Honoring Advisors Who Serve(d): Fourth of July, 2023

Steven Alch

Title/company: Southeast Division Executive / Merrill Wealth Management

Branch: U.S. Army

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Second Lieutenant / Captain

Service dates: 1993 – 1998

Work you did: Field Artillery officer stationed at Ft. Bragg, and assigned to the 82^nd Airborne Division

Brief story that stands out from your service time: In September 1994, I was part of a large effort named Operation Restore Democracy. We were on planes (over 200 of them in total) that were headed to Haiti to conduct an airborne assault into Port-au-Prince International Airport. The mission was to take back the country, as the president had been overthrown by the military commander. Our role was to restore the elected president. We turned around mid-flight and didn’t jump because Gen. (RET) Colin Powell and former President Jimmy Carter negotiated a peaceful entry into the country.

I met my future wife two days later. If we had jumped and executed the mission in Haiti, I would have been in Haiti and would never have met her!

Ryan P. Beshany

Title/company: Managing Director, Resident Director / Merrill Wealth Management

Branch: U.S. Navy

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Ensign / Commander

Service dates: 2001 – present (currently in the U.S. Navy Reserve serving as a Commander)

Work you did: Naval Aviator (SH-60B Seahawk)

Brief story that stands out from your service time: As a newly commissioned ensign in the Navy, my former upperclassman, who was responsible for my training, continued to serve as my mentor beyond the Naval Academy. His financial guidance was something that shaped my career path beyond the Navy. He simply instructed me to open a Roth IRA and to always maximize my contributions. This seemingly simple advice instilled financial discipline and sparked my passion for the financial markets leading to my career at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Relationships like these are what make military service special to me — you are surrounded by a community of mentorship.

Ben Bines

Title/company: Director of Business Development – East / Dynasty Financial Partners

Branch: U.S. Navy

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Ensign / Lieutenant

Service dates: 2002 – 2012

Work you did: I flew as a Naval Aviator in the single-seat F/A-18C Hornet and F/A-18E Super Hornet Strike Fighter aircraft variants for the VFA-136 Knighthawks out of Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Brief story that stands out from your service time: On my first mission into Afghanistan as a new single-seat F/A-18C pilot, my aircraft had a major hydraulic system failure. I was flying on the wing of our squadron Commanding Officer (CO), David “Killer” Culler, a great American. It was night, and we had pushed into Southern Afghanistan where we’d refuel on an Air Force tanker before starting our first Close Air Support (CAS) mission. As my refueling probe seated in the refueling basket, my warning panel lit up and my jet began an uncontrolled left-hand descending turn that I could only stop by going full afterburner, quickly burning my remaining fuel. There was an indication that if I tried to reset the hydraulic system, I would dump all my hydraulic fluid, leading to an ejection. I was not going to push the reset button.

Killer had seen this before and told me to reset anyway. I followed his advice, and I got back enough flight controls to come out of the afterburner and stay in control. I was now extremely low on fuel, I’d lost several important flight controls and systems, and our refueling tanker had left us due to low fuel. A British L1011 refueling crew came to the rescue and refueled us outside of normal parameters, making it a bit of a hair-raising evolution. After many hours of working the problem, we flew back to the aircraft carrier for a night trap. I still had several failed flight controls. Once aboard, Killer took me aside for some valuable words of encouragement. The next day, it was time to fly again. I credit Killer with getting me home that night.

Larry Braley

Title/company: VP, Wealth Management / LPL-affiliated SAFE Credit Union

Branch: U.S. Navy

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: E1 / E5

Service dates: 1970 – 1974

Work you did: Ship Services / Supply

Brief story that stands out from your service time: One of my favorite stories and experiences during my time in the Navy happened in the Indian Ocean. The ship that I was assigned to was halfway through a 10-month tour of duty. The genesis of my story comes after being at sea for 60 straight days; needless to say, the crew was ready to walk on land again. However, that wouldn’t happen until the following month.

So, there we were, barely moving on a flat, mirror-like ocean, and the captain announced in the morning that we would be having an outdoor barbecue and a movie. He had made arrangements for a complete steak dinner, dessert and barbecue grills to be brought in by helicopter, along with a movie projector.

