Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Veshannah Lovelace | Army Sgt. Timmy Dawson, legal assistance non-commissioned officer for the Joint Task...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba — In this day and time, the primary focus on America's mind is unemployment, economic recovery, escalating foreclosure rates, personal finance, increasing credit card debt and high gas prices. Gone are the days of purchasing items you can't afford at will and expecting to pay for it at a later date. People are starting to realize they have to become fiscally responsible and prepare now for the life they want in the future.
When Army Sgt. Timothy "Timmy" Dawson, legal assistance non-commissioned officer for the Joint Task Force Guantanamo Staff Judge Advocate, deployed to U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay for a one-year deployment last October, he made a personal commitment not to return in the same financial shape in which he left.
Twenty-five years old, engaged and with a one-year-old son, Dawson left Queen Creek, Ariz., steeped in $27,200 of debt. His array of debt included the balance of a vehicle repossession, the residue of an identity theft mishap, medical bills, auto repair bills and, the all too familiar villain — credit card debt.
"When I first got here, someone told me 'everyone leaves here a hunk, a chunk or a drunk,'" Dawson said, "So I thought, why not leave here not broke?"
Initially Dawson's motivation was preserving his credit in order to maintain his security clearance and he decided to take advantage of the increase in pay he would receive throughout the year.
"I knew when I went home I wouldn't make this kind of money," he said. "I don't know how I made it with all the phone calls [from creditors], the stress of the baby and wanting to do things without wondering if a pack of beer would break me," Dawson added.
Dawson said before he came here he actually called the bankruptcy people but then hung up the phone.
"I thought, no, you can do this," he added.
Getting out of debt is not accomplished without sacrifice and Dawson said his biggest challenge to becoming debt-free was his lack of a social life. While his friends were eating out, he was eating at the galley or not eating at all. He also said in the beginning, he lost focus and bought some scuba gear. But he quickly got back on track by securing a part-time job working at the dive shop, which he said helped out a lot.
His family inspired him to stay focused because he remembered how much stress the debt brought on him. He also credits his son for helping him to stay centered on his goal.
"Every time I called home, I'd hear him cry and I felt guilty because money I was spending on myself I could be spending on him," he said. "It's called being a responsible parent," he added.
He said he initially accumulated all his debt when he entered the Army as a private. He thought he had more money than he did.
"I was situationally rich. I thought I was rich at the time, so I bought all my friends pizza and the extra round of beer," Dawson said. "Then I met my fiancé and had a kid, and kids change your perspective."
Close friend and colleague Army Sgt. Christine Moorhouse, a military justice paralegal for the JTF, went along for the ride as Dawson paid off his debt one bill at a time. When Dawson first told her of his goal, she told him "good luck" sarcastically because she didn't think it was possible.
"I hadn't heard of too many other people managing to get completely debt-free through a deployment," Moorhouse said. "Most of the time, it puts a strain on finances," she added.
Moorhouse said she was proud of Dawson accomplishing his goal.
"I thought it was great. I was kind of envious because I couldn't do it. He was very disciplined," she added. "He'd brag about it, 'two more payments on the truck, one more payment on the truck, after this week I may be broke but everything's paid for.'"
If given the opportunity to give advice to someone who is in over their head with debt, Dawson said he'd tell them to set a plan and stick to it.
"The way I did it was to knock off the little bills first, Dawson said, "Don't bite off more than you can chew. When you're ready to knock off that big bill, set up automatic payments," he continued.
"You can't just sit around having a pity party saying, 'poor me, I have so much debt,'" he said. "You have to remember you put yourself into it and only you can get yourself out. I paid this stuff off as a specialist, so any rank can do it," he added.
For more information about Joint Task Force Guantanamo, visit the Web site at www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil.
| Date Taken: | 10.02.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 10.05.2009 09:18 |
| Story ID: | 39674 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 289 |
| Downloads: | 258 |
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