Former Lance Corporal Kenta Otawa, USMC Kenta began his military career right out of high school and after basic training studied at a Marine Corps culinary school. During the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, he was deployed to the island nation and supported the humanitarian effort by coordinating food service for his fellow Marines. It…
Todd is an athlete, pure and simple. He has enjoyed many sports throughout his life, and that drive continues today, though now it is all adaptive. His athleticism and his training as a chiropractor have been true assets as he now navigates life in a wheelchair. Todd was just enjoying a cup of coffee one…
Staff Sgt. Andrew Carpenter, US Army After high school Drew was drawn to the military, determined to be what he calls a net positive, with a goal to support others who can’t support themselves. In aviation operations, he was in a black hawk unit during his service from 2004 to 2007. During that time he…
Petty Officer First Class Karl Olson, US Navy Karl grew up amazed at the submarines he saw on PBS on Saturday morning’s military hour, and at age 19 he was walking onto his first submarine as a member of the United States Navy. He remembers thinking, “Two years ago I was on a tractor in Minnesota, now I get…
Adam Cherney, US Marines Adam always knew he would join the military, as his grandfather, father, and mother served their country; his father was a Marine, and his mother was a member of the US Navy. So, after high school, he set a goal to get healthy and joined the US Marines in 2011. Seven months into training, Adam…
Staff Sgt. Brian Dupree, US Air Force “Originally, I signed up for the educational benefits but during my 1st term, I deployed to the Middle East and everything changed. I quickly realized that my work in telecommunications had a direct connection to the warfighter and gave them a critical lifeline when calling for support. It…