For the majority of the 1980’s he served in Europe, where he interrogated the highest-caliber East Bloc defectors in an effort to collect defense-related intelligence information on the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

After initial service as an enlisted soldier, and having been selected for promotion to the rank of Sergeant First Class, Mark became an officer, graduating first in his class from officer candidate school.  His first assignment was to Alaska, where the mission of his unit included arctic warfare and the defense of the Alaskan pipeline.  After a subsequent tour as a drill instructor at the same officer candidate school from where he acquired his officer appointment, Mark embarked on a lengthy and rigorous transition into the highly-specialized intelligence discipline of clandestine collection operations, which would take him on an array of classified assignments within the United States and overseas.  He is one of the few and select graduates of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Field Tradecraft Course, conducted at a secret facility referred to as “the farm.”  He earned national recognition for his contributions to the Global War on Terrorism.

During the course of his military career, Mark earned an Associate’s Degree, a Bachelor’s Degree, and a Master of Science Degree in International Relations.   He is a two-time graduate of the Defense Language Institute, and earned an array of military awards and decorations, to include the Legion of Merit and the Parachutist Badge.

Upon retirement from the military, Mark enrolled in law school at the Southern Illinois University School of Law.  He graduated a full semester ahead of his peers, in the top-third of his class, and was named to the Dean’s List.  He learned practical criminal law and procedure under the tutelage of some of the most respected criminal defense attorneys in the Central District of Illinois, and served as an intern with the Office of the State Appellate Defender and the Downstate Innocence Project.

Mark is married with two children.  He is a life member of the Military Officers Association of America, a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a life member of Disabled American Veterans.  He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. 

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