COL Ryan Nielsen

Colonel Ryan Nielsen sat down with me for Heroes Live.

He was my lieutenant. November 97 to about October 2001. 82nd. Second lieutenant. I was a staff sergeant. One of his section sergeants. Now I call him Colonel. Time does that.

Rhinebeck, New York. Hudson Valley. About two hours north of the city. About an hour south of Albany. Small town. Cul-de-sac. Both parents taught public school. Graduating class of 92 or 93. You toed the line. If you got in trouble they knew before you did.

Football. Number 18. Wide receiver. All-purpose back. Defensive back. Wrestling. Track. Pole vault. Javelin. About five foot six. He likes to say he was six feet before the 82nd and five-six when he left. Gravity. A lot of jumps.

Stinger missile jump pack. You had to be five-eight or taller. He watched men stand on their tiptoes to get in. He watched six-three guys shrink to get out of it.

He left Third of the Fourth ADA in the fall of 2001. Already committed to the reserves. Pre-9/11. He did not know what he was getting into. Twenty-five years in. Still in. Colonel. He commanded a basic training brigade. He looks at the birth dates on those privates and remembers how young they are.

Mark Gunther from Alpha Battery works at his firm now. Elizabeth is home. He says there is an attachment to a cause bigger than yourself. Brothers and sisters going over. Families back here. Then the next generation at battle assembly. He joined the Army and forgot to get out.

He saluted and signed out. Honor to serve the country. Honor to serve the soldiers and the families. That is why we hit record. Get the story on tape before we are too old or too sick to tell it.