BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — He now makes a living educating young people in the capital city, but Paul Hamers was in some very different places 20 and even 30 years ago. In this edition of Veterans Voices, Hamers explains how he jumped out of a plane many times, but found a soft landing back in North Dakota. "We were coming back from Desert Storm and we were in Bangor, Maine. And a bunch of people were there cheering us on and I just punched a guy in the face," Hamers said. You could say Hamers is a different man now. "When I was in the military, you wouldn't want to know me. I worked so hard and played so hard, and I was mean to everybody who wasn't beside me proving themselves every day," Hamers said. But in other ways, he's still the same. "I'm so easygoing at many things, but the things I demand, I'm very demanding," Hamers said. Hamers is now a teacher at Horizon Middle School, a far cry from where he thought he'd end up. "I wanted to be a soldier my whole life. As I got to be closer to graduating, I was kind of caught up in that whole 1980s 'make money' thing," Hamers said. Hamers knew he'd never get rich as a soldier, but he couldn't ignore his dream of becoming a green beret. Before long, he was sent to the Middle East in Desert Storm. "But the rest of the people in my unit used to call me 'Grandpa' because I drove so slow," Hamers said. "They thought I was driving slow. I said, 'Hey man, my Humvee was the biggest pile of junk in the unit, and I worked to get it running.' I inherited this piece of junk. And the whole time, mine has never broke down." Veterans Voices: Jesse Hellman’s journey from the military to police Hamers served in a target acquisition unit for the 35th Signal Brigade. "Where we were located, we were about 350 miles from any supply depots, so the supply sergeant and I would be driving all over Saudi Arabia acquiring equipment we needed. I think I can tell this story now," Hamers said with a laugh. He remains brutally honest, but Hamers' military service took him around the world, to places like South Korea and Germany. Ultimately, he was injured and medically retired, which meant he didn't get his green beret, but he did get his jumpmaster wings. "They'd put them on your uniform, they'd punch them into your pockets like this, and then everybody would come up and slam them, boof! They call them blood wings, because they're filled in blood," Hamers said. In 2001, Hamers was using his medical training working in radiology. On September 11, Hamers, who also formerly worked in military intelligence, found himself explaining the circumstances behind the New York City terror attacks to his coworkers. "So, I gave this history lesson and thought, maybe this is what I need to be doing," Hamers said. So, this long-time paratrooper who was raised in Dickinson now makes a living teaching North Dakota history. "You've got to love everybody and hate everybody equally," Hamers said. Hamers admits teaching middle school is not an easy job, which is fitting, since he's not an easy man. Aside from working as a teacher, Hamers is also a municipal judge for the town of Napoleon. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Today's Top Stories SIGN UP NOW