Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
'The Army Changed My Life,' War Zone Veteran Says
Sgt. Brad Hottell (E5) in the left photo catches a little sleep at the Syrian-Turkish border. The mission was to stop the supply of war materials and freedom fighters from entering the main cities of Iraq in 2005. Having returned to Kimball County to raise his family, he is pictured in the right photo during a recent trip to New York City.
Brad Hottell said, "The military changed my life."
Brad graduated from Kimball High School in 2003 with no direction or "zero goals" in mind, but circumstances led him to enlist in the U.S. Army before his graduation. He left for Fort Knox, Kentucky, and basic training shortly after graduation. Landing in Fort Knox was the first time Brad had been outside of Nebraska.
After basic training, he was assigned to live at Fort Lewis, Washington, until deployments. He said, "All the units I was with could deploy within 24 hours."
War was raging in Iraq and Afghanistan, and when he enlisted, they "str...
