James E. Bryan was born in Paxton, Walton County, Florida, in October of 1947. Like most children born into farming or ranching families, he had an early introduction to hard work and shouldering day-to-day responsibilities.

Jim's paid employment history begins at the age of 10, when he took a job at a 200-cow dairy a mile down the road from his home. Twice a day — from four to seven in the morning and for another three hours after school — he milked dairy cows, earning $1.25 per milking. "The school bus picked me up at the dairy each morning and dropped me off there in the afternoon," Jim recalls. "I couldn’t get home between morning milking and school, and the teacher sometimes took me out and hosed off my feet. The smell was disruptive, she said."

The skills he learned in youth — as well as a keen interest in agriculture — have stayed with Jim through the years. "I know practical farming. I know farmers and how to drive a tractor. I also know the markets for the products the tractor helps to raise, the potential for new markets, and how to make farming more productive and more environmentally friendly."

When he was 18, Jim enlisted in the Army as a paratrooper, and he saw combat duty in Vietnam. He received the Bronze Star with V for valor, the Silver Star for valor, Purple Hearts for wounds in combat, and the Army Commendation Medal.

As a professional soldier, Jim eventually advanced to the rank of Master Sergeant, which is the second highest enlisted rank in the Army, and finally to First Sergeant. "Believe me," Jim says, "I was proud of those promotions! Being made First Sergeant was especially significant for me. It has the same E-8 pay grade as Master Sergeant, but it also carries with it the responsibility of being the top non-commissioned officer in a Company. Performing the duties of a First Sergeant in a troop unit demands the ultimate in organizational skills and and leadership."

Jim describes his career in the U.S. Army as a learning-rich and event-filled experience. In addition to all of his direct Army training and experience, the Army sent Jim back to school for a total of three years at the University of Georgia, the University of Maryland, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. (Jim is pround to note that US News & World Report has ranked Embry-Riddle number one in aeronautical and aerospace engineering.)

At Ft. Sill and Ft. Bragg, Jim qualified as a Master Jumpmaster, a Weapons Test Manager for DOD major weapons systems, a Nuclear Weapons Test Manager, and a Master Gunner. As a result of his university work, Army training, and passing a very difficult examination, he was also certified by the US Department of Transportation at Hazmat Level 4 for inspection and approval (or disapproval) of shipments of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical weapons by air, land or sea. These days, Jim takes special pleasure in reporting that at one point, when he was teaching a jumpmaster course, a brilliant young lieutenant named David Petraeus was in his class.

Jim served as a professional soldier until his retirement in 1985. After leaving the Army, he completed his last two years at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University under the GI bill. "What do my technical and military accomplishments show about my qualifications for Congress?" Jim asks rhetorically. "I think you can safely conclude that I am intelligent, and that I possess both self-discipline and commitment to the missions I undertake. I am now starting to apply those characteristics to educating myself about the problems and issues America faces today, and what we need to do to move in a new direction."

After he completed his studies in business, accounting, and statistics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Jim started the Tarheel Towing and Trucking Company from scratch. The business, which he owned and ran for 10 years Prescott Valley, Arizona, was very successful. During that time, he also helped the local Chamber of Commerce plan and recruit companies for an industrial park. He owned and ran his own successful trucking company out in Arizona. In 1997, he sold the trucking company and moved to the Panhandle to be close to family.

Jim and his wife Rhonda now live modestly in Laurel Hill, Florida, with their children Brittany (21), Nick (16), and Zachary (12). Brittany is a student at UWF, Nick is a student at Crestview High, and Zachary attends elementary school.

The Bryans are a Christian family. Jim says, "At age 16, I was baptized in a Baptist church in Wichita Falls, Texas, where my uncle was a Deacon and the Assistant Pastor. I took it seriously then, and I still do. I am a Christian. Jesus of Nazareth is my guide and my beacon. My life is guided by love and respect for all the people around me, friends and adversaries alike." One of the quotations Jim that finds most meaningful personally is Dr. Albert Schweitzer's famous statement, "To be most effective, your life must be a sermon."

When Jim speaks about the future, his level of commitment to both service and high ethical standards is clear. "I intend to make my political career just as successful as my military and business careers. While I am doing that, I intend to remain passionately devoted to family, and to the personal values of honesty, integrity, justice and love."