“I came from a military family. Since the beginning of the Revolutionary War I’ve had a family member in every single war and branch, so I just wanted to do my part.”
Meet ETBU junior James Tanner. James served six years in the United States Air Force (2012-2018) before coming to the University this past January to pursue a degree in biology. In addition to being a full-time student, James currently works as a Government Contractor, handling forensics, missing persons cases, and a number of related duties that fall into the field of biology.
James shared that a long line of family involvement in the U.S. Armed forces influenced his decision to join the military back in 2012. “I came from a military family. Since the beginning of the Revolutionary War I’ve had a family member in every single war and branch, so I just wanted to do my part.” Furthermore, he told us that being in the military impacted his faith in Christ in numerous ways. “I saw situations that brought me closer to God, and learned that He is the answer to a lot of the problems out there, and it really brought other people closer as a unit. We all kind of bounced ideas off of each other about where we were going after the military. We’ve seen things we can’t explain, and just the entire experience strengthened my faith all around.”
Toward the end of his time in the Air Force, James was stationed at the Barksdale Air Force Base in northwest Louisiana. He says that its close proximity to ETBU was part of God’s plan to bring him to the University.
“I’ve been to many universities and they can’t compare to ETBU’s experience. Just like the military, this University has helped me to be part of something bigger than myself. Since day one I have felt like I’m part of a family.”