It Began Here
All photos were taken by Grover Bentley.
Many politicians only claim to be of the people, but Grover Bentley actually is. Poverty was his childhood as he was born and raised in a small coal town in South Eastern Kentucky. Growing up not being able to afford the basic necessities of life, Grover’s parents did what they could to provide the basic needs.
Grover’s father drove dump trucks loaded to the brim with the shiny black rock which defines Central Appalachia until an accident caused him to become disabled and unable to work. Grover’s mother took up the slack, providing for Grover and the rest of his family until he was able to pursue life.
Grover joined the United States Army in 2007 and served with the 101st Airborne Division. It was with the 101st that Grover deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He was awarded a Combat Action Badge for his actions in fighting Al Queda and the insurgents.
Upon exiting the military, Grover began to advocate for Libertarian principles; the basic rights of every single citizen to live their lives free from interference and living it the way they want without using violence against another person.
While living in his family’s modest homestead in Kentucky, Grover began to advocate for the now-defunct, Veteran’s Party of America. As a founding member, Grover attempted to steer the organization toward the principles of freedom and constitutionalism. He worked tirelessly toward helping the party found chapters in all 50 states. As the founding member and Chair of the Kentucky Chapter, Grover began to be disillusioned with the principles that the other chapters and members began to espouse. It was then that Grover chose to leave the Veteran’s Party and declare independence from all parties.
Grover soon left Eastern Kentucky, chasing opportunities as it was 2012 and the coal industry in Eastern Kentucky had collapsed. He found himself in Atlanta, Georgia working as a car salesman first, and then later as technical support for State Farm and Dell as he worked his way through college. He continued to fight the injustices which he saw plaguing the country throughout this time and the constant infringements of rights from both the Republicans and Democrats.
Gun control, massive spying operations on American citizens, and even drone strikes on American citizens caused Grover to get involved in action committees to fight against them. Grover began to be ostracized from these groups though, because of his beliefs in libertarian principles. And it was at this time that he realized where his home truly was.
In March 2015, Grover packed up his modest apartment in Atlanta and moved to Saint Cloud, Florida. Grover was working for Coca-Cola as Senior Technical Support and began to volunteer around his new hometown.
Grover worked for several companies before finally ending up at the School District of Osceola County, where he remains to this day.
Grover now resides in Palm Bay, Florida where he is married and has 2 step-children, 2 giant cats, a giant dog, and a not-so-giant ball python named Monty.
