Lance Corporal Dave Warden

A patriot to his very core, Lance Corporal Robert “Dave” Warden III joined the US Marine Corps in May of 2008. After graduating top of his class in Officer’s Candidate School in Quantico, Dave volunteered to deploy early to Afghanistan where he was stationed in the highly hostile area of the Sangin Valley. It was during this tour in late 2010, while Dave was conducting an operation and serving as his team’s navigation/route planning point man that he was struck by four improvised explosive devices in the time frame of four hours. As a result of these blasts, Dave suffered myriad serious injuries and was awarded the Purple Heart and several other medals of achievement for valor in combat.

After initial hospitalization, Dave returned home to Florida to reside in Odessa while continuing his medical treatment at the James A. Haley VA hospital in Tampa. At the same time, Dave reenrolled at the University of South Florida where he is currently seeking a Bachelor’s degree in accounting with a minor in finance with the goal of eventually earning a master’s in accounting.

Upon the completion of his education, Dave plans to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, a 35 year veteran of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and seek a career in federal law enforcement. With the beliefs, morals and core values learned from the Marine Corps and his USF education, Dave plans to seek a position in forensic accounting.