I chose the Army not out of some sort of branch loyalty or family tradition. I chose the Army because I was homeless, sleeping in my 1979 Ford Fiesta, and taking showers after work at a local truck stop. The recruiter promised me in service in under 30 days, and that was the quickest. They take you fast when you sign up for Airborne Infantry. Of course the recruiter had to explain to me what the Infantry was, and he also had to tell me what it meant to be Airborne. I grew up in a house that did not speak of the military, and it was not an option, so I had no idea what I signed up for. I just knew I couldn't keep living in my car.

It was by and far the best decision I could have made, and I greatly enjoyed being a paratrooper serving in the 1st Battalion 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. Service to my nation changed my life and put me on a path that led me to service in the Legion.