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Industry Spotlight > Advisors

Honoring Advisors Who Serve(d): Fourth of July, 2024

by ThinkAdvisor Editorial Staff

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In honor of Independence Day, we’re pleased to present ThinkAdvisor’s 13th annual Advisors Who Serve(d) compilation, highlighting stories of veterans in the advisory world, told in their own words.

This group of financial advisors and other industry professionals who have served or are serving in the military is arranged in alphabetical order and includes the first group of the roughly two dozen submissions we received.

The remaining advisors will be featured around Veterans Day, when ThinkAdvisor also recognizes financial advisors and professionals who have served in the military.

Paul D. Babaz

Title/company: Managing Director-Investments/Oppenheimer & Co.

Branch: U.S. Army

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Specialist

Service dates: 1989-1996

Work you did: UH1 Crewchief (Medvac)

Brief story that stands out from your service time: There are so many stories to relay, but one memory I have while deployed was visiting a school for orphans, and I always remember this one little girl whom I gave a Hershey bar. She kept coming back, looking for another Hershey bar. Visiting those kids was a welcome distraction at the time, but looking back I always wished I could have done more for her and the other children.

David Brown

Title/company: Investment Advisor & Founder/Magellan Wealth Advisors

Branch: U.S. Air Force Reserve and active duty

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Airman Basic/Major and Navigator

Service dates: 1979–2008

Work you did: Pilot, navigator on C-130s

Brief story that stands out from your service time: This photo was taken on our first combat mission into Iraq. Due to the secret nature of our mission, we did know why we were there. After about 20 minutes with our ramp and door open and engines running, a bunch of Navy Seals boarded our plane.

We weren’t prepared for troops as no seats were down. They didn’t care. They just laid on the floor and immediately fell asleep, as they were obviously exhausted. We took them to a secret airbase, and the welcoming party for these guys was exceptional. Hundreds of troops were there to greet them with high fives and hugs. I thought they must’ve done something “pretty cool."

When we landed back at our base, we learned a POW, Jessica Lynch, was just rescued. I thought that was fantastic, still not realizing that we were a part of that operation. The “clue light” went on the next day when we were told “nice job." That was a rewarding mission, along with ones when we would evacuate wounded troops. It was an honor to serve.

Gary J. Curry

Title/company: Financial Advisor/Raymond James & Associates

Branch: U.S. Marine Corps

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Recruit/Lance Corporal

Service dates: 2001-2005

Work you did: Communications, Field Radio Officer

Brief story that stands out from your service time: My introduction to “thrashing” happened to me on Day 2 of basic training ... not as a spectator but as the subject of the thrashing! Yes, I was the very first person in my squad to be thrashed. To add some context: In the military we use the term thrashing as a form of verbal and/or physical correction. The physical form of thrashing usually ends in a pool of sweat!

After being up a day and a half straight getting processed in basic training, we got our barracks and bunks squared away, meaning everything is tidy and neatly put together in our footlockers. The footlockers were neatly placed by our bunks with all of our gear in them.

To this point, other than lack of sleep, things are going fairly calm. We were outside of the barracks getting briefed by our senior drill instructor and as we entered the barracks one of the other drill instructors had gone through the barracks like a hurricane throwing the footlockers across the room, and flipping bunks!

As we entered, our faces dropped when saw the disaster, ALL of the drill instructors starting yelling and telling us we have two minutes to get everything back in order! WHOA!! In panic mode, all of us are running around tripping over each other trying to gather our things and put them back in place. It was insane!

When our two minutes were up, we all had to line up at our bunks and footlockers. With all the haste, chaos and confusion, we managed to get everything pretty much back in place. Well, almost. The drill instructor held up a single canteen, and says to the squad, Who’s canteen is this?

My heart dropped because it was mine. As I hesitantly confessed that it was mine, the drill instructor begin to thrash me, rapidly yelling and repeating to me to do pushups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, run in place over and over again! He proceeded to do this for what felt like an eternity. Needless to say, by the time it was over I was in a pool of sweat and the rest of the squad was terrified. At that moment, Marine Corps bootcamp begin!

Jim Friddell

Title/company: Financial Planner/The Opus Group, part of Prudential Advisors

Branch: U.S. Marine Corps

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Captain

Service dates: 1997–2004

Work you did: Infantry officer; platoon commander, 1st Battalion/5th Marines Charlie Company; embarkation officer, 1st Battalion/5th Marines; executive officer, 1st Battalion/5th Marines Weapons Company; platoon commander, 1st FAST Company; battalion education and training officer, Marine Corps Security Force Battalion.

Brief story that stands out from your service time: We were on deployment in the Pacific, during the 55th anniversary of the battle. Pacific Command routed our entire expeditionary unit there for Marine Corps presence during the ceremony. We were able to go ashore on one of the most sacred grounds known to the Marine Corps and walk the battlefields where we lost almost 7,000 Marines/sailors in only five weeks.

It was really emotional for all of us. We also had the honor of meeting multiple survivors of the battle, whom the Marine Corps flew in for the anniversary. To hear their stories and share in their brotherhood was incredible.

