and they

(42:04):
got those noceums.
Yeah, yeah.
So imagine staying at a that'swhy they've got all the I've got
all the respect in the world foryou know these Marines, and and
anybody that's done this, isthey're standing at attention,
somebody yelling at them,they're tired, hungry, and is
sweating like crazy, and you'vegot these little tiny gnats you
know, crawling up into you upyour nose, in your eye, in your

(42:25):
ear, and you can't move.
So they come into the dentalclinic, smell awful, you know.
I mean, but they hit airconditioned building, soft
chair, nobody yelling at them.
That is the best patient youcould work on.
I mean, it was everything.
I don't know if you ever had aroot canal, but we put like a
rubber dam on and a bite block.

(42:46):
And when you do that, it kind ofseparates that tooth from the
rest of your mouth.
And so you get these young kidsin and you lay them down in that
soft chair air conditioned, youput this thing on.
It's everything you can do toget that on there, and they're
out.
I mean, you can work on two,three or two, three hours.
They don't move.
Yeah.
And uh, so it was a lot ofreally good experience.

(43:07):
Um, but yeah, so we we used tosay, I think that lovingly,
there's a there's a sign becausedown at Paris Island as well,
down in Buford, South Carolina,there's an air station there,
and that's where they have theuh the Hornets, the fighter jets
flying in out of there.
And so occasionally, you know,you have some neighbors that get
kind of grumpy about it, andthey you know complain about the

(43:28):
noise and such.
Uh it's been there for a while.
So I mean, it's not as if youdidn't know.

SPEAKER_04 (43:33):
Right.

SPEAKER_07 (43:34):
Yeah.
Uh we're talking about golfcourses, right?
It's like buying a house off,you know, about a hundred yards
off the right side of the T-box.
Like I get to know those, thoseuh people really well when I
play golf.

SPEAKER_04 (43:46):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 (43:46):
Because that's where my ball ends up.
Yeah.
So I mean, you're you're in anair station where there's just
there's jets flying in and out.
And I love the, I love to hearthose things go, but I can
imagine if it's day in and dayout, it's probably not a lot of
fun.
But so they've got a sign outfront of there and it it says
the noise and quotations thatyou hear are the sounds of
freedom.

(44:06):
And uh so we adopted that to thedental clinic, and it was, you
know, that that stench you smellis is the smell of freedom
because you walk into thatclinic there, and I mean, you've
got a hundred Marines that havejust sweating like crazy and
haven't showered in forever.
And boy, it's it's sounds like alocker room.
It does, yeah, yeah.
So uh yeah.
So but it was a neat place.

(44:28):
I look back on it with fondness.
It was uh a lot of pride to havebeen there and to have met a lot
of those young men and women.
So after that, the Navy againpromised me that I would get to
go to San Diego and then Europewhen I signed up.
So I went to Paris Island, SouthCarolina, and then Europe, they
said not a chance.

(44:48):
So yeah.
So out of the 12 residents thatwere in that class the the year
before, I think like eight ornine of them ended up in Japan.
And so we get there and we findthis out.
I didn't find this out until weget down there and get to know
some of them.
We're like, yeah, we're going toJapan for three years.
I'm like, holy cow.
So it's me, Bethany, AJ.

(45:09):
When we got there was sixmonths.
So when we left Parasan, he wasabout a year and a half old.
And I'm thinking, we're gonna goto Japan for the next three
years, which turns out Japan isa beautiful place, and a lot of
them really look back on it withfondness as well.
But um, so I'm like, okay, Idon't want to go to Japan,
Europe's out.
Where else do I want to go?
San Diego wasn't gonna happen.

(45:31):
So I'm like, you know, whatabout Pearl Harbor?
Right?
Sounds good.
I think the movie had come outjust a few years before that.
So yeah, yeah.
So I go into the detail and I'mlike, yeah, you know, he said,
where do you want to go?
And I said, Well, Pearl Harbor.
And, you know, he's expectingthem to laugh at me.
And he says, Well, what about KBay?
And I'm like, Well, what's KBay?
And he goes, Well, it's on, it'sin Hawaii.

(45:52):
It's a Marines, it's agreenside, they call it.
It's a Marines, Marine Basethere.
And I'm like, I don't care whoyou put me with.
If it's in Hawaii, I'll go.
So you know, as anybody that'sbeen in the military, you you
kind of wait until it actuallyhappens, right?
Right.
Because the needs change, needsof the Navy, and that can
change.
And so it's temperingexpectation, excitement of

(46:15):
getting there.
And when the plane finallylanded on Hawaii, you know, I'm
like, you can't, I'm like, wow,this is really cool.
So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (46:24):
So talk about that experience.

SPEAKER_07 (46:26):
Yeah.
So my welcoming to Hawaii.
So we get there, um, we getchecked in.
So one of the other dentiststhat had been there a year,
she's waiting for us at theairport.
And this is all pre-9-11.
In fact, it was we got there, itwas August of 01.

SPEAKER_03 (46:42):
So just a month before.

SPEAKER_07 (46:44):
Yeah.
So I mean, it was a totallydifferent world.
There was, I mean, really thethe Navy when I signed up for
it, was there was no risk ofanything.
I mean, it was probably one ofthe most peaceful times in the
world, to my knowledge, youknow, around you know, 2000 or
so.
And so we get there, she'swaiting there, I mean, right at
the gate, you know, for Lay, forme, Bethany, AJ.

(47:05):
And and so she takes us, getsour luggage, and we go to the
military hotel in Waikiki.
And she said, until you guys getchecked in, this is where you
stay.
Well, we're looking out thewindow at our hotel, and they've
got this beautiful pool.
I mean, it's it's Waike, it's aWai hotel, it's right on the
beach in Waikiki andoverlooking, you're looking out

(47:26):
the Pacific.
And I'm thinking, yeah, we justwe just hit the lottery, you
know?
Yeah.
So do I have to go to work?
And uh, so we get to get there.
And at that time, um, they werechanging the clinic director.
So about most tours are aboutthree years or so, at least with
the dental.
And so our clinic director, theguy in charge, he was just

(47:49):
finishing up.
We were getting a new one in.
He was coming from Great Lakes,and uh he was Captain Neyer.
And I mean, just he he turnedout to be a really neat guy, but
well, we didn't start off great.
So we get there, and um, I thinkwe didn't have in a house yet.
You know, they were stillassigning that.
Our stuff hadn't made it over.
So, I mean, when you move there,you got to wait for all your

(48:11):
stuff to get there.
So we show up with oursuitcases, and I think at that
time we each had two suitcasesor so, and that was it.
I mean, we're in a hotel, movedour life, and we're living
there.
Again, pretty plush hotel, but Imean, that's we're living out of
suitcase.
And I think it was still anothermonth or so before you get our
stuff.
So we got a house, and I thinkthey said we'd move in in about

(48:34):
a week to 10 days.
So we're like, okay, we'll hangout here for a bit, and I get
used to being in the clinic.
This I think it was the secondor third day, the new clinic
director shows up, and he says,uh, he got me, and there were
two other new dentists um thatgot there the exact same time.
So the three of us, and theywere in the exact same situation

(48:55):
that had done a residency theyear before.
And so we get there and he says,Hey, they've got a training
exercise.
Marines are doing a trainingexercise.
So, as being on the Marine base,we were attached to a Marine
unit.
We're a support unit.
So they do all the medical, thedental, um paychecks, legal
stuff.
I mean, all the stuff that youneed to help take care of the

(49:17):
infantry.
Right.
You know, and and uh so that waspart of the support group, but
we were our real boss was inthere, was a Marine, even though
in our little world, our clinicdirector was the boss.
And so um we get there and hesays, Hey, the Marine Group's
doing a training exercise up inthe mountains, and you guys are

(49:37):
gonna go.
And we're like, Well, you know,our kids are, you know, wife,
and then we all had kids, youknow, so we all our family's
over here, we don't have a houseyet.
Like, and he goes, That's allright, go get your stuff issued
to you, you know, like yourpistol and your you know, your
vest and your helmet and allthat stuff, and your your tent
and uh and go get all that stuffissued to you, you're gonna be

(49:57):
up there tomorrow.
And so here I am, I'm like, youknow, just not leaving her, you
know, nowhere.
I mean, they're at the hotel,but it's still, it was a brand
new world for her.
Yeah, AJ is a year and a halfyears old.
She doesn't know anybody else.
And uh, so here we go.
We get sent up there to, andthey take us up to this mountain
in a in a van, and it was usthree.

