Yorkville Air Force vet’s military experience inspired him to become firefighter and leader

U.S. Air Force veteran Don Carpenter found inspiration through his military experience to become a firefighter, helping him gain the skills needed to lead the fire department as a Lieutenant.

Carpenter, currently residing in Yorkville, joined the Air Force in 2003 at the age of 21. He spent six years active duty and two years on reserves as a joint terminal attack controller. He left the military as a Staff Sergeant.

From September 2005 to September 2006, Carpenter was deployed to Iraq during the early stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom, assisting infantry units and calling in airstrikes when needed. He did the same in Afghanistan from March to October 2008.

“Our job was kind of unique; the career field is called the Tac-P,” Carpenter said. “[I was] in the Air Force but only stationed in army bases.”

Carpenter’s job entailed supporting army units as a two-man team with each individual specializing in different tasks. He was a part of the 19th air support operations squadron.

“The hardest part [of my job] was essentially being a part of two-man teams,” Carpenter said. “[I] kind of like to use a silly analogy, a ‘jedi-knight,’ and a trainee; one guy who’s the expert in close-air support and the other who’s the radio and communications person.”

During his time in the military, Carpenter met Matt French, another joint terminal attack controller who joined the military in 2002 after a delayed-entry in 2000. French was discharged in 2008 as a Staff Sergeant, too.

“[We met] on a trip to Smyrna, Tennessee,” French said. “Don was pretty new, [but I had] been there for a couple years. [Don is] actually who I consider to be one of my best friends. During the pandemic, I would travel to Chicago and he would travel to Maryland. [We] talk at least every week or a few times a week.”

French watched Carpenter grow in the military and expand his leadership skills. He commends Carpenter’s extensive effort toward anything he puts his mind to.

“Don is successful at everything he does,” French said. “He is a natural born leader who’s extremely focused on the task at hand, even now with being a firefighter. When he gets into something, he gets into it.”

Carpenter found the bonds he made in the military to be a vital aspect of his career. He joined because of his patriotism but enjoyed his experience because of the connections he formed.

“The biggest thing I took away from being in combat is the love that you have for the people you’re with,” Carpenter said. “[That] boils down to why I [was] there doing what I was doing.”

The day after leaving the military, Carpenter had an interview at a fire station. While stationed at Fort Campbell, located between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee, he took EMT courses to facilitate a future career.

Carpenter used the G.I. Bill to attend the College of DuPage, getting an associate degree in fire science and attending paramedic school, helping to bring him to where he is today.

“Growing up in Michigan, no one in my family had gone to college, or they had some other trade job,” Carpenter said. “In high school, I worked in the trades; half day work half school. I thought I’d be a welder. I took a bit of college [after high school], but I was never a good student. During the military, I learned the value of education and started taking it seriously.”

Through his time in the military, Carpenter learned the principles needed to be a good leader. He looks back on his military experience fondly, understanding the impact it had on the path he took in life.

“As a Staff Sergeant, I had five to seven people underneath me that I was the direct supervisor for,” Carpenter said. “To be perfectly honest, leadership training and the examples given have directly impacted me in the fire department. [I] would not be a leader in the department without military experience.”