Benjamin Goings recently graduated from CSU with his master’s degree in public administration. He serves as the deputy sheriff in Cobb County, Ga., teaches at the regional academy, served on the SWAT team for eight years, and now focuses on his role as gang investigator.
He is a member of the CSU Student Veterans Association and also serves as the secretary and a charter member of the Atlanta chapter of the CSU Alumni Association. Goings also served in the U.S. Army for 23 years.
All of this information may appear on Goings’ resume or LinkedIn profile. His coworkers and family are probably aware of these facts and he may even share them with an acquaintance if asked. The deeper things though, the matters of his character, bravery, and service, may not be revealed as easily, probably because of the humility in him we discovered as we spoke.
Goings says he was stationed practically all over the world. He served in field hospitals as a medic and was the emergency manager at Ft. McPherson in Germany. He served in the Ranger Battalion and looks back on his time in the Army with pride.
“When I was in the military, I learned how to be a good leader and point people in the right direction,” he said. Lessons he applies to his career as deputy sheriff today.
When asked what the most rewarding part of his work with gang violence, he answered, “It is to figure out why these individuals got to this point, to learn their story and why they took the wrong road. Many of them don’t have any direction in their life so I try to be that for them.” He says he encourages many of the people with whom he works to join the military or go to college when they are released from prison, options these inmates may have never previously entertained.
“One of the best lessons I learned from my time at CSU was that cops are an asset to society, not a hindrance. If I can mentor these ex-gang members and get them to think about the bigger picture and what is available to them, then I have really done my job.”
Goings now has two sons, the oldest of whom serves as an intelligence officer in the Air Force and the youngest of whom is studying political science at the University of Cumberland and hopes to join the Army Rangers after graduation.
We asked Goings how that made him feel to look back on his 23 years of service, raising his sons, and now watching them pursue military careers of their own.
“It makes me feel like I did something great,” he responded softly, humbly. “What really hit home for me was a recent email I received from a retired master chief who met my son at a banquet. He thanked me for how I raised my sons. They never miss an opportunity to thank someone for their service and I am so proud of them for that.”
Read the rest of our Military Appreciation Month Student Profiles on members of the Navy and Marines.