(50:20):
And the guy that dropped us offwas one of the other
technicians, dental techniciansthat had been there for a couple
of years.
So he'd kind of gone through it,and he knew who was up there.
He knew the medical guys.
So, I mean, everybody, thatwhole uh support group was
training up there.
And they'd been up there early,you know, for I think most of
the week.
And so we probably would havegone earlier had we been there

(50:41):
earlier, but went when we gotthere.
But it was just one of those,like, why in the world are we
doing this?
Like, we're not gonna dodentistry up there.
Uh, we didn't have any of ourequipment or anything.
It was just like, hey, go meetMarines in their home type
thing.
And so it, I don't know that itwas, it could have been
presented a little bit better,but again, that's the military.
It's like this needs a Navy,that's what you're gonna do.

(51:02):
So we did that.
They drop us off and they said,Hey, you're gonna meet Colonel
Adams.
And uh when you meet him, youbetter shake his hand as hard as
you can and you better be onyour best behavior.
So I'm thinking, oh, well, thiswill be fun.
So Colonel Adams is the guy incharge of the whole support
group.
And he is uh, you know, he's abrilliant guy.

(51:26):
Um, I think it's he's a MarinesMarine, you know.
I I just everything about him uhfor him, and he'd say when we
were, you know, out just doingtraining as a unit.
I mean, he said one of the oneof the biggest honors you can
have is to die in combat and geta school named after you.
I mean, that would that was thatkind of summed up his mentality.

(51:47):
Um, but he was a brilliant guyof moving supplies and and
making sure things were takencare of.
So we met Colonel Adam.
We're there for a little bit,and they said just go hang out
in the medical tent.
The medical corpsmen had a tentthere because obviously they
were taking care of Marines thatcome in if they had something
come up.
And again, it was just atraining exercise up in the
mountains there.

(52:07):
And so we're hanging out in themedical tent, just kind of
laying low, and they're like,hey, go get your tents.
We had little individual tentsum set up out there.
So they said, go get your tentset up so it's ready for
tonight.
So we go out and get that setup, come back, and then we're
just eating, you know, MREs.
You know, so I mean, justlearning how to live that life,

(52:28):
and it was a good thing.
And uh so between coming backfrom the tent and and and going
to the court uh the uh medicaltent, we come across Colonel
Adams and his group of otherofficers, you know, and and uh
so I mean he he snapped two realquick.
And but you know, I ColonelAdams, I don't know, he he was

(52:51):
not near as tall as me, and I'mnot tall, you know.
Um he had these big bulgingeyes, um, you know, just
chiseled.
I mean, just an intense, intenseguy.
And I think at that point, Ithought he was old.
He's 50, probably.
So he was 50 years young.

(53:13):
Can't imagine.
Yeah, I know, I know.
Um, but uh yeah, I just veryintense dude.
I mean, I I'm not sure I eversee him, I ever saw him smile,
and I was stationed with him fortwo years.
So he'd already been there ayear.
So I was around him for twoyears, and you know, I get to
know him, but I don't think Iever saw the guy smile once.

(53:33):
But, you know, he was satisfiedwith what he was doing and he
knew he had a mission and hetook that very, very seriously.
So we met him, you know, SantaTanji's a handshake, and you
shake his hands, and it is it'sa measure.
And that's the first time I'veever been measured on on who I
was by a handshake.
And thank goodness they told meahead of time, otherwise, he'd

(53:54):
have broken every hand, everybone of my hand.
And uh, so that's how we met.
He talked with us and kind ofgave us the lowdown and asked if
any questions.
And, you know, he's very patientwith us and understanding, but
very businesslike.
And so we just wanted theconversation to be over with.
So we didn't ask any questions.
It was like, no, sir, we'regood.

(54:15):
Thank you.
And uh, so we disappeared intothe medical tent and we hid with
the corpsman up there.
So it was after after supper, alittle bit later, we're kind of
hanging out playing cards again,no phones, no internet.
So we're just playing cards andchit-chatting, and uh dark
outside, so it's probably out of10 o'clock or so.

(54:36):
And all of a sudden you hearattention on deck.
And you know, they yell thatwhen superior officer or senior
officer comes into a room or orso, and so everybody just jumps
out, stands at attention, andyou're like, oh man, who's
coming in the door?
Yeah.
So you you you kind of just andthey say at ease, and you look,
and sure enough, it's ColonelAdams with his group of other

(54:59):
officers.
And there were probably, I don'tknow, like 15 of us in the tent
when he came in.
And I looked around about fouror five minutes later, and it
was us three dentists andColonel Adams.
Everybody else had split.
And I'm like, wow, this isreally intimidating.
So here we are sitting here, andthis is where it gets gets

(55:21):
interesting because we'resitting here, and he's like,
God, just come on, uh, getaround here.
And so we're sitting around uhjust the table talking.
And so I had been my my firstyear, I did that residency down
at the boot camp.
So I kind of got indoctrinatedinto the marine life.
The other two dentists are verygood friends.

(55:43):
One was down at the uh San DiegoHospital, Navy hospital, much
more casual.
You know, it's it's a lot offamilies and so more relaxed.
And the other one was up inConnecticut.
And so again, it was just a morerelaxed Navy setting.
And so mine was a little bitmore, you know, it was
definitely more marine.
So he asked a question and itwas always yes, sir, no, sir.

(56:05):
And the others were like, Yeah,yeah, I think, yeah, well, I
don't know about that.
And and I mean, I'm justcringing every time they're
asking.
And they're great guys, youknow, but they just hadn't had
that experience.
And, you know, the the guy, youI could see it just like getting
under a skin, but he neverreally kind of said, and so

(56:26):
after we gotten through theinitial conversation, he goes,
you know, for future referenceand you're dressing a senior
officer, it's yes, sir, no, sir.
And I mean, it was just verymatter-of-fact, like you guys
don't know what you're doingyet.
So he said, You guys ever worn agas mask?
Like, so it's because we hadthem.
I mean, we had them on our ouryou know, on our belt and
everything.

(56:46):
And and I'm like, Yeah, I yes,sir.
Yes, sir.
Um, so we did that at ParisIsland.
And so I was lucky enough to gothrough some of their the
crucible is their last thingthat they do in training as a
marine recruit.
And it's you know, several days,and so they get through all
this.
But some of the stuff they dothere, uh, one was the gas

(57:06):
chamber, and so we were luckyenough.
Like I got to go down rappeltower and you know, go out to
the range and so go out, got togo to the gas chamber, get tear
gas.
So we we get the gas masks on.
So I'd done that, and you know,um, but they hadn't, right?
And and so he's like, well, pullyour gas mask out.
And so he's like, you know,let's go ahead and put them on.

