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"I was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon April 18, 1982. I grew up and spent the
first eleven years of my life living in Bonanza, Oregon where I went to
elementary and junior high school. It was here that I learned who I was and
what I was capable of at a very young age. I learned that I loved the
outdoors and being active in just about anything, just as long as I was
outside. I spent the majority of my time riding dirt bikes, playing
basketball, hunting, fishing, raising livestock, working for my father in
his machine shop or for neighbors who needed help with farming. I knew at a
very young age that I was not designed to be couped up inside a building. I
did not perform extremely well in mathematics or science classes at school.
I realized that no matter how hard I tried to resist, I would eventually
have to face my weaknesses; I continued to resist anyway!
At the age of twelve my family and I moved to Klamath Falls. It was at this
time that I witnessed my family fall apart as my mother and father went
through a divorce. This was a very trying time for me and my older brother
Michael Stier. Mike and I were birds of a different feather and had a hard
time relating to each other after the divorce. However, without ever talking
about what was happening in our lives, we each decided to support each of
our parents the best that we knew how. My brother Mike lived with my mother
and was the rock in her life for his entire high school career and much of
his young adult life. I decided to live with my father and proved to be an
enormous thorn in his side as I struggled with transitioning to a single
parent household. I took every devious advantage that I could to try to get
away with mischief; I was very successful at this.
As I started to advance through my high school career I was introduced to
things that I didn't even know existed. I got into some pretty big trouble
and had some major set backs as a young lad. After being expelled from
Henley High School as a sophomore I attended Linkville Academy a
continuation school where I attempted to straighten myself out. However, I
lacked the leadership and personal strength to stay on course for very long.
I eventually ended up going to Juvenile Hall for my careless actions where I
had plenty of time to evaluate myself and make a conscious decision that I
would never return to such a place. I transferred to Klamath Union High
School and managed to stay on track long enough to graduate and move away
from Klamath Falls to turn over a new leaf.
Me and two friends decided to move to San Luis Obispo, California to attend
our first year of college. However, we did everything but study our first
semester. All three of us failed our first semester of college and any
funding that we were receiving from our parents ended once they saw our
performance. It was at this time that I knew that I would have to make my
first decision on my own and stick with it. I decided that that decision
would be to join the enlisted ranks of the United States Marine Corps. I
wasted no time in shipping off to Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego to
begin what would later become my career path as a United States Marine. I
had discovered my calling in life and was very excited to participate in
everything the Marines had to offer. I was eighteen years old and
bulletproof!
After graduation from boot camp, Marine Combat Training and my Military
Occupation Specialty school as a helicopter mechanic I checked in to my
first CH-46E helicopter squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards,
California. I decided to join the the Marine Corps as a reserve to continue
my education. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to be an officer of
Marines and do that I would need my degree. I returned to San Luis Obispo to
continue my education at Cuesta College. I finally had my life on track and
nobody was going to stop me. The Marines provided me with the kick in the
pants that I needed to succeed. I was raised with the proper morals, ethics
and personal character that a young person needs to succeed in life, I just
lost it along the way. The Marines gave me that back!
As a full-time college student, part-time employee, Marine reservist and
athlete I learned to manage my time very well. I captained the Cuesta men's
and women's track team, performed very well in school and work. It was here
that I learned the importance of hard work and punctuality. I learned that
set backs in life are meant to learn from, not dwell on. I also learned that
friendships will always come and go but to always remember that an
individual must rely upon themselves to get the job done right.
Three semester later I was deployed to Iraq to participate in Operation
Iraqi Freedom II and III. I worked my way up in my squadron as an Aerial
Observer which is the Crew Chief's assistant gunner and flight mechanic on
the CH-46E helicopter. We deployed to Iraq and spent 7 months flying combat
missions in direct support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During our deployment
I was meritoriously promoted to Corporal and took on more responsibilities
and leadership roles. Our squadron returned to the States for 6 months in
between deployments where we continued to train for our second deployment to
Iraq.
Upon our second arrival to Marine Corps Air Station, Al Asad, Iraq I was
approached by my Gunnery Sergeant and Commanding Officer and asked if I
would like to train to become a CH-46E Crew Chief. I was told that I would
have to train in country and that if I failed to complete the syllabus that
it would greatly affect my performance reviews. I accepted the challenge and
responded "I didn't know failure was even an option". I began training with
my peers and acknowledge that without their professionalism as Marines, I
would have never succeeded in obtaining my goals. We spent countless hours
going over the helicopters nomenclature, emergency procedures, in flight
procedures, weapons training and crew coordination procedures which
consisted of aviation, navigation and communication. The last combat flight
that our squadron flew in Iraq was my first flight as a fully trained CH-46E
Crew Chief. This was an enormous honor for me and I will never forget the
men and women that trained me to be successful CH-46E Crew Chief.
After our deployments to Iraq we returned to Edwards Air Force Base where
life went from constant adrenaline rushes to a slow and boring life style. I
quickly returned to college to continue my education and goals to become an
officer of Marines. I was married three months after my return and moved to
the San Francisco Bay Area to continue my education and start a new life. I
quickly grew bored of school and had the burning desire to go back to the
Marines to fly on helicopters and practice the skill that I worked so hard
to obtain as a CH-46E Crew Chief. I decided to volunteer to return to
Edwards Air Force Base to assist in the training of Marines that would be
deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan under Operation Mojave Viper. I spent the
better part of a year training Marines and traveling in between Edwards Air
Force Base and home to see my wife who is a biomedical engineer. After my
return from a year of volunteer duty I got back in school to continue my
education.
I attended De Anza College in Cupertino, California where I transferred to
San Jose State University as a Communication Studies major and Environmental
Studies minor. I am currently in my senior year at San Jose State University
and have successfully achieved my goals to become an officer of Marines. I
have been accepted to attend Officer Candidate School this summer in
Quantico, Virgina and I also managed to secure a guaranteed opportunity to
attend Flight School to become a Naval Aviator for the United States Marine
Corps. I have a long road ahead of me but I look forward to every step of
the way. I am extremely passionate about the Marine Corps and I know I will
succeed in all of my endeavors."
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