From Decorah to working at the White House

Major Barloon gives a great deal of credit to Decorah HS music teacher Jim Fritz for teaching a desire to learn

Before Maj. Linus Barloon was the Chief of Cyber Operations at the White House Communications Agency, he was a member of the Decorah High School Marching Band.

He remembers those days of hanging out in the band room after shcool.  But he also remembers the lessons he learned 24 years ago--lessons he takes with him to his job at the White House.

"The successes of this school speak for itself," he told decorahnews.com.  He says he learned to never give up and go for your dreams while a student at DHDS. 

Maj. Barloon says he travels around the country quite a bit, but "I don't see many other schools like this."  He credits Decorah High School's success to teachers who instill passion and a desire to learn among students.

Barloon also says the family values he learned while growing up on a farm just outside Decorah have taught him well, too.  "My Mom and Dad never quit," he says, adding that his parents' sense of morals and ethics have been an important source of strength for him as he has moved up the ladder and wound up working at the White House.