(57:28):
We're sitting around a tablelike this, four of us.
We've got gas masks on, and hegoes, now pour your canteen out.
So we pull the canteen out.
He goes, You guys know how tohook how to drink out of this?
Yes, sir, no, sir, you know, anduh so he's like, All right, take
the tube, and there's a littletube that you on the canteen
that plugs into the gas mask andyou can drink out of it and
everything.

(57:48):
So I remember very vividlysitting here in this tent, big
tent, four of us, everybody elsegone, sitting here with gas
masks on, drinking out of acanteen, thinking, what in the
world did I get myself signedup?
Because this was like day threeof being on the island, right?
And I'm thinking, if this is thebeginning of the next three
years, wow.
Yeah.
And um so, you know, the rest ofthat ended.

(58:11):
We we ended up finishing upthere.
He took off, and I'll neverforget my buddy John, uh, a
great guy.
And uh we we all leave the tenttogether.
Of course, it's dark outside.
And so Colonel Adams, he goesout first and we're following.
Well, if you go outside atnight, you come from light to
dark, you stop and you let youreyes acclimate.

(58:35):
Colonel Adams stops rightoutside the tent.
John, I mean, true to John, he'ssuch a great dude.
Plows him.
Just right into.
I don't know how this guy didnot lose his temper with us, but
I mean it's just so businesslike.
And uh yeah, so I mean it wasthat was you know one of my very

(58:55):
first nights on island.
And so at about two in themorning, we're asleep in the
tent and everything else, andyou just hear around camp, gas,
gas, gas.
They tear gas the camp.
And so, you know, it's one ofthose things in hindsight.
We didn't know that.
We didn't know it was coming,but this guy knew that he had

(59:17):
liabilities in his camp.
He didn't know what kind oftraining we'd had.
We weren't Marines, so we didn'thave the same training that
Marines had.
And here he saw to it himself tomake sure that we were properly
trained and wouldn't be, youknow, wouldn't have an issue
because they gassed us threetimes that night in camp.
And, you know, that was myintroduction to Colonel Adams,

(59:39):
and that's that's how he did.
And I learned more aboutleadership from him because he
did things.
He, I mean, he delegated, but hesaw to it that things were taken
care of.
And uh, one of the other hikeswe did um another year later, I
mean, it was like a 13 milehike.
You would have loved it.
It was with your packs, I mean,everything we're back in the In

(01:00:00):
the you know jungle and soundsamazing.
Oh, you'd love it.
So we're at the back of thiswith the corpsmen, of course.
Yeah, because the guys fall outand they drop down, the corpsmen
pick them up on the way and andsuch.
And so uh the dentists arehanging out.
So and but you know, when youget a lot of people, because it
was all like 600 of us doingthis, because it was all the

(01:00:20):
Marines and then some of thecorpsmen and some of the
dentists.
So you get 600 people walking ina line going through the jungle.
At times you're standing stillfor two minutes, and other times
it's an all-sprint to catch upwith whoever was up there.
And so I remember about halfwaythrough this 13 mile, I was
like, who in the world isleading this?
Because I, you know, the firsttime I'd done one of those.

(01:00:42):
Like, this is ridiculous.
Who's leading this?
It's Colonel Adams, the 50, theold man, 50-year-old with all
the pack and everything.
He's leading a group.
Yeah.
And uh, so you know, he led fromthe front, he led by example.
And I learned a lot from him,not necessarily by what he told
me to do, but by how by hisactions.

(01:01:03):
That's leadership.
Yeah, it really was.
And and so it's again, thosethings, and I just like the same
with mom and dad, like that'show we learned what a loving
relationship was.
Not necessarily what they toldus to do, but how they acted and
how we saw them around thehouse, um, their respect for
each other.
And um, so I think it's yeah,the military for me was a very

(01:01:27):
neat thing, and I'm so thankfulto to have had that.
Um that said, it it the life didchange a month later, you know,
and all of a sudden everythinggot real.

SPEAKER_03 (01:01:38):
And so it's talk about that because I, you know,
I vividly remember where I wasat when September 11th happened.
I remember watching the theplane hit the the second tower,
and then you know, just kind ofthe aftermath of that like what
is going on, you know?
Yeah.
So talk about what that was likefor you being in the military.

SPEAKER_07 (01:01:56):
Yeah, it I mean, it was strange.
Uh, you know, obviously tragic.
We're I was sleeping.
I mean, we had a five, six hourtime difference in Hawaii.
So that was the middle of thenight when that happened uh out
there.
And so it was one of those justrandom nights.
I didn't sleep on the couch toomuch, but whatever reason I fell
asleep on the couch, TV was on,and some show came on and it was

(01:02:18):
super loud.
I just I'm like, oh my gosh.
And usually you just turn it offand go to bed.
And uh I don't know why, but Iturned the channel and there I
see the first tower on fire andyou know, live news back home.
And again, I think it was uhmaybe three or four in the
morning.
And I remember watching this,and just like all of us, you

(01:02:41):
know, you you see the secondone, you're like, what in the
world's going on?
And I mean, just the idea ofstill a I mean, terrorism now, I
mean, we'd assume it was, right?
But back then everything was soinnocent.
It's like, what's wrong withthese pilots?
Yeah, right.
I mean, I just couldn't believeit.
And so I called my mom, and uh,you know, just like everybody
else did the same questions, thesame concerns.

(01:03:03):
And then I went to work thatmorning.
I woke Bethany up and we, youknow, watched, and I went to
work that morning.
And we would have muster everymorning we'd uh out in our
clinic against Hawaii.
So it's outside, and our wholeclinic would get together.
And I think there were maybe,again, it was probably like 15
dentists or so, and and maybeanother 30, 40 um enlisted and

(01:03:25):
you know, assistants and frontdesk staff and all that.
So I don't know, maybe 50 of usout there or so, and and uh
Captain Neyer comes out, andagain, we've been there for
about a month.
And I mean, it was just veryeverything was serious then.
Um he says just quite quick tothe point, he's like, all right,

(01:03:49):
get your stuff and get yourstuff in order, make sure you
got your wills done, make sureyou have everything ready to go.
He said, you know, we getcalled, it there probably won't
be a whole lot of time to dothat.
And that was it.
We went back to work.
And um but I think themilitary's really good at making
sure that everybody is prepared,you know, uh military members

(01:04:12):
and family for those calls.
I think what was I think morereal about it was the first Gulf
War when that had happened.
That whole base where I was at,they got they were one of the
first ones to get up and go.
And so it was like, wow, this isreally gonna happen.
And uh how'd that make you feel?
Um you know, I it's uh it wasnot uh anything I'd ever

(01:04:38):
considered going in.

unknown (01:04:40):
Right?

SPEAKER_07 (01:04:40):
I mean, it was a peaceful time.
So when I went in, it was like,yeah, I'll get stationed
somewhere.
I'm gonna do dentistry, andthat's it.
I mean, realistically, I'm adentist, they're not gonna put
me on the front line.
Um, but very realistic, I wouldbe with the Marines.
And Marines are front line, youknow, they're the tip of the
spear.
And so, you know, if I'm helpingthem out, I can't be too far

(01:05:01):
away.
It doesn't do them any good ifI'm 500 miles away, if they need
something.
Not that I'm gonna be, you know,a mile away from them.
But so um it was real.
And so, and that's what I shareat the at the high school when I
talk with them.
I said, where I really hit homeis, you know, at church on

(01:05:22):
Sundays, we would go, and youknow, AJ was fun as a kid.
He had a good time.
So we sat at the back of thechurch.

unknown (01:05:31):
We've been there.

