That’s what I thought about while the barber shaved my head on Indoctrination Day at the Naval Academy, July 7th, 1983. Four years later, I was handed a diploma with a Bachelors of Science degree in Economics by then Vice-President George Bush, Sr. and headed off to SEAL training in Coronado, California.

Again, as I had my head shaved by an instructor on “I-day” for Basic Underwater Demolition/ SEAL training, widely considered the most difficult training on the planet, I thought of Confucius and his pithy little sentence. A year later, I stood with 13 of the original 105 guys to become a full fledged Navy SEAL.

On completion of my 5-year military commitment, 8 months of Desert Storm, and various other experiences, I thanked God I was still in one piece and decided it was time to move on. I transitioned from active to reserve military duty in 1992, concluding my 17 years of military service in 2000.

In 1992, during our last big recession, I thought it would be easy for a young gun with my resume to find a good job, but with all the middle managers out of work at the time, it proved to be very difficult, and, in the end, inspired me to come up with my own line of work. I invented, then patented a simple way to make laminated paper fold totally flat. The idea worked well with road maps and reference guides. Eighteen years later, my company survives in yet another difficult economy.

The success of my entrepreneurial enterprises, and the various investments I made along the way, have very recently led me and my family completely out of debt. It is a very nice feeling to have no mortgage, no car payments, no credit card debt, and no bills other than utilities, taxes and insurance (which, by the way, requires a full time job to pay). I suppose I could have continued to reinvest my nest egg before paying off all our loans and credit cards, but the present economy has us a bit scared. My wife and I sleep much better this way.

Now it’s time to give back. I have decided to run for public office. I will run as I am, a fiscally conservative, “debt-free” candidate that intends to represent the 5^th District of Oklahoma without owing any money or any favors. A pure representative of the people.

I am not an attorney. I am not a career politician. I do not have millions in the bank. I am simply a guy living what was once the American Dream. I started with nothing, worked hard, and never, never, never quit.

Once again I am taking the first step in what will hopefully become a journey of a thousand miles.

Sincerely,




Dave White

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