For Retired Chief Master Sergeant George \u201cSteve\u201d Cum, service has never been just a chapter of life, it\u2019s been the entire book.<\/p>\n
After more than three decades of distinguished service in the Air Force, Cum continues his mission as a Strategic Planner for the\u00a0Orlando VA Healthcare System (OVAHCS)<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n His path to the military began with inspiration close to home. Growing up, his godbrothers served in the Air Force. Their experiences ignited his interest and provided a clear alternative to going straight to college after high school. In 1989, while still a junior, he enlisted and later shipped off to basic training in February 1990.<\/p>\n Over the next 30 years, his service brought him the across the globe: from Texas to Florida to assignments in Germany, ultimately ending his service at the Pentagon. As a combat medic in special operations, Cum deployed extensively across Africa, the Middle East and Europe supporting missions from post-9\/11 operations in Afghanistan to multinational training exercises around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of his most profound experiences came shortly after the September 11 attacks. As a forward deployed combat medic with no doctors or nurses in reach, he was tasked with making critical life or death decisions on the battlefield. The experience reshaped how he viewed training, instilling in him the importance of preparing troops not only physically but psychologically for the realities of combat.<\/p>\n His greatest challenge, however, was internal, which to him was building his self-confidence to trust his training and execute independently in high stakes situations. \u201cOnce I got the hang of it, it became more natural,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was about proving to myself I could do it.\u201d<\/p>\n To this day, the lessons he carried forward remain clear: \u201ctough times don\u2019t last, but tough people do.\u201d Military life taught him to adapt, persevere and maintain perspective through challenges.<\/p>\nService beyond the battlefield<\/h2>\n