SPEAKER_07 (01:05:32):
Yeah, yeah, we yeah.
So uh we had the quiet room, soat the back of the church, but
you could see the whole churchfrom there.
And so every Sunday, you know,it wasn't right away, but you
know, maybe a month in or so,you start to notice there would
be, you know, one wife therewith the two little kids, and
dad wasn't there anymore, or youknow, vice versa.

(01:05:53):
And you start to notice familymembers or families not being
whole because somebody wasgetting sent out.
And it was, it was like everyweek I get to go to church on
Sunday.
It was a privilege for me.
And but yet in the back of yourmind, you're always like, okay,
you know, am I gonna be herenext week?

(01:06:13):
And so it was.
I mean, it was a very went froma very fun, enjoyable time to
very stressful and you know,worrisome time.
And and that's really how welived the next three years, you
know, because that conflict wenton for so long.
And so it really was.
I mean, for three years, I justdidn't know what tomorrow, what
the next day held.

(01:06:34):
So you just learned to live inthe moment with the idea that
stuff could happen.
And I remember there was anothertraining exercise we had, it was
up uh on the Big Island, and itwas you know, up in the
mountains or volcano there.
And um, I was there for a weekor so.
I had to do a filling on ColonelAdams there.
Yeah.

(01:06:55):
And uh I talked with my mom.
So at this time we finally hadcell phones, yeah.
And uh so it was talking with mymom, and she's like, Craig, what
are you what are you gonna do ifthey say you need to go?
Like, well, I'm going.
Yeah, I mean, that's what Isigned up for.
And and I guess in my mind, itwas something like at this time

(01:07:16):
there were a lot of bad peoplein the world.
And I said, if I'm supposed togo now, I'd I'd rather go now
than have my son have to dealwith it 15 years from now or you
know, 20 years from now, I'drather take care of the issue
now and and help at least.
You know, again, I'm not gonnabe on the front line.
My hat's off, and I've got youknow so much respect for those

(01:07:37):
guys that are on the front lineand are are you know really
putting themselves in a harm'sway.
Um, but it would have been asacrifice being away and going
somewhere I didn't know.

SPEAKER_04 (01:07:47):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 (01:07:47):
I'm sure too, like being in Hawaii, you know, you
originally said, like, I want togo to Pearl Harbor, yeah.
And you think of Hawaii and likethat's the terrorist attack that
Japan did on us, and then it'slike, well, wait a minute.
You know, now all of a suddenyou had New York City get hit.
I'm sure, like in the people'smind in Hawaii, I mean, maybe
they're thinking they're gonnaget hit there or something, you
know.

(01:08:08):
I mean, the first couple days.
Oh, yeah.
And then, you know, you you sayyou remember where you were in
class.
Like I was in uh Mr.
Whitman's eighth grade newspaperclass, you know, because
everybody's gonna read anewspaper for the rest of your
life, so you gotta learn how toget through it.
That was all that to us, youknow.
And uh, but I remember, youknow, immediately after the
first uh tower got hit, heturned on the TV because his son

(01:08:28):
was in the army and he was uhyou know, jumping out of the the
planes.
What is that, a paratrooper?
Yeah, paratrooper.
And I remember when the secondone hit, I just remember him
just sitting down and justcrying and calling his wife and
talking to his wife about youknow what Matt's gonna do.

SPEAKER_07 (01:08:43):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 (01:08:43):
So I'm sure I can imagine what your, you know,
can't imagine what your wife, Imean, the you know, the stress
that she was under about thatand your parents back home.

SPEAKER_07 (01:08:51):
I mean, yeah, that's rough.
And that I mean, we you know,had those provisions you know in
place or those plans in place.
Like if I our unit went, thenshe was gonna go home.
She was gonna fly home.
We hadn't, you know, she wasgonna take AJ and the dog, come
back to eating and be with herfolks.
There really wasn't much inHawaii for her.
Um, but yeah, I mean, just tosee the effects of it, I mean

(01:09:14):
the security, holy cow, likeinstantaneous.
They had barriers everywherearound bases, and I mean, moving
around was much, much harder.
So I really I mean, you feltpretty secure on base, but I
mean it was uh moreinconvenient, yeah.
The small price to pay, butright, yeah, felt safe on base

(01:09:34):
at least.

SPEAKER_03 (01:09:34):
But you never got the call.
No, never got the call.
So so what happens next?

SPEAKER_07 (01:09:40):
So we finish up time there, and I the plan had always
been to come back, or I mean toto finish.
I didn't know that, you know,for me coming back to Eton was
an option.
I know Bethany, that's herfamily, was from here.
Um, again, you've been part ofthat that funeral home stuff.
Um, so that uh my father-in-lawand mother-in-law ran a

(01:10:04):
wonderful business, um, youknow, funeral home directors.
And um everybody around townknows them.
And you know, I I kind of atagain I've done all this, and
I'd done that much, but I meanI'd become my own man and I
wanted to be known as my ownman, right?
I didn't want to, you know, justcome into something because he,

(01:10:27):
you know, right he did that forme.
And so I wasn't sold on the ideaof moving back to Eton.
Um, honestly, I wanted to go alittle south, you know, get a
little bit warmer weather, butcan't believe me, yeah.
Especially giving from Hawaii.
Yeah, and uh man, my my skin gothis blood got thin.
We moved back that first winter.
Wow, it's rough.

(01:10:48):
Um, so we actually looked at asmall towns I actually looked at
like London, Ohio.
Yeah, very, very similar.
I said, I love Eaton.
And it's funny, I've I lived inEaton for three years, you know,
sophomore to senior year of highschool, and that was really it.
But to me, that was home.

SPEAKER_04 (01:11:03):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 (01:11:03):
And just in those three years, you know, of my
whatever, uh, 25 years and lifeor so, it was that was home.
And um, so you know, I wanted tomove back somewhere similar,
wasn't convinced, and then it,you know, I had a moment of
clarity, and it's like, whywould I pass up all everything
that all the relationships andeverything that we have in Eaton

(01:11:26):
just to be in another city andstart all over again?
And uh so she talked some senseinto me and we and came back.
So it was interesting the way itworked out.
Um I I knew I wanted to have myown business.
I mean, there were severalreally good dentists, great guys
in Eaton uh when I was in dentalschool and when I was in the

(01:11:48):
Navy.
And some of the office weren'tbig enough for me to come into.
Um, others, they I don't thinkit was the right fit because I
wanted to be my own boss.
You know, and I so I I guessthat would be there was ever a
time I I said I would gamble.
This may have been my one gamblein life was, you know, as far as

(01:12:13):
professionally was having my ownbusiness and my own practice.
And so it was odd that theirneighbors, Donna Becky's
neighbors across the street, TomHarris, was kind of hitting
retirement age.
He was in a position, his wife'steacher, it was the two of them,
and he ran just a lovely smallpractice.
It was himself and Jill at thefront desk, and she would come

(01:12:37):
back and help him out sometimesif he did filmings or so.
And that was it.
They didn't have a computer inthe office, didn't need one.
He had wonderful relationshipswith his patients.
He took care of them.
They had patients that he hadfor years.
He didn't take new patientsbecause he was as busy as he
wanted to be.
He's still working 40 hours aweek, and um just the the most

(01:12:59):
genuine, wonderful guy you couldever meet.
And I had never really met him,though.
I knew of him, you know, knew ofhis reputation, but I'd never
actually met him, but Don andBecky had.
And so as I'm finishing up inthe Navy about three months or
you know, probably more like sixmonths to go, I knew I was gonna
get out.
And I'm like, okay, where am Igonna start up?

