Today, I salute Army Veteran Jovani Armendariz. After high school in 2003, Jovani knew he wasn’t ready for college, so his path led him to the Army, where he found himself carrying an aid bag as a medic, entrusted with the health of 40 soldiers during his deployment to Iraq in 2005. He knew it was a lot of responsibility for a 19-year-old, and even though it was different, he had some experience because he spent years helping his father tend to livestock on a ranch near Santa Rosa, New Mexico. After the Army, he had a conversation with an army veterinarian, which, combined with the creation of the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine in 2018, and his career path, fell into place. He now has the purpose of serving rural and regional ranching communities in proximity to Amarillo. Thank you for making a difference, Jovani, and THANK YOU for your service.