Nick Jahn

Title/company: Retirement Plan Consultant/SageView Advisory Group

Branch: U.S. Air Force

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Major

Service dates: 1994–2008

Work you did: Civil engineer, pilot

Brief story that stands out from your service time: I met my best friend, now my beautiful wife Ashley, while we were both serving in the Air Force.

Jeff Kitchen

Title/company: Financial Advisor, Principal/Edward Jones

Branch: U.S. Navy

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Midshipman/Lieutenant

Service dates: 1988-1998

Work you did: I was a Special Operations Officer, working as a diver and conducting explosive ordinance disposal.

Brief story that stands out from your service time: You need to be disciplined and self-motivated to be successful both in the Navy and as a financial advisor. In the military, trust is paramount when you're working together as a team. That taught me how important trust is when building client relationships too. Our clients must trust us deeply for them to allow us to take care of their assets.

Jerry Albert Koebel

Title/company: Financial Professional/Berthel Fisher and Company

Branch: U.S. Navy

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Seaman/Lieutenant Commander

Service dates: 1963–1993

Work you did: Served on nuclear submarines. My professional job was a navigator, plus a range of different jobs driving submarines.

Brief story that stands out from your service time: We were on the surface going into Naha, Okinawa. I was 17 and I went into the freezer to get ice cream. The door slammed shut behind me, and I was unable to open it from the inside for two hours. I thought I was going to die, but I was able to get out by kicking and slamming on the door. In 30 years on submarines that was the scariest moment in my life.

Adrian Montecinos

Title/company: Financial Advisor/Wells Fargo Advisors

Branch: U.S. Navy

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Lieutenant

Service dates: 2014–2019

Work you did: Nuclear Submarine Officer

Brief story that stands out from your service time: My time in the military made me stronger and a lot more grateful for everything I have in my life. As you may expect, submarine life was tough both in port and out to sea. It was hard being away from not only family and friends, but the entire world.

We don’t exactly get 5G LTE in the middle of the Pacific Ocean underwater. I also realized I took a lot for granted like the sun, oxygen, long hot showers and food. I learned that because I exposed myself to such difficult conditions on the sub that I can handle almost anything out here.

William B. Mullin

Title/company: Senior Vice President/Wealth Enhancement Group

Branch: U.S. Army Corp of Engineers

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Lieutenant/Captain

Service dates: 1990–1998 (both active and reserve)

Work you did: I was a combat engineer whose primary mission was to help the division navigate while on combat missions by constructing temporary routes, clearing barriers and obstacles with explosives, and detecting and navigating mines and other hazards.

Brief story that stands out from your service time: I was a 22-year-old 2nd Lieutenant deployed to Iraq during the first Gulf War. I was walking with my platoon sergeant to a high-level briefing and we left early in order to grab our first hot meal of the week before the briefing started. This was seven days before the ground invasion.

The line was long, and it was apparent that we would not be served in time to make the briefing at the current pace of the line. Several other members of the leadership team walked in front, to the dismay of everyone in line, with the excuse that they had an important meeting to go to.

As I started to follow them, my platoon sergeant stopped me and whispered in my ear, “As a leader, you are watched 100% of the time and no great leader puts himself in front of his people for any reason.” It was one of the most important lessons I learned in life.

Sean Michael Pearson

Title/company: Financial Advisor, Certified Military Financial Advisor/Ameriprise Financial

Branch: U.S. Pennsylvania Air National Guard

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Airman First Class/Major

Service dates: 1997-present

Work you did: In my first 12 years, I was an aircraft weapons system craftsman. I loaded bombs, missiles and maintained the weapons system on the A-10A Thunderbolt, more commonly known as the Warthog. I also spent several years training others how to maintain aircrafts.

For the last 15 years, I was a chief of public affairs for my air wing, supervising a team responsible for internal communications, media and congressional delegation relations, as well as our website and social media. I also taught ROTC for one year at St. Joseph’s University.

Brief story that stands out from your service time: When I enlisted, I expected to work on aircrafts and travel overseas. I started my Certified Financial Planner course when I was in Kuwait during Iraqi Freedom. What most people don’t think of is all that the National Guard does at home.

Over the last 15 years, my team has supported, documented and told the story about Guard efforts during natural disasters; setting up the first COVID-19 testing facility in Montgomery County and COVID-19 joint vaccination facility in the Philadelphia area; providing support to national conventions to nominate presidential candidates; providing cyber capabilities to protect election security at home and with international partners abroad.

Roman F. Reed

Title/company: Senior Director-Investments/Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Branch: U.S. Army Infantry

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: 2nd Lieutenant/1st Lieutenant

Service dates: 1985–1993

Work you did: Army Reserves

Brief story that stands out from your service time: Spending the 1986 spring/summer at the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, was a unique confidence-building experience as I met just commissioned officers like myself from Texas A&M to West Point to all other schools in the nation. Also training with Allied officers from other nations and hearing their stories made me deeply appreciate and fall in love more with our United States of America.

Somer Taylor

Title/company: Associate Wealth Advisor/Alia Wealth Partners

Branch: U.S. Army

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Private/Sergeant

Service dates: 2007–2012

Work you did: Air Traffic Control Specialist

Brief story that stands out from your service time: I served with so many great people, and several who have remained lifelong friends. I have countless stories I could tell, and memories I will cherish always. I am thankful to my time in service and to all of those I share these memories with.

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