(01:13:22):
And so we reached out to him.
I think I met him maybe overChristmas or something, and so
it might have been the firsttime I met him, but we talked a
little bit.
But we arranged a business dealwhere I bought out, bought his
practice in the building, and wegot back, and I think I he his
last day was like May 30th, andthen June 1st is when I started.

(01:13:45):
And that was our transition.
I'm like, here's the keys.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Yeah.
And so I have I have these otherreserve dentists.
They the reservists would, youknow, they got to do the 30 days
a year or so dentists that werein the reserves, and they would
come out to Hawaii, like, whywouldn't you?
So we'd have a lot of reservistscome out, and I get to know
them, and and I'm telling themthis as we're, you know, kind of

(01:14:08):
working this deal out.
And they said, you need to haveyour attorneys, you need to do
all this.
And I said, I don't think youunderstand.
Like, if if there's one personleft in the world that you can
do a handshake deal with, it wasTom Harris.
And it just everything washonest and true.
And it was for me too.
You know, it was a mutual thing.

(01:14:29):
Neither one of us angled foranything.
It was just like, this is what'sright to do.
Uh, he's a very spiritual guy aswell.
And so it was something that wasthe Lord's work that he was
passing the torch.
And so I never questioned that.
And so we walked into this, butit was not the it was not the in
practice I visioned, envisioned.
So I knew there was growth to behad and growth to do.

(01:14:52):
And so we moved back home, andlike I said, we um drove cross
country, had the the car shippedto Seattle, and we drove
cross-country with the two boys,they were two and five, and um
came all the way back home.
And like I said, we moved in.
So again, this is me wanting tobe my own man, right?
You know, being a grown-up.

(01:15:12):
We moved into my in-laws.
Um, they had a house they rentednext to the funeral home.
So we moved into that.
Um we come to find out thatBethany was pregnant right
before we left.
Like, okay, so we've got twolittle kids, we got a third one
on the way.
And I've got this practice.

(01:15:35):
And, you know, that's where thework really hit.
And I mean, that's where we gotserious.
And so over the next six months,it was all about growth
personally and professionally.
We found a house, moved in, um,you know, grew.
She went to, you know, kind ofall over the place right now,
but we're getting settled in.

(01:15:57):
My brother, Dave, he was waitingon acceptance to medical school.
And I said, he, I think he had ayear that they were gonna have
him take a gap year or so.
I said, You're gonna come workfor me.
He had zero dental experience atall.
I said, I need an assistant.
I've worked with an assistantthe last four years.
I need somebody by my side.
So we we add computers to thisplace.

(01:16:18):
I remember on the way back, um,I was on the phone as we're
going to Mount Rushmore.
And I had this little area ofself-service where I'm on the
phone with a rep buying thedigital x-rays, you know, the
which we all have now.
I've had that from day one, andthat was kind of on the front
end of the curve with thosebecause I I saw how impactful

(01:16:41):
and how beneficial they were inthe Navy.
And so I that was something Iwas wanted to make sure I
definitely had available.
And so I remember being on thephone again, we're in the car on
the way to Mount Rushmore,spending five thousand dollars I
didn't have, yeah, you know, tobuy this one X-ray.

SPEAKER_04 (01:16:58):
But you're not a risk taker.

SPEAKER_07 (01:17:00):
None at all.
I knew it'd pay off, you know?
Yeah.
So it was it was a guarantee forme.
And uh so we get back, like Isaid, he he uh retired on
Friday.
I started on Monday.
So it wasn't the first and the30th, but I mean it was he's
done on Friday and I started onMonday.
I went in a little bit that weekwhen he was working while he was

(01:17:23):
finishing up to get some to getsettled in and get comfortable
with things.
Um and then my brother came upthat that first week as well,
and I taught him how to be anassistant as I'm trying to get
comfortable in the newsurroundings and everything
else.

SPEAKER_03 (01:17:38):
Wow.
So and your wife's pregnant withher, with your third.

SPEAKER_07 (01:17:43):
Third, yeah.
So so we get home, move into theuh the house next door, which is
a nice rental, but not where youwant to raise a family.
It was a nice transitional housefor us.
We had dinner every night overat my in-laws.
They were still working, stillat the funeral home.
They live next door to thefuneral home.
So it was just walked across theparking lot and we'd have

(01:18:05):
dinner, and mother-in-law wouldalways have dinner ready for us.
And so it was kind of like beingin high school again.
And uh, but I wanted to be agrown-up.
And so, um, yeah, I knowbusiness is one thing, the
personal side of it.
So we're in there, and I'm like,we need a house, recognize it
very early.
Like, this is not gonna work.

(01:18:25):
She's pregnant, and uh, I'mgetting set up.
So she had one of herultrasounds, right?
They, you know, I think she wasmaybe three months pregnant at
the time or so.
And so the family knew shereally hadn't started showing
yet.
And um so she went to the to theyou know, get the ultrasound

(01:18:48):
done.
And I hadn't missed any of themwith the first two boys, right?
I'm like, uh it's maybe I cantake time off, I'll go.
And so I said, Well, let me letme get I gotta rearrange some
patients.
She goes, Don't worry about it,Craig.
She's like, You're starting abusiness, it's just an
ultrasound.
You know, I feel fine.
Don't you don't need to go.

(01:19:09):
And I'm like, but really, andshe goes, No, go to work, I'll
be fine.
So she goes to the ultrasound byherself.
And again, we had the two boyssaying that we're with, you
know, grandma, and comes homeand we're having dinner, and you
could tell something wasdifferent, you know, and and and
I said, How'd it go?

(01:19:29):
And I was there with my brother,and she pulls out the
ultrasound, the picture there,and it was A and B.
And I'm like, wow, of all thetimes for you to go to that by
yourself, and uh, yeah, we'regetting things started.
Life's crazy right now.

(01:19:49):
And here she finds out anddoesn't have anybody with her.
I mean, it's it was a blessing,obviously.
But yeah, it would have been sonice to have been there.
And and that was the first timeyou know, work really got in the
way.
of life.
But it happens.
And I I think that was anothervaluable lesson I learned from
my dad.
He didn't say it.
He just I think it was a adifferent time and era.

(01:20:11):
Like right now there's youalmost feel guilty missing
anything that the kids do.
And I think that's society.
I mean I think it's a goodthing.
But there wasn't that thing Ithink with moms and dads.
Like if you miss a game it waslike you're not playing in it.
So it doesn't matter if you'rethere.
I don't think we'd miss anythingnow.
But I think that also taught mehard work and dedication was

(01:20:34):
just he never really had to sayit.
I could just see it how he didthat.
And so but that was the firsttime work really got in the way
of family for me aside fromtraining exercises and whatnot.
Sure.
And um yeah so that that kind ofstunk.
I mean not to be there.
But so now she's pregnant withtwins.
So now we got to get a minivanbecause I think that's I think

(01:20:54):
that's Ohio law.
If you have twins you have tohave a minivan right yes so now
now I've got a minivan.