The captain was well-liked before, but we were blown away by this “out of the box” gift to each sailor, including me. It turned out to be a perfect barbecue and movie night at sea evening, which everyone greatly appreciated and valued.

Richard (Rich) Cullen

Title/company: Owner / Inland Financial Planning

Branch: U.S. Air Force / Air National Guard

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Second Lieutenant / Lieutenant Colonel

Service dates: 2000 – 2006: Active Duty Air Force; 2006 – Present: Washington Air National Guard

Work you did: Communications Officer, U.S. Air Force Academy instructor, Tactical Air Control Party Officer, Inspector General

Brief story that stands out from your service time: I graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2000 with a degree in Economics. The first half of my career was spent in relatively non-operational career fields/settings. In 2011, I attended selection and training to become a member of the Air Force’s Special Warfare career field (Tactical Air Control Party).

During the eight-month “pipeline” the first 4.5 months were spent at Hurlburt Field, Florida. I had the pleasure of leading 28 fellow airmen, many of them 18 to 20 years old. One young airman particularly stood out as an exceptional athlete, and an even better teammate. He was the top enlisted graduate of our training class and went on to become a member of an elite special operations unit. He is humble, and affable, and would give the shirt off his back for a teammate. He made me proud to serve alongside him and I count it an honor to have led him for a brief period of time.

Scot Hanson, CFP

Title/company: EFS Advisors / Educators Financial Services

Branch: U.S. Navy

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Seaman (E-3) / Lieutenant Junior Grade (O-2)

Service dates: 1981 – 1988

Work you did: Applied for and was accepted to AOCS, Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida. Later assigned to VP-8, Brunswick, Maine, with deployments to Keflavik, Iceland and Lajes, Azores.

Brief story that stands out from your service time: What stands out most is my training and how you will be the best at whatever you are assigned. Priorities and mission will change. This attitude helped to make me a success as a CFP.

Michael Hunsberger

Title/company: Founder and Owner / Next Mission Financial Planning

Branch: U.S. Air Force

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Second Lieutenant / Colonel

Service dates: 1996 – 2021

Work you did: Communications and Cyber Operations Officer

Brief story that stands out from your service time: I think the reason I stayed in for 25 years was the outstanding people I got to work with. This is particularly true of the many peers I was fortunate to work with. There are too many to list, but having people across the Air Force I could call to help with a problem or just lend an empathetic ear. This truly made my Air Force career special.

Amy King

Title/company: Founder / Instar Financial Planning, LLC

Branch: U.S. Naval Reserve / U.S. Army

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Seaman Apprentice (E-2) / Lieutenant Colonel (O-5)

Service dates: 1994 – 2019

Work you did: Environmental Science and Engineering Officer

Brief story that stands out from your service time: Reflecting on my time in the military, what stands out most is that at every single assignment, I developed lifelong friendships — the kind of friendships where you can go years without being in touch and then pick up like you just spoke yesterday. It's a fellowship like no other.

Stephen E. Maggard, CFP

Title/company: Financial Advisor / Abacus Planning Group, Inc.

Branch: U.S. Army

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Second Lieutenant / Captain

Service dates: 2012 – 2019

Work you did: Logistics officer

Brief story that stands out from your service time: I was blessed enough to work at the Army’s premier ceremonial unit assigned to Arlington National Cemetery. Though conducting funerals was not my primary responsibility, I regularly participated in funerals for service members and their families. Whether it was watching an American flag being presented to a next of kin, or hearing the crack of the firing team rendering honors, the memories in Arlington National Cemetery will always be etched into my mind.

Will Manning

Title/company: North Carolina Market Executive / Bank of America Private Bank

Branch: U.S. Army

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Second Lieutenant / Captain

Service dates: 1993 – 1998

Work you did: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Officer, Ranger-qualified, paratrooper in the 82^nd Airborne Division

Brief story that stands out from your service time: I met my future wife during engineer officer basic training. Although I trained with all of the rough and tough Rangers and Sappers for difficult field missions as a combat engineer, it was my wife Sonja, who, as a topographic engineer deployed the most for overseas assignments.