Warrior Community Connect

John brings 30+ years of experience working in healthcare. His responsibilities included strategic consulting, business solution designs, implementations, and running development teams.

However, his passion is volunteering in non-profit organizations. He has spent 20 plus years working with youth organizations taking students wilderness camping, dirt biking, and mentoring. Additionally, he has worked with numerous organizations that help people struggling with addiction.

His heart is for the disenfranchised and those overlooked by most.

A lifelong problem solver and passionate idealist, Connie learned early on as a caregiver to her Army veteran husband that she’d have to create her own circumstances rather than operating within a system seemingly set up to work against them.

With a background in teaching, having earned a BA in Elementary Education from Wake Forest University in 2007, Connie discovered quickly that education would not be the avenue with which she’d be able to leave a positive legacy while also supporting her husband through a newly diagnosed TBI & PTSD. So she set out to create new circumstances by leveraging the skills she’d built as a teacher, a mom and as a caregiver that would allow for the flexibility she needs in all those roles as well as the impact she desired to create in her community, landing as a health & wellness coach for other moms. As a small business owner Connie developed skills in marketing, ultimately opening an additional business supporting small businesses online by providing creative solutions to their idiosyncratic needs. Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2022 Connie is more dedicated than ever to supporting military and veteran families in their unique challenges.

Having been a caregiver since 2007 and owning a digital media marketing business, Connie has a deep understanding of Warrior Community Connect’s mission & values as well as the way people find, view and move through websites and social media, making her an ideal candidate to assist with WCC’s online assets.

Misty Toothman is a Pennsylvania native who returned to the area after supporting her husband’s career in the Marine Corps. Misty initially developed her work ethic, resilience, and ingenuity on her family’s dairy farm; she continued to develop those qualities as the spouse of a constantly deploying Marine, homeschooling mother of three children, caregiver of a combat wounded veteran, and advocate for wounded veterans and their families. In 2018, Misty represented Pennsylvania’s military and veteran caregivers as an Elizabeth Dole Foundation Fellow, advocating for policy changes that impact this unique group. Misty earned her bachelor’s degree in communications with a specialization in journalism and a minor in psychology at Liberty University, her masters in American history from American Military University, and both her Juris Doctor and a master’s in taxation from Villanova Law School. Currently, Misty is a Pennsylvania licensed attorney who practices estate law at her firm, Twin Valley Law.

Misty’s experiences give her a unique perspective on the issues encountered by servicemembers, veterans, and the family members who provide care and support.

Developing grit and resilience is always at the forefront of Emily White’s mind. Having experienced post-traumatic growth firsthand as a caregiver to her disabled Army veteran husband with complex medical needs from his combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom and her own lived experience as a childhood trauma survivor, Emily has committed herself to helping others with their post-traumatic healing. As a result of this inspiration, Emily became a licensed clinical social worker and over the years, has been able to serve in many capacities. From her previous work in child protective services to providing therapy to incarcerated youth as well as intensive therapeutic services to adolescents and adults with mental illness, Emily’s commitment to service knows no bounds.

Most recently, Emily juggles being a mom of four, and caregiver to her disabled veteran spouse while simultaneously working a full-time job as a mental health counselor at a public school and operating her part-time private practice where she serves adults and couples. In her continued pursuit of knowledge to better serve others, Emily attends the University of Kentucky to earn a Doctorate of Social Work program where she is pursuing a clinical concentration. Emily has also recently added therapeutic retreat developer to her list of accomplishments as she recently created and facilitated the first annual therapeutic couples retreat for the WCC veterans and their spouses.

Born in San German Puerto Rico. Alexis Pabon always was excited about listening to stories that his grandfather (Army cook in WW1) and his stepfather (Army Vietnam Veteran). At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Army Reserve unit as Mortuary Affair Specialist. He trained and served with the 311th Quartermaster Company Reserve Unit. His unit was the first called to serve to recover remains and personal effects at the Pentagon in 9/11. While serving at the Pentagon he realized the importance of his service and he continued his deployment for 12 months. After this deployment his unit started intensive training and preparations with a short deployment to Germany in 2005, returning to Puerto Rico to be ready to be deployed to Kuwait Theater Evacuation Point for 15 months (June 2005- Sept 2006). His job there was to receive the remains of all the different Forward Collection points, process remains and personal effects to be returned to the States. As his return, he decided to reenlist this time as an active duty and was place in Fort Lee VA in the unit 54th Quartermaster company Mortuary Affairs. He was deployed again in June 2007 in charge of 5 soldiers. His responsibilities there were and not limited to recovery, processing remains and personal effects, managing, inventory, and connections between collection point to return fallen soldiers and American citizens to their land, also served as liaison between US forces and Iraqi citizens. In this deployment they received a blast for a mortar dropping 10 mts away from them causing a laceration in the middle inner ear. He returned to the States in February 2008, continuing his duties as Mortuary Affairs Specialist, training, and preparing other platoons to be deployed. At the same time performing honor guard and detail in funerals. In February 2009 he starts suffering the sequels of the blast with severe episodes of vertigo and balance challenge which end up receiving surgery while active in his ear losing hearing from the right side. Because of this condition, he was not allowed to reenlist and for him to end his military career in 2009. He also sustains several other injuries including TBI and PTSD. He and his family moved to Dover, DE in that same year. He was medically retired in January 2012.

To the present, he is in constant treatment for all his conditions and in control. He is the father of 5 kids and a grandfather of a baby boy, married for 12 years. His family is his support, and his wife Silvia is being his caregiver since day one advocating for his health and conditions.

Biography coming soon!

Signed up for service in high school as a BU (Builder) in the Navy Seabee’s (Construction Battalion) in 2009

• Boot Camp in Great Lakes, IL, 2010

• Rate (job) training and combat school in Gulfport MS, 2010

• Stationed NBVC Port Hueneme, CA, 2010

• Conducted and attended both rate specific and combat training

• Was part of Main Battalion, Convoy Security Element, & Air Detachment.

• 3 Deployments over 5 years: Afghanistan 2010-11/Djibouti–Spain–Croatia 2012/Tonga 2013-14

• Left unit & service in 2015

First Sergeant Barr joined the United States Army in August of 1990. He completed basic training in Ft. Bragg North Carolina. He then went on to advance individual training at Aberdeen Proven Grounds Maryland where he graduate from a six-month-long technical field in turbine and automotive mechanics. First Sergeant Barr would also complete his Basic Noncommissioned Officer and Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course at APG MD as well. He took on the role of a leader at a very young age and was promoted to Sergeant at the age of 20 while serving with the 1st Armor Division in Germany.

Drew Toothman served from 2001 – 2014 in the Marine Corps as both a musician and an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician, where he deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (2009) and the 22 Marine Expeditionary Unit (2011). He was medically retired and currently resides in Pennsylvania. He manages a farmstead, rehabs a 1700’s stone farmhouse, is a stay-at-home dad for three awesome kids, married to an amazing wife of 18 years, volunteers for various veteran-oriented non-profits, and currently writes for the blog Mentalgrenade.com.