Havasu Veterans | Brett Bitterman

“When I decided to pass on entering college after high school, I worked for our local mill and was laid off, then did some landscaping for our hospital,” Bitterman said. “Though that work can be rewarding, I wanted something different.”

After struggling for two years, he decided to change course and seize a chance to see the world by joining the Air Force.

“The Air Force offered a way out of my small town, a chance to serve my country and a way to put money aside for college,” he added.

What he thought might only be four years of service turned into 20.

Bitterman was stationed in Texas, Nebraska, Washington, Alaska and Idaho during his time in the military. He also spent time in Guam, Bahrain and many other stateside bases for training. Some of his greatest memories come from contingency competitions known as “Top Dollar” – real world training for war operations.

“We would travel to other bases to compete, really gear up to support our troops in times of crisis,” Bitterman said.

He used that knowledge on a bare base deployment to the Middle East, establishing a base in Bahrain to support deployed Air Force contingency operations.

Morale was key, as they played together, competed together and prepared to support and deploy at a moment’s notice.

“The idea of building rapport and building teamwork was really evident in the Air Force,” Bitterman said. “We as a force, a squadron or a unit learned to serve. We had to be able to support each other and protect everything that mattered to us.”

Bitterman worked as a financial management specialist, working with millions of dollars in budgets, disbursements, and travel and military pay. He worked his way up the ranks from Airman Basic to the rank of Master Sergeant, where he supervised up to 12 airmen and served as Chief of Customer Service.

“Life in the military really made me more versed in dealing, managing and listening to a diverse group of personalities,” Bitterman said. “I grew immensely in maturity, how I thought about things and gained so many experiences, and the Air Force really shaped how I lead today. Leadership is influential and instinctive, and those life experiences can really improve one’s ability to lead, as long as there is awareness and reflection.”

Bitterman also took some classes in the Air Force at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Spokane Falls Community College and Embry Riddle. When he retired from the Air Force in 2005, he was set on completing college and teaching.

He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology with a math endorsement in 2008. Teaching is what brought Bitterman and his wife, Lindsay, to Havasu.

They were both offered teaching jobs at Daytona Middle School in 2009, in mathematics. They then moved to Thunderbolt Middle School, where Brett added coaching to his daily duties.

“I loved everything about the classroom, my students and seeing them perform and grow,” Brett said. “I also loved coaching and teaching my players not only to compete hard, but to be good people and teammates. I felt after a few years of teaching, I wanted to serve more students, so I began my journey into Educational Leadership through Arizona State University.”

Their first two years of life in Havasu had its challenges, Brett said. They weren’t sure if they would stay longer than a few years at most.

But 13 years later, they’ve purchased a home, raised two young boys – Cannon, 7, and Gunnar, 4 – and added two poodles – Maggie and Hazel – to the mix. And with Brett’s role as principal and Lindsay’s role as Director of Human Resources for Lake Havasu Unified School District, they’ve settled in for the long haul.

“Lake Havasu has become a special place, even with its growing population and crazy housing prices,” Brett said. “We were extremely lucky to have purchased a house prior to the spike in the market, when two full time working teachers have a difficult time with affording to live in Lake Havasu.”

With the help of his military and educational career, Brett continues to build a successful life, but he says he “owes so much to his relationship with God, his amazing family and to his community of educators and students at Oro Grande” – with a special thank you to his Air Force career for “helping him develop into a well-rounded person.”