VETERAN SALUTE: Following in the footsteps of family
TOPEKA (KSNT) - Serving in not one, but two tours over in Iraq, Army Infantrymen Paul Lady patrolled across the sea.
With Grandfathers that served in Vietnam, and his Dad serving in the Air Force, Paul essentially grew up in the military.
“I was always going to join the military," Lady said. "I grew up in that lifestyle, I was always around it, it’s what I always wanted to do. I talked about it when I was a little kid.”
Paul would follow in his Grandfather's footsteps, becoming an infantryman for the fight overseas in Iraq.
“Ours was what was called a quote-on-quote rapid deployment," Lady said. "My wife at the time wasn’t too happy about it, we got notified at 3 a.m. and told we had to go.”
Serving from Camp Taji Iraq, the army kept Paul pretty involved.
“Patrols, busy work, kicked in a few doors. Fun stuff," he said.
These days, you can find Paul at his proudly veteran-owned automotive shop in North Topeka. At Lady Fingers Automotive, Paul looks to create a positive environment for employees and customers.
“Basically I just wanted to open up a place where people would feel comfortable bringing their car," Lady said, "rather than when they go in they feel like it’s a chore, like going to the doctor.”
In addition to being veteran-owned, Paul's shop offers special discounts for those that have served in the military.