SPEAKER_03 (01:21:02):
So you got you got you got two young boys you got
twins on the way you just youknow you just started your
practice your brother in law'shelping you as the assistant uh
you're looking for a home you'reliving next to the in-laws
having dinner at I mean you knowwe talk about how crazy life is
and and you know with me havingfive kids you having five kids

(01:21:25):
and everybody all how do you doit you know you just but you
look back on that and you thinkman what what a what an awesome
time in life as challenging asit was what a blessing it was.
Yeah you know and what you learnfrom that that you've taken you
know now as as you you know 20years later um with where you're
at so you know so the practiceis is you're growing working

(01:21:48):
hard I'm sure um but you keepyou keep taking these little
steps not only with the practicebut your family continues to
grow.
So talk about those things.

SPEAKER_07 (01:21:57):
Yeah.
So I mean getting the practicestarted up that was something
when we moved back home I meanjust like any business you put
everything you have into it bothyou know time and energy but
also financially and what littlebit we had saved up.
I mean in Navy again they payfor dental school but it it it's
not really a a a great livingthere they take great care of

(01:22:18):
you.
The reward in the military isthe retirement you know once you
get 20 25 years in you've gotthat retirement.
So that that four years I feltlike it was a good give and take
for both of us.
They got four really good yearsof my life of service and they
took care of dental school butwhen we came out didn't have a
whole lot I mean Bethany workedshe worked part-time when we

(01:22:39):
were in the in the Navy so shewas making money um we were able
to invest some and you know atthat time stocks had done well
but so I took every you know allthese little tiny gains that I'd
made not much you know and Ijust had to cash it all in and
just emptied out the savings,the checking and any investments

(01:23:02):
and dump it all into thebusiness to try to just get a
you know down payment on thebuilding.
And I think one of the the moredefeated moments for me which
wasn't a terrible thing but Imean it it it kind of a ego
check was I had to have myfather in law co-sign for me.
You know and I went to differentbanks you know looking for

(01:23:25):
options and I really didn't haveanything.
So I understand I'm not I Iharbor no ill will against the
bank that they're doing whatthey need to do from a business
standpoint.
But to me that was you know thatwas motivation.
I'm like you're not going totake me for my word that I'm
gonna pay this off you you knowsee the um potential and what

(01:23:46):
I'm gonna do.
And you know it was I mean itwas very motivating and I I
worked my tail off because one Ididn't like having debt but two
it was a mission to say youprobably should have taken me at
my word.
They didn't know me you know andI don't blame them.
I'd have done the exact samething but me personally I took
that as motivation.

(01:24:07):
So so we get back and uh get topractice start to make it our
own we get about three weeks inand my brother says hey they
just opened up a spot formedical school so I'm gonna go
uh in a couple weeks after thefourth I said great thanks yeah
yeah so um but right as he wasactually becoming helpful you

(01:24:27):
know he's starting to learnthings and could actually count
on him to do something uh he youknow he pulls a plug so uh so we
add an assistant add a hygienistand again I think all these
moments everything that came upI just went with it I just had
faith um really in the Lord'splan I is and I I've said that

(01:24:49):
multiple times throughout mycareer is things have come up
and if I were really rationalabout it I might not have done
it I might have done itdifferently but it was just the
way it it appeared to me it wasjust made sense and so why fight
it this is what I'm supposed tobe doing.
So yeah from people coming in umwe got I mean I had a patient

(01:25:14):
come in she was with Parker haduh Parker Hannifin local
manufacturer they were gettingtransferred to Columbus so she
was trying to get her kids shehad two little boys trying to
get their stuff done before theymoved out so they were in just
get some ceilings and um shesaid and so I was talking with
her about the move they lived inmy old neighborhood back home

(01:25:35):
the one where my folks had builtthat place had grown up you know
so they finally finished thewhole circle it used to be like
just a little entry.
So they finished the wholecircle I think about half that
area was homes now.
And she lived in one of thehomes there and and and talking
about she said well we're havingan open house on Saturday and at
this time we we were talkingwith a real estate agent looking

(01:25:56):
at places and I found a we founda place out in the country like
four acres creek separate barnyou know like guy shed and
everything and and I mean justreally kind of what I really
wanted and I still love thatplace.
And but she came in she said youhad to come out.
So we weren't doing anything onSaturday I'm like well why don't

(01:26:18):
we go I said might as well golook at it.
So we get out there and AJ likejust instantly was comfortable
he was playing in the basementone of his best friends from
school uh that he'd met was nextdoor at Parker's and uh so then

(01:26:39):
I got to thinking and and youknow at this point in my life
I'm not gonna be at home a wholelot and I'm my life's gonna be
at work unfortunately and so thehouse was about Bethany and the
kids and so really it was hercall and she's like he's happy I
want to be in the neighborhoodand so so that's how we end up

(01:27:00):
with that house.
Again had that lady not come inthere's no way I'd have known
about the the open house wewouldn't have gone and we'd
probably end up in and we'dprobably been fine you know we
would probably had a you knowjust great great experience out
there but fast forward whateverI don't know six seven years
whatever it was and we built ahouse and where we built it same
community same community.

(01:27:22):
So living three different housesin the same neighborhood yeah
that's pretty awesome yeah butuh you know but when we moved
back that Beth and I dated whenwe were living the first house
and we said that's too weirdwe're not gonna live there and
so we really fought it and againwhen they came in it opened our
eyes to it.
So that's how we ended up there.
So we bought the house boughtthe minivan had the practice I

(01:27:44):
mean just in debt every whichway I look and but and at this
point this is when it was aagain a very growing practice.
I mean Dr.
Harris at at that point he saweight patients a day he'd
schedule one an hour and he saweight patients a day um for the
most part and kind of didn'treally matter what the procedure

(01:28:06):
was it was going to be an hourappointment and so um that
wasn't what my vision was andbut that was what he wanted to
do and so I mean it was itsuited him perfectly but for me
it was kind of a place to growand so as we started to grow it
it it wasn't like overnight itwasn't like okay I'm here you

(01:28:28):
know just everybody flood thegates that didn't happen and
there is you any business you doyou there's a point where you
question like is this really amI doing the right thing should I
have stayed put should I havedone something different because
I had other options but thiswould seem the one that seemed
best for me.
And so I remember I mean youbend over backwards to try to

(01:28:50):
make people happy I rememberwriting letters I mean Don and
Becky gave me a list of theirfriends and I hand wrote letters
to all of their friends justasking them to come in try us
out and would love to meet them.

SPEAKER_03 (01:29:08):
That's awesome.

SPEAKER_07 (01:29:08):
Yeah and I mean that was the the humble beginnings I
mean it was really just me andJill an assistant and we had the
hygienist at a second hygienistand within three years we were
at the point we were ready tomove into the new building and
so it was the right place andbut it it took time and yeah it

(01:29:29):
was unnerving to to start forsure.

SPEAKER_03 (01:29:32):
You know you you uh you hit a nerve for me when you
talk about the bank and you talkabout having you know your
father in law co-sign yeah youknow uh I've told the story
quite a few times about beingdenied to buy Catron's glass and
I'll never forget you know whereI was at when I got the phone
call and and you know the guythat called me I'm not gonna say

(01:29:54):
his name but call me from thebank and said hey you know we're
just this is too big of a riskyou're gonna be you're gonna be
fighting an uphill battle and II remember hanging up the phone
and being like you don't knowwho I am yeah like you don't and
and I don't mean that to soundcocky but like like no I don't
think you understand like I'mgonna do whatever it takes to
make this work.

