. . Like many other young men who left Pittsburgh during the steel industry’s final throes of the 1980s, Jesse Mercure enlisted in the US Army and found a career and home there. He spent twenty years on active duty and another four as an active reservist before hanging up his uniform.
. . Nathan Mallory of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, grew up in the rural farming community of Titusville. Not wanting to remain in a small town, Nate enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2000–the first in his family to serve in the military, and as an Eagle Scout, he was well
. . Andrew Brennan After graduating from West Point, Andrew Brennan of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania trained to fly UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters and then he deployed to Afghanistan in 2010. When we kicked the door in Afghanistan, Andrew Brennan admits, the army didn’t have a lot figured out. In the field, missions
. . Marco Attisano Marco Attisano joined the US Navy in 2003 and trained as a Navy Builder, a rating (navy occupation) with the Naval Construction Force, also known as the famed SeaBees. After a stint in Mississippi Marco deployed to Guam and Spain, but after two years active duty
. . Ryan Ahl “When 9/11 happened, I was so upset. It was a traumatic event to our national psyche. My dad was shocked, too, but he fully understood that I wanted to serve in the military after that. What he didn’t understand is why I wanted to join the
