Tyler Horning underwent Black Hawk Insertion Training at Fort Irwin in California. Photo courtesy Tyler Horning
No matter, Horning has more on his mind than completing his degree in International Business: Once he graduates in December, instead of going from college to career, Horning transitions from soldier to a second lieutenant.
July, 2010, will mark eight years for Horning's service in the U.S. Army since he joined as a junior in high school. While still in school, Horning was sent multiple times to a National Guard unit in Hastings, Neb., to prepare for basic training in Fort Knox, Ky.
Two semesters into college, Horning was activated for "Operation Iraqi Freedom."
"We didn't know exactly where we were going, so I had that fear and excitement." Horning said. "It was a very humbling experience. I was 19 at the time, but I had to sit down with my parents, write out my will and decide where I wanted to be buried."
Horning went to Iraq as a gunner-a soldier that provides fire support to troops on the front-line. At the front of the battlefield, death is not uncommon.
"Even if you don't believe in God, you leave a warzone believing in something," Horning said. "You can't live in fear of dying, or it will overcome you.
After returning from Iraq, Horning is welcomed home by his parents. Photo courtesy of Tyler Horning
"I can almost guarantee you, not many people in here are thinking about the soldiers that are over there right now. Unfortunately, the events in Iraq do not impact peoples' daily lives as much as previous wars have."
Horning returned to the "civilian world," as he refers to it, after 18 months in Iraq.
"You do miss out on things back home: weddings, births, graduations, the list goes on and on," said Horning as he remembered missing the death of a friend's father. "You realize those are really small sacrifices in the big picture, so that everyone back home can enjoy those things,"
Missing out on life back in Nebraska doesn't taint the bigger picture of what Horning wants to accomplish in his life.
"I still have a strong desire to serve, and I think the best way for me to impact other soldiers is to become an officer," Horning said. He only has four years left to his commitment, but he thinks he will stay for another 12.
"I have no greater love for anything in this world than this country, upholding its values and its beliefs."
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