Spending the first year of his life in Lawton, OK, off 38nd St. while his father (Minister) Greg Wayne Dove was on Active Duty at Ft. Sill, Ok, and moving back to Sarasota, Florida with his mom, grandparents, and great grandparents.

After graduating Sarasota High School, Sarasota, FL in 1995, he first attended architectural school, but that did not last because of his ADHD (sitting still). He joined the U.S. Army Infantry in 1997 after refused to listen to Tampa Bay MEPS station commander's multiple request to choose another MOS,(job) he refusing to sign unless he had Infantry.

After Basic training he was sent to 1st Infantry division, Task Force 2-2 INF, Vilseck, Germany; his favorite duty Station, where he lived for 10 years and was married to Susanne Niedermier, Amberg, Germany, granddaughter of the inventor of the dutch oven, and  heating oil radiators. 

Together they had one child in 1999, Christopher Wayne Dove, of Amburg, Germany, with a US birth certificate, now of Kentucky; Christopher and his wife, Jessica, blessed Eric with his first granddaughter Iris Joyce Dove in 2024.

While still in Germany, he lost his sister Rachel Ann Johnson (born in 1983) at the age of 23 on his 30th Birthday in 2006.

5 tours of duty:

Kosovo twice,

Iraq twice, 

Battle of Fallujah once,

Eric is in the book House to House, on page 274.

During the Battle of Fallujah he was hit with a rocket during a six rocket ambush as the lead vehicle gunner of ISG's track command  vehicle (113), medivacing his company XO (Exeutive Officer) off the battlefield.

He ended up moving back to America after his divorce in 2006 to Ft Benning, GA, after war, his sister's death, and divorce; he fell in a dark place for a few years until marrying a long time family friend Tiko Ann Dove and they moved to Ft Drum.

10th Mountain Division, Polar Bears where Julia Rae-Ann Dove was born and his last deployment to Iraq.

Shortly after Iraq, Eric and Tiko moved to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, with baby Julia in tow, after being blessed with William Gregory Dove in 2011, born in Reynolds; Eric retired in 2014 with full medical retirement; nerve damage, and PTSD. 

Retiring in Lawton, OK,  he bought ED Distro, Distrubution rights for, Wonder Bread, Sunbeam, Natures Own, Great Value, Dave's Killer Bread, and Tasty Cake for the Lawton and surounding area's.

In 2018 he blew out his back and left knee needing surgery on both with the VA feeding him OxyContin to cope with the pain he was in.  Eric became bedridden and with no help, he end up losing everything. 

Life fell apart for him.

Almost everyone turned their backs on him, including his wife, leaving him to live in an RV out at Lake Lawtonka through the winter of 2018 during the beginning of his divorce. He paid all his children's bills and did what he had to do to survive, while living off of less than $500 a month. 

Combat war veteran, two divorces and lots of loss and without the ability to see his children during the divorce. 

That is when the question come up in his mind:

Am I worth more dead then alive? 

After his divorce was finalized and being awarded custody of his younger childeren allowing Tiko his ex-wife, to continue to live in the marital home and he would pay all the bills for his children. 

He moved back to Sarasota, Florida to live with his mother, Deborah Ann Johnson, and sister, Sarah Lynn Johnson, until he received his surgeries, could get back on his feet, and his medical under control. Eric was confined to a wheelchair for two years.

With sever nerve damage, back pain, pain in both knees, and PTSD, deprestion, and four TBIs he still tries to push himself past his physical limits. 

Taking over 15 years for him to be able to start speaking about his trauma, six years of being prescribed a controled substance, taking five years to recover,  a recovering veteran of Suicide, also losing six of his Battle Buddies to veteran suicide since coming home from the war. 

His dedication and care about this cause is personal and he will do anything to make this dream come true and believes with all his heart and sole, with the Lord by his side as he has seen actual miracles with his own eyes.