JoeHalstead.com

My Biography

City of Origin & Growing Up I was born on July 10th, 1974 in Bay City, Michigan, but spent most of the next 19 years in Linwood. I attended Pinconning Area High School, graduated in 1993, and immediately joined the U.S. Army. Military Service and Life in Germany Upon entry into service, I attended basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and specialty training at Fort Gordon, Georgia, where I was certified as a signal support systems specialist. My assignments included nearly two years at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, a year in Camp Red Cloud, South Korea, and over 3 years in Wuerzburg, Germany. While assigned to the 1st Military Police Company in Germany, I participated in Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Kosovo Force in the autonomous Serbian province of Kosovo. In August 1998, I completed the Primary Leadership Development Course in Grafenwoehr, Germany, and was subsequently promoted to sergeant (E-5). While I lived in Germany, I took the opportunity to travel to nearly a dozen different countries. I believe that my travels gave me a unique appreciation for different people and the ability to communicate with a delicate sense of tact. During my last two years in Germany, 2001 to 2003, I worked as a TelExchange Operations Specialist for Tyco Telecommunications in Frankfurt. I helped install, monitor, troubleshoot and repair a fiber optic network spanning west into The Netherlands and south into France, ultimately connecting Europe to New York City and beyond. Back in the United States From 2003 to 2005, I studied electronic media broadcasting at Delta College, and earned an Associate of Applied Science degree. After a short stint as a store auditor for Garb-Ko Seven Eleven, I resumed my studies at Central Michigan University in January 2006, where I initially studied electrical engineering. Finally, I chose to specialize in mathematics. I expect to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics in May 2009.