Paul Mehlos is a Lieutenant/Paramedic in the South Walton Fire Department on the Gulf coast of Florida. He spent twelve years in the infantry both active and National Guard. He was deployed in South Korea in 1984 then in Afghanistan in 2005. He was awarded the Bronze star, the Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman's Badge, Afghanistan and Korea Campaign medals. He saw action in one of the most volatile areas in Afghanistan, the Sangin Valley in Helmand Province.