Where Are They Now?

T he best decision Zachary (Zack) Warren ever made was to join the military. “It reinforced responsibility and independence, and helped with personal and professional growth,” he said. “And it set me up for being able to afford college and gave me an opportunity to build skills that I can use in the civilian world.”

Warren attended Dublin schools from kindergarten all the way through his sophomore year of high school, when his family moved to Winnie, TX, a small town near Houston. His junior year, Warren joined the Army Reserves, and then went active duty when he graduated in 1991.

The recruiter Warren was working with laid out the options for jobs within the military, and Warren decided on becoming a mental health technician. “Basically that position is a counselor that gets supervised by licensed professionals,” he said.

He was first stationed in San Antonio, at Fort Sam Houston, and then, in 1995, Warren was sent to Germany to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest US hospital outside of the United States. In 1996 he was deployed to Hungary, and then in 1998 he was transferred back to the US, to Fort Leonard Wood in the Missouri Ozarks.

While there, he started working on his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Completing school while serving full time in the military was tough, but Warren took it slow and made sure to not overcommit.

In 2007, he was transferred to Fort Leavenworth, where he worked at the United States Disciplinary Barracks, a maximum security facility for military prisoners. While at Fort Leavenworth, Warren was inducted into the prestigious Sergeant Audie Murphy club, an association for noncommissioned officers that serve as standard bearers, takes care of other soldiers, and lives up to the Army values. Next he went to Fort Hood, and then deployed to Iraq for a year, from 2009 to 2010.

In 2011 he left Fort Hood and went back to Germany, where he stayed until he retired from the Army in 2015, working in healthcare administration.

Once out of the Army, he finished up his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Because of his experience working in healthcare administration in the Army, his first job once he got out was at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in DC as a healthcare business manager.

He stayed there from June of 2015 until May of 2018, and during that time he completed a masters degree in healthcare administration. Next he moved to Augusta, Georgia, and then in 2021 he took a job back in Texas.

Now, he’s a healthcare administrator for the Veterans Health Administration in Midland. “In my current position, I’m the chief of corporate compliance,” he said. “Corporate compliance basically makes sure that everyone’s following the rules and regulations and federal laws. We try to identify and mitigate risk from fraud, waste and abuse.”

The job includes working on administrative investigations, which sometimes means holding people in power accountable, and protecting whistleblowers within the organization. “It’s not your typical healthcare management job,” Warren said.

This facet of the job is perfect for Warren’s background. “I love the fact that I can take my bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and incorporate it with my master’s degree in Health Administration,” he said. “I kind of get the best of both worlds.”

When he gets some free time, Warren enjoys riding his motorcycle, hunting, and woodworking. “I like to make practical things like barn doors, tables, benches, desks, and bookshelves,” he said.

Warren plans to stay with the VA in Midland for a while. His wife, Chronnia, is a teacher in the area. The couple met while Warren was stationed in Fort Hood. One night he was pulling 24-hour duty, and in walked Chronnia, who was also stationed there. They started talking, and then the next year, when Chronnia was deployed to Iraq, “We got married in September of 2009, over the phone,” Warren said. “My brother officiated.”

Now that both Chronnia and Warren are out of the Army, the family is finally together in one place. The Warrens have a total of five children. “We’re a blended family,” Warren said. “I have three from my previous marriage, she has one from a previous marriage, and then we have one together.”

Their children range in age from 9 to 28. The oldest, Jessa, is 28, Tyler is 26, Thayne is 24, Darrick is 17, and Zailee is 9.

Throughout his life, Warren has worked hard to support his family. “I’ve always wanted a better life for my kids than what I had growing up,” he said. “The greatest challenge for me, growing up in a small town, was that there’s not a lot of opportunities when you come from a low income family. That’s one reason why it was probably the best decision I ever made to join the military.”

His service gave Warren the chance to see the world, and learn skills he needed to make a life for himself when he got out. Warren’s advice to Dublin graduates? “Take the opportunity to get out and explore,” he said. “And don’t be afraid to join the military.”

Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other graduates, email publisher@dublincitizen.com.