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By Mandy Haggerson

For the Clemmons Courier

On the outside looking in at John Comden’s accomplishments including author, obtaining a patent for a snow ski binding designed to reduce knee injuries, math major, occasional stand-up comedian and dad, you can wonder what events led to his diverse background. It was not always an easy road, however, and one that he credits the church in helping him along the way during tougher times.

Born to very young parents who were married in high school, Comden moved about 28 times throughout his life.

“At 9 years old, we moved to Glasgow, Missouri, where crime was everywhere. People would point guns at us, neighbors were robbed dozens of times, a guy blew up his house and I frequently fell asleep to the sounds of gunshots and sirens,” said Comden. “It almost became white noise to me.” 

Despite the constant exposure to crime, Comden has many happy memories of trips to Forest Park. 

“That provided me with a love for art, history and science. I spent a good amount of time reading, and became decent at math during that time,” said Comden. “I also took an interest in cross-country.” 

After four years in Missouri, Comden finished out his high school years in Ave Maria, Florida.

“It was the complete opposite of where we lived in Missouri. I was very shy when we first moved. But over the course of four years, I gained a lot of confidence. I excelled in math and debate. I learned to enjoy basketball and became a junior Olympic cross-country runner. I was also one of the head altar boys for the church,” said Comden.

The Catholic Church was a steady presence in Comden’s life. “My parents had a theology background and I was influenced by that from a young age. It was always a calming presence in my life and allowed me to do things like go on missionary trips to places like Nicaragua,” said Comden. “I liked helping others.”

“When I headed off to college at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute to study mechanical engineering on a ROTC scholarship with the U.S. Air Force, my time at church took a back seat. I was busy doing course work and had a couple of federal jobs. I was also trying to balance a social life,” said Comden. “In retrospect, neglecting prayer and mass was a poor decision.” 

While Comden was balancing a full plate, he suffered a really bad concussion which caused him to lose a lot of his abilities which prevented such tasks as reading. For someone who always went above and beyond in his ROTC program, that was very challenging.

“I did internships with the federal government which included spending several months in Washington, D.C. I worked at the Department of Homeland Security headquarters,” said Comden. Because Comden excelled in precision drill, he was asked to compete in other places throughout the country, finishing in the top third in field training.

Although it was very exciting, Comden had also ended an engagement and was starting to feel overwhelmed.

“I started drinking and feeling suicidal. I talked with my recently ex-fiancé about it and a staff sergeant overheard our private conversation. One thing led to another and in a matter of weeks I was medically discharged from the military after four years of training. I was a month shy of being sworn in as an officer. To add insult to injury, on graduation day I found out there had been an auditing error and I was missing a class, so I didn’t receive my degree,” said Comden. 

The descent into despair was slow but steady for Comden.

“I went to tons of doctors and psychiatrists. Each time, I was diagnosed with something else, and each time they’d give me different medicines and recommendations. My whole life became a dark fog. I became a full-blown alcoholic, started to smoke, hurt a lot of people and gained a ton of weight. Somehow, I ended up down in North Carolina where for a while I was 300 pounds and sleeping in the woods,” said Comden. “I had hit rock bottom.”

After purchasing cigarettes which he traded for a ride, Comden arrived at Holy Family Catholic Church.

“I knew that I had to go back to what had always been there for me and that was my faith. They took me in judgement free and put me in a hotel long enough to get cleaned up and apply for jobs. They gave me the tools that I needed to start to get out of the hole that I had dug for myself. I realized that my head was just fine, and I needed to choose a better lifestyle for myself,” said Comden. 

Today, it has been two years since Comden took that ride to Holy Family Church. Since then, he has given up smoking, lost 70 pounds, met his wife, Christina, had his son, Jacob, and found a career. Currently serving as an assistant general manager for a cellular smart phone repair, Comden has also been promoted to audit all the locations to ensure spending is appropriate.

“I’m also currently getting certified in data analytics because I enjoy math so much,” said Comden. 

While healing and returning to his faith, Comden feels grounded having gone back to his roots.

“I love being in the choir. I’m also a prospect for the Knights of Columbus and hope to join them the first week of June. The very meaning of Catholic is open to all. Even when my wife first came to the church, she noticed how welcoming everyone was. There is no risk of judgement by coming and learning. There is only potential gain,” said Comden. “I will always be one of the first to want to welcome anyone new with open arms.”