Veterans on the front lines of small business

• Name: Tim Mellin, 52
• Company: Healing Hands Chiropractic, Park City, Utah
• Service: Army 1986-1996

I'm a third-generation Army officer. I fought in Desert Storm, flying helicopters in Iraq and Kuwait, but had to leave the military because of extensive injuries from combat and training.

I founded Healing Hands in 2001, and it remains a family business run by me and my wife. We make more than $100,000 annually before expenses doing a combination of chiropractic work, acupuncture and integrative medicine.

Being a veteran helped me get through school to become a chiropractor because it taught me discipline; before I joined the Army I wanted to go to medical school but didn't have that discipline. The military paid for part of my education and continues to pay for my health care because of my high level of disability.

Obviously I have experienced quite a bit of pain, and having injured a lot of different things in my life helps me be a better chiropractor. I understand what my patients are going through.

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