“I was born in South Korea, and at 10 months old I was put up for adoption. I was adopted by my parents, and had a great childhood growing up in Long Island, NY. I felt very grateful for the opportunity I was given to grow up here in the United States, so I always had this debt of gratitude to join the military and serve the country that afforded me that opportunity. Then September 11th happened when I was 14 years old, and I knew I wanted to join the military at 14 years old. I graduated high school June 26th and on June 27th I was on a plane to Parris Island for Marine boot camp. I showed up to Camp LeJune in January of 2006, and then got deployed to Iraq in July of that same year. We were stationed in Habbaniyah, Iraq between Fallujah and Ramadi. That first deployment I was hit by four roadside bombs in five weeks. I had a lot of brain damage and lower back problems after going through that, but I was fortunate enough to be awarded 2 purple hearts on two separate occasions. Overall I did four deployments in five years. The last of which was to Marjah, Afghanistan the birth place of the Taliban. I lost some good friends on that deployment, and at that point I think it just became too much. When I came home from that deployment I knew I wasn’t right.

When I got out of the military it was tough because I wanted to be a Marine for life. I started school at the University of Alabama in January of 2013, but I started to notice that it was hard for me to relate to these kids that were so much younger. I found myself lost in a city where I didn’t truly know anybody, and drinking or using illicit substances every night. I started thinking about what I had lost in the Marines, and shortly after found myself with these suicidal ideations. I returned home from a bender one night and put out a few texts stating I needed help. I was literally about to take my own life, when one of my Marine friends busted through the door to stop me from doing it. I finally called the hotline and they brought me to the VA, where I did a 45 day inpatient stay at the hospital in Tuscaloosa. I got clean during that time, and had the opportunity to deal with my PTSD symptoms and survivors guilt. I was doing a lot of group counseling and cognitive processing therapy as well. I started feeling better. I had a friend who suggested I be a volunteer strength coach for the Alabama football team, he thought I’d be a good candidate based off my military background. I volunteered for a year and hid everything I had gone through from everybody up to that point, except my friend and our head strength coach. Finding a purpose and getting that job is what saved my life. I wouldn’t be able to teach these guys about perseverance or fighting if I didn’t go through the stuff I went through.”