When I first started college in 2002 I wanted to go to OCS after graduation. However during this time, the 18 X-Ray program became popular. By signing an 18 X-Ray contract, I could guarantee myself a chance to go to Special Forces Selection . I would have to enlist rather than go to OCS and the chances of me earning the fabled Green Beret were about 10-15%. Despite these odds, the Special Forces appealed to me due to their specialization in un-conventional warfare. Green Berets are deployed in situations in which knowing the culture, customs and language of the people is just as, if not more important than the weapons you carry. When the Special Forces first started during WWII as the Office of Strategic Services, the ideal man they were looking for was a, “PhD. that can win a bar fight.”

After carefully thinking about which path to take, I decided that I wanted to be a Green Beret. I had read books, talked to numerous people, thought and prayed about it. The ability to be apart of an elite unit that emphasized intellectualism just as much as it emphasized tactics, appealed to me.

Once I had made the decision, my mind was made up and nothing could convince me otherwise.

On March 7, 2007 it was time for me to head to Infantry Basic Training. While I sat in the Albany International Airport, waiting for my flight to Atlanta, the gravity of the situation hit me.