Earl Witman

Earl was born in North Carolina and raised in New Jersey. At age 19, married and with a baby on the way he joined the United States Marine Corps. There he served four years as an amphibious assault vehicle mechanic and deployed to Iraq in 2003. After four years, Earl left the Marines and moved from job to job, struggling but not understanding why. In 2015, after his sixth child, his family realized he was struggling with severe PTSD and a TBI. This began a series of inpatient treatments, therapies and learning to survive with these invisible disabilities.

Cooking became a form of self-care, and Earl began to cook for his church. His meals are famous, which has led people to beg him to open a food truck. This desire to be a small business owner is what led Earl to Dog Tag. The opportunity to learn how to run a business successfully and be able to take his passions further is what he hopes to gain from Dog Tag this year. Earl learns better in group settings so taking classes with other veterans and family members who understand his world is ideal!