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A SURPRISE RIDE After college, he returned home, unsure of what would come next. He told his parents he wasn\u2019t finding any jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His father gave him a solution to this problem, the young Lanier hadn\u2019t seen coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGet in the car in 20 minutes,\u201d his dad said. On a silent drive, the two made their way to a military recruiting station. His father parked, turned to him, and said, \u201cDon\u2019t come back out until you\u2019re signed up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lanier was stunned. His mother\u2019s philosophy had always been, \u201cGive him time.\u201d But, in this instance, his father had made up his mind. It was time for the son to make his own way in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lanier, who\u2019d never considered a career bearing arms, walked inside. He signed the paperwork. Marine Corps boot camp would be held at Parris Island, South Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked what he was thinking during this process, Lanier\u2019s answer was simple but meaningful. \u201cI\u2019mma make my daddy proud,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A LIFE IN UNIFORM He began his career in the infantry before becoming a marksman instructor, drill instructor, and communications specialist based in California, with a top-secret clearance. He served in every major conflict from 1980 to 2003, including Beirut, Grenada, the Panama Canal, Desert Storm, and the Iraq War. He talks about these orders with a straightforward calm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe unit I was in \u2014 deployed, deployed, deployed,\u201d Lanier said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He served three tours in Iraq. When the Marine Corps involuntarily separated him, along with many other soldiers, in an effort to downsize, he transferred to the Army reserves as a military police officer. After his third Iraq tour, he joined the Air Force, guarding C-130 aircraft in Nashville \u2014 sometimes after already working a full shift as a police officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt didn\u2019t matter where they put me,\u201d he said. \u201cI just wanted to do the toughest thing I could.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lanier used his military service as a bridge into civilian law enforcement. He started in 1990 with his hometown department, the Shelbyville Police Department, before moving to White House, where he advanced from patrol to corporal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He later joined the Wilson County Sheriff\u2019s Office, where he worked his way up to patrol lieutenant in the last decade of his service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n His message to the recruits he taught was practical: \u201cYou can\u2019t do everything. You\u2019ll wear yourself out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n PASSING IT ON He also directed the citizens\u2019 academy for 15 years, teaching a 13-week program on the realities of police work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe all get food on our plate we don\u2019t like \u2014 you either eat it or you don\u2019t,\u201d he told his classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FAMILY FIRST \u201cI\u2019m proud of him,\u201d Lanier said with a notable warmth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Family, he added, is what always brought him back home. His sister continued to live in Shelbyville, and his mother passed away in 2022. When he came back to Shelbyville for her funeral, he reconnected with Phyllis, a woman he hadn\u2019t seen for decades but had known since childhood. Their one date in the \u201880s had seemed like a good start, until James was sent to Hawaii on military business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe had a six-hour conversation,\u201d Lanier said. Two years later, they married.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LOOKING BACK \u201cI still can\u2019t believe I did all that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Lanier, it all goes back to that summer day in Shelbyville when his father gave him 20 minutes to change his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thank my dad each and every day,\u201d he said. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WHEN JAMES Lanier picks up the phone these days, he often does so after a nap. He explains it plainly, without apology, and with a smile you can hear through the line: he enjoys his daily rest. It\u2019s a small detail, but it captures something essential about Lanier. He is calm, steady, and grateful. And […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":23210,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover"],"yoast_head":"\n
<\/strong>Lanier grew up in Shelbyville, where he played tennis and football before graduating from Shelbyville Central High School in 1977. He went on to Martin Methodist College and Lincoln Memorial University on a tennis scholarship. Later in life, while serving in the military, Lanier continued to play and win tournaments on the tennis court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lebanon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/12\/6-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/strong>Lanier did more than that. What began as his father\u2019s push turned into 28 years of military service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lebanon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/12\/2-3-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/strong>Mentoring was always part of the work. Lanier led the Police Explorers program, from which seven of his students went on to pursue careers in law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Lanier\u2019s brother has also served, spending more than 20 years in the Metro Nashville Police Department\u2019s traffic division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Lanier keeps his military and law enforcement awards hanging on the wall, though he still finds it hard to take credit for all those shining accomplishments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n