FAMILY & FRIEND VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS

It all started when he was at college in upstate NY.  One of his closest friends was an older guy, former Marine who did a 4 year tour after high school then went to college on his G.I. Bill.  Neil and he took a military history class together and they talked about his life in the Marine Corps and the exploits of Neil's own family members who were also in the service.

 

They discussed his father, grandfather, uncles Charlie and George and his cousin, John, all of whose stories can also be found at this website.  Suddenly Neil felt that college might have been the wrong place for him.  But, since he was paying for school out of his own pocket, he felt committed and not finishing what he started was not becoming of an Edgar - that level of personal commitment would serve him well wherever he would go. 

 

He went on to Chiropractic School with the same repressed feeling of emptiness for not having served in the military.  But after graduation, life in the real civilian world just wasn't cutting it.  Being in private practice dealing with HMOs, PPOs and the changing healthcare system did not meet his expectations for how life was supposed to be.  He needed a bigger challenge.  

 

At the time, the Army was the only branch implementing the Student Loan Repayment enlistment incentive.  After learning he could pay back his $70,000 student loan for 3 years of service to our great country it became a no-brainer.  At the age 27 he followed his heart and joined the regular Army, signing up for the Airborne Infantry.  The recruiters couldn't understand it as they thought he could be enticed into flying helicopters but it was simple; He simply wanted to jump, shoot, move and communicate!

 

Here is his story - it is still being written -