#88 - Tommy Elmore - The Gentleman's School

Tommy Elmore joins The 318 Experience to share a life story marked by hardship, discipline, loss, faith, and purpose.Raised on the south side of Monroe during a difficult era, Tommy talks about bullying, street influence, gang involvement, getting shot at 15, being expelled, earning his GED, and eventually finding structure in the U.S. Army. He opens up about serving as Infantry, becoming a Military Police officer and Drill Sergeant, then facing a devastating bone cancer diagnosis that ended his military career and led to a long season of treatment, addiction, isolation, and rebuilding. He also shares how accountability, education, and a renewed mission led him to Louisiana Delta Community College, where he rebuilt academically, became a school ambassador, earned a 4.0 semester, and continued pursuing his goal of becoming a professor. That journey now fuels the work he and his wife are doing through Gentlemen’s School and “From a Father’s Perspective,” helping boys and girls learn discipline, self-defense, confidence, presentation, and practical life skills. This episode is a powerful conversation about masculinity, family, fatherlessness, resilience, responsibility, and what it means to invest in your community for real. 00:00 – Intro and why Tommy’s work matters01:55 – Growing up on the south side of Monroe04:06 – His father, Vietnam, PTSD, and home life07:25 – Bullying, carrying a knife to school, and the street pull15:06 – High school spiral: fights, drugs, skipping school39:29 – Getting shot at 15, GED, college struggles, and choosing the Army46:23 – Military growth, becoming a Drill Sergeant, and bone cancer diagnosis55:11 – Isolation, treatment, painkiller addiction, and losing structure01:06:26 – Why he went back to school and started building toward purpose01:20:42 – Gentlemen’s School, suits for boys, girls programming, and practical life skillsTop 10 timestamps