Vernon has led an amazing life. The son of Christian Missionaries, he was born in Thailand and has traveled to over 83 countries around the world. He served as a US Navy SWCC (pronounced "swick") commando in the Navy's elite Special Boat Teams deploying with platoons from SEAL Teams 1, 3 and 5 to war-zones around the world. He has also worked as a college professor, an engineer, an EMT, a bodyguard and as private investigator who went undercover at a major US airport to take down an international smuggling ring.