Meet VALOR: Nemo
Meet: Nemo
Hello, VALOR world! I’m Nemo, your friendly neighborhood tactical fish.
I’m married, with three amazing daughters, and I have three dogs—including my service dog, Jem.I’ve spent most of my life as a gamer, ever since the days of Super Mario on the Nintendo. I’ve always been the type of gamer who enjoys playing with friends and family, and that has surprisingly always guided me to where I am today.
I loved the early days of gaming with big consoles, but things changed when I turned 18 and joined the Army. Once I was in, I spent a lot of time moving around, making friends in unusual places, and discovering games I never thought I’d play. I remember building LAN parties in the barracks with friends and playing Halo all weekend long. Honestly, those were some of the best days of my gaming life.
I joined the Army in the summer of 1999, but didn’t leave for basic training until the summer of 2000. My early years in the Army were spent as a signal soldier at Fort Hood before deploying to Iraq in 2004. I knew I didn’t want to stay at Fort Hood forever, so I changed jobs and ended up in Germany, where I met my wife (shocker, right?). She’s my favorite souvenir from Germany. During that time, my commander thought my talkative nature would make me a great announcer for AFN, so he suggested I go to broadcaster school. And that’s exactly what I did. I spent the last four years of my career as a Broadcast Journalist for the Army and continued down that path after I medically retired in 2012.
I picked up a copy of World of Warcraft—even though I couldn’t play it at the time. I kept the booklet (remember those?) in my pocket
When the war came knocking, I went to Iraq for a while. While I was there, I picked up a copy of World of Warcraft—even though I couldn’t play it at the time. I kept the booklet (remember those?) in my pocket, and it helped me envision something better than what I was experiencing. I thought back to my childhood days playing Warcraft I, II, and III, and I just knew that World of Warcraft was going to be amazing. Boy, was I right. When I returned from Iraq, I dabbled in Guild Wars, EverQuest, and a few other games, but nothing hooked me the way WoW did. I roamed Azeroth like the nomad I was, making friends everywhere I went. I started with Felnix, my Night Elf rogue, who eventually became an Undead Rogue. He was an extension of my personality and helped me recover from my time overseas. While my character was conquering Molten Core and the Black Temple, I was working to overcome my own demons. It was symbolic, but he became a huge part of who I was.
I met my longtime friend Genosis during those days. We became real-life friends, and I still talk to him every day—even though he stopped playing a decade ago. That’s what Warcraft has always been about: making connections that last.
I was medically retired from the Army in 2012 and started an entirely new journey in life. For the first time in over a decade (and as an adult, no less), I wasn’t a soldier. I wasn’t sure what to do, but WoW was still there, and so were the friends I’d made. So, I set off on a new road, with a new mission, and lots of love from a world that wasn’t our own.
I found myself doing the same thing I did in the Army: supporting soldiers and their families. By day, I have a job I can’t talk about, and by night, I have a job I can’t stop talking about. I spend my nights supporting the infamous US Army WTF Moments team on WTF Nation Radio. If you don’t know what that is, it’s basically a digital USO show—and it’s amazing.
My group of friends and I create shows and streams to entertain and educate our active duty and veteran communities. They’re the weirdest group of veterans you’ll ever meet, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.
That’s when StackUp introduced me to VALOR! I was immediately intrigued.
In recent years, I’ve branched out to meet veteran support groups and nonprofits. I wanted to recapture that sense of community I had while serving—I missed that feeling of togetherness. It led me to a few places with great people, and I still keep up with those groups. But I also realized that if I was going to spend so much time with folks, I should share what I do in my own world and combine that with Warcraft. That’s when StackUp introduced me to VALOR! I was immediately intrigued.
I joined the community, started meeting new folks, and quickly realized this was a fantastic place to play. I knew right away I wanted to participate in this mission.
Over the past six months or so, I’ve become a member of VALOR Blue. We’re working on our Cutting Edge achievement, and we recently killed our first Mythic boss in VALOR Bronze. I’ve also stepped in as a Marketing Manager for the community. We’re currently working on some exciting ideas and campaigns to bring VALOR into 2025!
I could write a short story about Nemo, but I will try my best to summarize. Nemo is what VALOR represents. Nemo is always first to volunteer to help others out no matter what. He is always chatting and hanging out with everyone and never says from starting a conversation with even the newest of our members. As a raider, Nemo is a great member to have on the team and he understands the goal and vision and always ready to answer the call for raid, even if that means sitting for a boss due to roster requirements. He is someone I am proud to have met and become friends with.
– Fel
