On June 1st, 2023 I walked into the Soldier Recovery Unit. My fellow Okie Air Pirates, the Soldiers of the Oklahoma Army National Guard MEDEVAC unit in Lexington Oklahoma, had all gone home to their families. I was the only one remaining at Fort Cavazos in Texas. I had multiple injuries that were so severe I was unable to properly do my job as a critical care flight paramedic in the Army; I was also unable to return to my civilian career as a paramedic. During my two years at the Soldier Recovery Unit, I participated in an Adaptive Reconditioning Program. ARP had received donated leather project kits. Leatherwork wasnโt something I ever thought I would be interested in. However, I made a few of the kits and quickly decided I wanted to make a customized wallet for my nephew. I road tripped down to Austin and found the Tandy Leather store. I was in awe. So many kinds of leather! I didnโt know what most of the stuff in there was, but I bought some leather and a couple stamps. Back at the SRU barracks, I began watching YouTube and figuring out how to make the wallet I envisioned. Of course there was a second trip to the Tandy Leather store, and multiple Amazon purchases. I had to do something with the leather I had left over, so I started making another wallet for his brother. Then I figured I could make some keychains from the scraps and sell them. You guessed it โ this meant more trips to the Tandy Leather store and Amazon purchases. Due to my injuries, I have had to find assistive devices for my leatherwork which lead to the purchase of a one ton arbor press. I was medically retired from the Army in February 2025; so far Iโve had shoulder and knee surgery with more coming in the future. Iโve been blessed with family that has helped me with the leather shop during recovery from surgeries. Iโd love to have you follow me on Instagram and get an inside look at my handmade leather creations!