(01:30:14):
Yeah and and and I get it.
I mean looking back if I lookback on the numbers you know and
I'm 23 years old yeah you knowlike it makes complete business
sense for the bank to deny mebut I had that that dog or that
competitor in me where it's likeokay I'm game on I'm gonna show
you.
Yeah and so yeah that reallythat that struck a nerve with me

(01:30:36):
when you hit and when you saidthat and then writing the
letters yeah that's something II learned early on you know is I
would try to write five thankhandwritten thank you letters a
day to a customer whether youcame in and you bought a three
dollar piece of glass or we putin you know thousands of dollars
of windows in your home I wastrying to you know handwrite a

(01:30:56):
thank you letter and I still tryto do that to this day but
that's what it takes.
Right you know that's what ittakes to get going.
And I'm afraid in a lot of theseyoung kids today I don't know
that that's still somethingyoung people do.

SPEAKER_07 (01:31:15):
I and I I I think you're right for a lot.
You know I I feel like oursociety has um kind of created
that expectation that work isnine to five you know and
outside of that don't don't talkto me about work.

(01:31:35):
And I think there's some meritto that but at the same time I
mean if you're really going torun a successful business um it
takes more than that.
You know it takes that specialtouch and yeah I think that's a
difference and and that's what Itry to to teach the kids or show
the kids like I I'll try topoint out those businesses that

(01:31:56):
do that.
You know there are just goingout to eat you know we get
different levels of customerservice and you know different
business models and againthere's some great ones out
there you know I I tell themlike I'll go at home you know
like Skyline at home I mean itit's every time we go there we

(01:32:18):
get great customer servicethey're always very attentive
and efficient.
They've got great processes andI tell them I said value that
because they value you yeah andthen and I'm not saying anything
negative about any of the otherrestaurants around town we've
got some great ones but we'veall been to restaurants where
it's like do you even know I'mhere yeah or I'm sorry to bother

(01:32:41):
you or trouble you you know withhaving to serve me.
Yeah something like that.

SPEAKER_03 (01:32:46):
Yeah it it it does I don't it's different isn't it's
a different world yeah it is itis and I and I that's what I
hope to try to convey to to theyoung kids is like hey you know
you ever gotten a handwrittenletter you know you know how
that makes you feel I'm nottalking about a handwritten
letter that you make a hundredcopies of and you send you know

(01:33:07):
like a lot of the letters we getfor kids for the you know
supporting them for the fair andthings like that.
That that's good.
Yeah when you get an actualhandwritten letter where you can
tell that someone genuinely tookthe time to say thank you or to
invite you to something manthose little things they really
strike a chord with people andand they they show others how

(01:33:30):
much you care.
So yeah it's a unique thing Iwould encourage any young person
business person if you know ifthat's not a practice that you
do give it a try.
You'll be amazed by some of thephone calls or emails or text
messages you'll get where peoplewill be like hey man like that
really that was pretty awesomeyou know to get to get something

(01:33:53):
like that.
So that's pretty cool.
So let's fast forward a littlebit to where you're at today
because obviously families grownyou know now you're at a
different phase of your lifebusiness has grown um talk about
what life is like now for CraigHewitt.

SPEAKER_07 (01:34:12):
And you know it's an interesting time we talked a
little bit about that earlier isI think my identity has always
been what my goals were and youknow going through uh school you
you want to please your parentsand once you get past a certain
point then it's about you knowmaking your wife your family

(01:34:32):
proud of you and then you getpast you know that point and
it's like okay what is it now?
Like I've hit those goals that Ihad set climb that mountain and
you know what's the next one?
And and I think that's part ofthat midlife crisis is okay
what's what's my identity nowand yeah I I do struggle with

(01:34:54):
that at times because for thelast while my identity has been
the dad of these wonderful kidsuh the husband of this wonderful
wife and you know this owner ofthis wonderful practice co-owner
and and so I've just beensurrounded by wonderful people
my whole life and I'm sothankful and realize I'm blessed

(01:35:16):
with a fantastic life.
And so now it's trying to figureout you know what do I need to
do to deserve this type thing.
So I don't have the answer.
Um you know life is life's goodright now but I'm I'm kind of
looking at different things asas far as just professionally

(01:35:39):
I'm sharing some of my knowledgeor experience I should say with
from dentistry with otherdentists.

SPEAKER_03 (01:35:45):
So I've been doing more of that traveling um trying
to be more available to kids asthey need me and trying to help
out around home a little bitmore well you you um I mean you
embody our community you embodyyou know the servant leader um

(01:36:08):
you know giving back an amazingfather amazing uh husband I mean
I I'm fortunate enough to to beable to spend uh you know quite
a bit of time with you andBethany at all the different
kids events you know we havekids that have been in a similar
age um you know so it's beenit's been fun to watch you've
got an you know exciting timescoming with you know the kids in

(01:36:30):
school you know talk about maybewhat's what's potentially coming
down the road with some of thekids some of your kids well I
mean it it is it's reallyexciting it's it's seeing them
kind of develop into theirperson who they're going to be
um AJ's he's getting comfortableis our new job bowling and you

(01:36:52):
know seems to be enjoying thatbut he's getting more
comfortable doing things outsideof work so that's been nice um
Owen is in his first semester ofdental school so he's in his
first year of dental school sothat that was really neat he was
home over Thanksgiving and hehas to he had a practical this
week it's actually yesterdaydoing a filling on we you know

(01:37:14):
doing on fake teeth and uh sohe's like yeah I got to go back
early so I can practice at theschool I'm like why don't you
just bring it home and you knowmaybe we can work a little bit
at the office.

SPEAKER_07 (01:37:24):
And so I think it was Sunday after church we we
spent like four hours in theoffice just working on that fake
tooth and uh you know trying toshare just some of the
experiences I've had.
And so that was really just andit I just truly enjoyed that.
That was special um he reallyseems to be enjoying that and so

(01:37:45):
it's kind of rekindled a littlebit of that flame yeah for me.
Kylie is she's waiting to getinto hygiene school so again
dentistry stuff and uh so she'sbeen working part-time with me
and then she's working part-timeum for with a uh a dental
company as well and so it's beenneat to see her flourish there
her seeing her confidence growand um you know just watching

(01:38:10):
her mature there.
So her twin um A and B.
So Elise is over at UD, uhspecial place to you.
And um so she's got she'll havean MCATS coming up the end of
the year.
And so she's working pre-medgetting through all those fun
organic biochem you know classesuh that we took yeah so she's

(01:38:32):
working her way through that soit's same she's been spending a
lot of time it's neat to see hergo on shadowing different
surgeons and physicians and suchand really seeing the excitement
from her about that.
And then uh John he justassigned yesterday was it
yesterday Wednesday sorry yeahyeah Wednesday with Boston

(01:38:53):
College so um that's exciting toto see and it was like you said
about the handwritten notes thatwas one of those uh Beth and I
got it one of those handwrittennotes from coach O'Brien the the
head coach of at Boston College.

SPEAKER_03 (01:39:06):
So John is going to kick at Boston College college
football football.

