KILLEEN, Texas — Many soldiers follow a family legacy of service that goes back generations.
That's how it was for Brett Gordon, retired U.S. Army veteran, and man that has dedicated his life to serving — in and out of uniform.
His story begins in Killeen, Texas.
”My dad was stationed here,” Gordon said.
“He came here in 1961, met my mother who was from here and they got married."
"I was actually born in Alaska, but I got to Texas within about 6-months of being born.”
Growing up on a ranch off Stagecoach Road in Killeen, all he wanted to be was a cowboy.
That is until something clicked when he was visiting home from college.
”When I went back to school that Monday, I enrolled in ROTC and that became my life career choice,” Gordon said.
Following in the footsteps of his father, he served 26 years in the Army and retired as a Colonel, but he never gave up on his childhood dream.
After serving nearly three decades in the Army, he finally became a cowboy.
”My passions being agricultural, the western culture, veterans, youth, so I just found a way to combine all these things,” Gordon said.
Now he helps run the Killeen Rodeo, assists with the veterans nonprofit Camp Cowboy, and is the sitting president of the board for the Killeen Junior Livestock Show.
The same show he competed at as a kid and as the former board president, his father couldn’t be prouder.
The idea of not serving just because the uniform is hanging in a closet now never crosses his mind.
”Well I think it’s just a hard habit to break and you definitely do get something out of it,” Gordon said.
“I love helping — whether it’s the youth with the livestock show or when I was working with the veterans, helping them with their PTSD, depression or anger issues.”
That just scratches the surface of the service that retired Colonel Brett Gordon has done and continues to do for the Central Texas community.
All while proving that no matter what, it’s never too late to chase your dreams.
