Jack Ross is a resident of Sedona having moved from Stonington CT with his wife Camilla in the spring of 2015. Together they have 3 children, Joseph, Mike, and Jessica. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) and armed with a BA in accounting, Jack promptly enlisted in the Navy in 1977 via the Aviation Officer Candidate program. Following his commission he earned his wings as a carrier pilot and completed 20 years of active and reserve time before retiring as a Commander in 1997. Most recently Jack retired from Delta Air Lines in 2019 as an International Captain last based out of Delta’s Los Angeles HUB. He is proud of the fact that in 42 years of flying he has an equal number of Takeoffs and Landings!

Mark Cary grew up in Monterey, California. He joined the Marine Corps in 1985, serving in the Presidential Honor Guard in Washington DC, and as an infantry squad leader with the 6th Marine Regiment. He graduated from James Madison University in Virginia with a degree in political science and economics, with an emphasis on Soviet and Eastern European Studies.

He joined the U. S. Border Patrol in 1995 and went on to command a special operations unit, serve as the congressional liaison, and did a year on an officer exchange program with the US Coast Guard.

Mark retired in 2017 and started a business teaching self-defense and firearms fundamentals.

Mark and his wife moved to Sedona full time in 2020 and are very excited about giving back to the Sedona community, establishing new friendships and being a part of a veterans organization.

Sam Skaggs moved a lot as a kid and graduated high school in Brookings, OR in 1986. He attended the US Air Force Academy where he managed to escape in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Space Physics and his commission before beginning his Air Force Career. Sam retired as a Lieutenant Colonel and Command Pilot in 2011. He flew KC-135R and C-130E/H aircraft while on active duty, and then did a very short stint with SkyWest Airlines after retiring. He chose to leave SkyWest and flying altogether to spend more time with his wife Kari (SMSgt, USAF, Ret.), and went back to work for the Air Force for 5 years as a civilian.

Sam and Kari both “retired” in 2017, sold nearly everything, and lived a nomadic life of adventure and travel for most of the next four years. They semi-settled in Sedona in 2020, but still travel seasonally, with Sedona as a “home base”. They mix in a little work here and there—Sam crews hot air balloons with hopes to one day pilot them, and helps run their small business where they offer destination wellness retreats in both Mexico and Sedona. They are blended with four adult children and six grandchildren.

Jane grew up in Minnesota and one fine cold winter day the Marines asked her to join. She spent the next eight years working as an aviation electrician for support equipment. After serving her county she worked a wide variety of sales and support jobs. Her and her husband Mike came to Sedona to retire. She has two daughters, one step daughter and one cute little grand daughter. Jane has too many hobbies. Mainly they are painting, photography of landscapes. Mike and Jane can often be found on their e-bikes or going on a short hike. She spends lots of time dreaming up new places to travel and going to visit family.

Al Coxe Is a native of Colorado. He and his wife Rosie moved to Sedona in 2018 and have two adult daughters. Al spent 20 years in the Air Force in the Missile and Space career fields and his post military time developing and modernizing the tracking and data collection systems for space launch sites at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg AFB. In his spare time Al was a runner, completing four marathons, the Pikes Peak Ascent seven times, and two triathlons. He then transitioned to mountaineering, notching 90+ ascents over 14,000 feet, and scaled 22,841 foot Mt. Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside of the Himalayas. After moving to Sedona, he joined the Sedona Marine Corp League and SAVCO. He finds projects that help veterans very fulfilling.

Don Hallford was raised in Northwest Florida. He enlisted in the Air Force soon after completing High School. During his first enlistment he finished his degree and received a commission. He continued to serve as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer for another 22 years. He was assigned to Florida, Texas, Washington, Utah and England. As he became more successful in his career, he learned about “giving back to the community”. He started out doing volunteer tax returns while still in the Air Force. He has continued doing taxes and enjoying the appreciation he received from his clients. After retiring and moving to Sedona, he’s expanded his opportunities to “give back” through various organizations in the local area.