SPEAKER_07 (01:39:10):
Yeah so uh yeah soccer you know soccer family so
it shouldn't be yeah get them onthe football field to kick a
ball but uh yeah but um yeah sothat's exciting we're we're
really excited about that and Ithink that's probably what the
next several years looks like itkind of watching these kids grow
up and seeing what they do.
And I think maybe that's thehard part for me is to define

(01:39:32):
who I am because now they'relearning to define who they are
and I think Bethany and I ourlife is going to be somewhat a
response to what they do.
And so I think that was mom anddad.
Yeah they they lived down inLexington after they were in
Richmond they lived here andthat was the other part of it.
I mean they lived here for Idon't know maybe 10 years maybe

(01:39:53):
just long enough for me to beatBethany and then he got
transferred down to Lexington,Kentucky so they went down there
and that's where my two youngerbrothers Graduated from high
school was down in Lexington.
And so we all grew up, left thehouse, and they're down in
Lexington by themselves.
And so it was maybe a year ortwo like that.
And then I said we're gonna go.
We're you know, around one ofthe kids.

(01:40:14):
So we had the most grandkids atthe time, and they were familiar
with Eaton.
My sister's in Indy andCincinnati, so kind of
equidistant.
So it's easy.
And uh but you know, they lovebeing back up here as well.
And uh so we'll probably end updoing the same.
I I would guess.
I don't know.
I really don't know what theirplans are.
I'm not gonna and that's whatpeople ask me.

(01:40:36):
They said, Is Owen gonna comeback and take over for you?
I said, I don't I don't knowwhat he's gonna do.
That's his choice.
He's I've got no expectationsfor any of these kids to do
anything beyond be their bestself that they can be and you
know, hopefully help people.
Yeah.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (01:40:51):
Yeah, amazing, amazing family.
It's an exciting time.
I I understand though, the youknow, like the what's next,
because you know, when you'vewhen you've done what you've
done and you've been to theplaces that you've been and and
you know, had all thesedifferent successes and failures
in life and learned from allthose things.
And now it's just a time whereit's like, yeah, kind of like in

(01:41:12):
a weird spot.
Like where do I go?
So I'm excited for you and forBethany and and uh the kids.
It's it's it's pretty, prettyawesome.
Pretty awesome to see.
You are blessed.

SPEAKER_07 (01:41:24):
Yeah.
Oh, I know, I know.
And and we talked about that atchurch, you know.
I think it's years back.
We talked about that, and wewere sharing some of our you
know stories with the kids, andit was like, I think you guys
are just a few years behind meand Bethany.
Yeah, we are, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (01:41:40):
Yeah, we are.
It's pretty cool.
All right, let's wrap this up.
Okay, one last question.
Yep.
You could sit on a park benchand have a conversation with
someone living or deceased, whowould it be and why?

SPEAKER_07 (01:41:51):
Okay.
And cliche.
You know, I think it it's aneasy one, Jesus.
It would be um no question.
I think you can answer about anyquestion, thought, concern I
would have, and you know, openthe window to those that have
meant a lot to me in life aswell that maybe aren't with me
anymore.
And so yeah, I think hands downthat's that's the easy one.

(01:42:13):
It would be neat to see you knowwhy we're here, what the purpose
is, but also what you know whatmade him do what he did for us.

SPEAKER_03 (01:42:23):
So yeah, yeah, that's a good answer.
Ben, you got any questions?

SPEAKER_06 (01:42:27):
Uh I can't thank you enough for coming on.
What I tell you, I I was on thesideline for football just doing
the film and always seeingJohnny, but the way that he
interacts with people and likethe way that he carries himself,
uh that's only one of your kidsthat I know or have been around.
But I tell you what, evenknocked out of the park, like if
for like younger parents likemyself that have young kids,

(01:42:48):
what's uh what's some advice yougot for us?

SPEAKER_07 (01:42:52):
Um you know, I I you do you learn I I think and um i
it's just experience and and soI've I've learned there's I was
slower to temper with him.
Um and it's funny to be temperedis you know, that's probably I
think one of the things I I youknow I wish I could change about

(01:43:13):
myself more.
Uh just uh just be slower totemper with him.
And and so I was, I think I'vealways encouraged him.
And I think for him, I was Ilearned not to worry about
failure.
Um and just kind of see what canhappen.

(01:43:34):
And I've tried I was alwaysworried, and and that's why I
could never do what he did orwhat he does.
Uh even if I had the talent, Iwouldn't have the headspace to
do it.
And it really impressed me.
And I think we all see that.
There's there are people therethat under pressure, they can
tolerate things.
It doesn't seem to bother them.
I was always the exact opposite.
I mean, I get motivated, but Imean it it would the more

(01:43:56):
stressful something is, the moreI would think about all the bad
outcomes that could come of it.
And you know, I think he'salways been one that sees the
good outcome, and and I thinkthat's helped him.
And you know, how much of thatis just him and how much of it
is, you know, how we raised him.
Hard to say, but I I I know thatI focus more on what the

(01:44:18):
possibilities are and less aboutthe negative consequences.
Not that you can necessarilyignore them.
Um, so I I don't know if that Iworded that the right way, but
hopefully that that makes sense.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (01:44:29):
Yeah, that's good, man.
Yeah.
All right.
Hey, dude, you killed it, man.
You did.

SPEAKER_07 (01:44:35):
Good guidance.
Yeah, good guidance.
I didn't say a whole lot.
You did.

SPEAKER_03 (01:44:38):
It's an amazing story, amazing family.
Um, thank you for coming uphere.

SPEAKER_07 (01:44:43):
Thanks for having me.
Yeah, it I mean, it really is anhonor.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (01:44:46):
Well, we we appreciate you and your family.
And uh yeah, so everybody besure to like and share and do
all those things.
We uh are continued grateful foryour support.
Go out and be tempered.

SPEAKER_00 (01:44:58):
Hi, my name is Allie Schmidt.
This is my dad Dan.
He owns Catron's Glass.

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SPEAKER_01 (01:45:27):
I want to share something that's become a big

part of the Be Tempered mission: Patreon. (01:45:29):
undefined
Now, if you've never used itbefore, Patreon is a platform
where we can build communitytogether.
It's not just about supportingthe podcast, it's about having a
space where we can connect on adeeper level, encourage one
another, and walk this journeyof faith, resilience, and
perseverance side by side.

(01:45:50):
Here's how it works.
You can join as a free memberand get access to daily posts,
behind-the-scenes updates,encouragement, and some things I
don't always put out on otherplatforms.
And if you feel called tosupport the mission financially,
there are different levels whereyou can do that too.
That support helps us keepproducing the podcasts, creating
gear, hosting events, andsharing stories that we believe

(01:46:13):
can truly impact lives.
And here's the cool part.
Patreon has a free app you candownload right on your phone.
It works just like Facebook orInstagram, but it's built
specifically for our community.
You'll be able to scroll throughposts, watch videos, listen to
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At the end of the day, thisisn't just about content, it's

(01:46:34):
about connection.
It's about building somethingtogether.
Not just me and Ben putting outepisodes, but a family of people
committed to growing strongerthrough real stories and real
faith.
So whether you just want to hopon as a free member or you feel
called to support in a biggerway, Patreon is the door into
that community.
Because at the heart of BeTempered has always been simple

(01:46:56):
real stories, raw truth,resilient faith, so that even
one person out there that hearswhat they need to hear, and
Patreon helps make thatpossible.

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BeTempered Episode 83 - Building a Practice on Gratitude and Trust with Dr. Craig Hewitt

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}BeTempered Episode 83 - Building a Practice on Gratitude and Trust with Dr. Craig Hewitt