MINOT, N.D. (KXNET) — Veterans serve our country in many ways whether it’s on the battlefield or behind the scenes.

“Well I wasn’t the most well-behaved teenager,” said Ron Tolzin, a U.S. Air Force veteran.

Ron Tolzin began his service in the U.S. Air Force on November 1, 1982. It was a choice his family pushed him to do to bring some order into his life.

In the military, he worked out of a machine shop, where he learned lots of skills working on a lot of equipment.

“I could be running high voltage lines to a new machine one day. Running plumbing lines for the chemicals water and waste the next day. Troubleshooting component level on a circuit card the day after that. Other times I could be standing in front of a mill or a lathe making parts,” said Tolzin.

In his 26 years of serving, he went on three tours overseas for Desert Storm, Southern Watch, and Iraqi Freedom. He says his duties were different on each one.

“Desert Storm I worked on the photographic systems handling the aerial reconnaissance film. Southern Watch I actually ran the cable TV shop for the base. We put out 32 channels, 28 from various satellites, and then four that were locally produced. The last one I was a First Sergeant, I was in Kuwait with the aircraft maintenance squadron maintaining C-130s,” said Tolzin.

In his last five years of service, he was a First Sergeant, where he was in charge of morale and discipline for the unit.

“Working with especially my younger troops on getting through issues was probably the most rewarding to have young airmen come in, weight of the world on their shoulders don’t know where to turn and they come in and confide in us,” said Tolzin.

He has been retired for the last couple of years and says he spends a lot of time volunteering at the American Legion.

Some of his hobbies include hunting, riding Harleys with his friends, and exercising.