Army captain to community orthodontist, Brad Pendell's unexpected journey home
CHILLICOTHE— Dr. Brad Pendell thought he knew exactly how his life would unfold when he left Waverly for college. Instead, a scholarship sent him around the world, introduced him to lifelong friends, led him to his future wife and ultimately brought him back home to build the orthodontic practice he'd dreamed about since middle school. More from the Gazette: Chillicothe veteran turned his darkest moment into lifeline for others While in college, Pendell met with recruiters for several branches of the military who were offering scholarships to dental students. Despite his father and grandfather having both served, joining the military wasn't something Pendell had ever really thought about. However, a two-year scholarship helped change his mind. Soon he was serving as a dental captain in the Army and training to become an orthodontist. He served from 1992 to 2000 and traveled to various bases in the United States and was even stationed in Japan and Korea for multiple years. While much of his day-to-day work revolved around dentistry, Pendell was still a service member and had to train like one. He said going into the military taught him a lot of new skills; it also showed him what he was
