Roach Survival Founder and Owner

A few years after being born in Colorado, Joe and his family moved to Chicago, then Memphis, and eventually settled in North Mississippi. 

Joe's early life lacked direction, but he could always hear the call of wild. Joe spent his youth lost in the woods and finding any adventure that came his way. 

With a thirst for adventure Joe enlisted in the USAF. Initially a fighter aircraft weapons loader, Joe switched jobs to become a safety NCO. Joe served all over the world and heavily in the Middle East to become a decorated combat veteran. He retired from the Air Force in September of 2020 and started a new path with Roach Survival.

The military gave Joe the confidence to pursue his deep interest in survival, as the call of the wild never went away. He signed up for a 5-day class in remote Scotland and fell in love with the lifestyle. Those short 5 days would change the path of his entire life. Upon his return to civilization, he started planning his new life as a survival instructor. 

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Joe had the opportunity to teach many Airman while in the military, but lacked adequate bushcraft knowledge. After several years of training with USAF SERE and receiving a Level 1 survival instructor certification from the Bear Grylls Survival Academy, Joe started teaching local Girl Scouts and hikers from the 52 Hike Challenge group. Joe received further training under the tutelage of Thomas Coyne, owner of the premier survival school in California.

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Joe has been married for 16 years and has three kids.