Growing up on the family farm in the mountains of rural North Carolina, Col. Chris Whitmire said life was all about community and supporting one another.

Today, as an Individual Mobilization Augmentee and elected member of the North Carolina General Assembly, he continues that lifestyle.

His current track of “service before self” began in 1986 when he entered the Air Force Academy. Whitmire served his country on active duty for a decade, flying aerial refuelers and very important people (VIP) airlift jets, before joining the Reserve in 2000. Shortly after his switch, however, 9/11 brought him back to the full-time fight at the United States Air Force Counter Proliferation Center where he served for one and a half years on active duty plus an additional six and a half years as a very active Reservist.

Now back to part-time duty, Whitmire serves as an Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer, connecting the dots between Air Force, federal, state and local entities during emergency events.

Three years ago, Whitmire answered another call to serve as well. When members of his community, that same one he grew up in, needed fresh blood to stand up for them in the General Assembly, he answered the call. Whitmire won his first election in the 2012 primary by a razor thin margin in one of the biggest upsets in the state and then won the 2012 general election handily, despite only raising about $4,200. He is now serving a second two-year term.

Since leaving “the Land of Waterfalls” for Raleigh, Whitmire has been a force for change. During his first term, he had more bills passed than any other freshman member. He’s also an advocate for military service members and veterans in the state, pushing through a number of bills in their favor.

Two laws he championed to passage this summer were House Bills 371 and 595. The first, a counter-terrorism act, empowers an individual affected by a terrorist act to take legal action to receive retribution and also gives the North Carolina Adjutant General of the North Carolina National Guard the power to authorize members of the National Guard to carry a concealed weapon.

Whitmire said his state has made a concerted effort to increase support for its military residents.

“North Carolina has the third largest military population of any state and we value and appreciate them,” said Whitmire. “The governor and General Assembly have endeavored to make this the most military friendly state in the nation.”

That’s where HB 595 comes in. This bill helps former military members with security forces training translate that experience to civilian law enforcement certification. The bill goes hand-in-hand with HB 1047, Credit for Military Training, a bill Whitmire passed in the last session streamlining the process of translating military experience to college credit or professional licensure.

He’s helping his rural community, too. 15 years ago, the three counties under his jurisdiction lost about 4,000 jobs. In 2014, Whitmire said the counties finally gained back more than 1,000 of those jobs, with more on the way.

Whitmire still lives on the farm his family has owned for eight generations. He said what he has learned from growing up on the farm is that you have to work hard and take care of the folks around you.

“When good people are asking and expressing needs, there comes a point when someone needs to step in to make the change,” he said.

IMAs are Air Force Reservists assigned to active-component units and government agencies. They are managed by Headquarters Individual Reservist Readiness and Integration Organization, located at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, and serve over 50 separate major commands, combatant commands and government agencies.

Unlike traditional Reservists, who are assigned to Reserve units that regularly perform duty together, IMAs work with their active-duty supervisors to create a custom duty schedule that helps their unit meet mission requirements.

To learn more about the Individual Reserve, visit www.arpc.afrc.af.mil/home/HQRIO.aspx.