PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan (June 27, 2012) -- Some people when graduating from high schoolWhen graduating from high school, some people don't have the slightest clue what they want to do, but for one high school graduate he knew exactly what he wanted to do he wanted to serve his country.
U.S. Army Maj. Ryan Leary, a judge advocate with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, joined the military right out of high school with inspiration and dedication.
Leary grew up in a family that had little military influence in his life except for one family member, his grandfather, who served in the Navy during World War II.
His grandfather would always tell him stories about his time spent serving his country and what a great honor it was. Leary said he looked up to him and he was ahis grandfather was one of his main role models growing up and he was ultimately the reason he decided to join the Army.
"My grandpa opened the door to me serving by the stories he would tell," said the native of Arlington, Texas. "He tells a story about when he was 16 and had to lie to get into the service. The fact is that when his country needed him, he answered the call. I appreciated what he did, and I just felt like I should do something like that for my children and grandchildren as well."
With the foundation his grandfather instilled in him to serve his country, Leary looked to one of his best friend's grandfather who had served and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point for further advice.
"He talked about [West Point] and talked about what it meant to be a leader and an officer," said Leary. "That kind of brought it all together for me, and I just took that initial service culture that I had got from my grandfather and decided that what I wanted to do was be in the military."
He graduated from the academy and has served in the military for 11 years. Leary said his willingness to serve has and will never cease to exist, and he still gets a great amount of satisfaction serving his country.
"I continue to serve because I feel a great debt of gratitude, being blessed like we are in the United States of America," said Leary. "I think a lot of the time people take it for granted. I feel as though I owe a great deal for both my family, children and (future) grandchildren, and I wanted to pay something back to our country. I'm grateful to serve."
He also continues to serve because of the relationships, camaraderie and teamwork that the military is built upon.
"Serving along side those people, that's what keeps me in," said Leary. "The initial desire to serve my country got me in, and what keeps me in is the just the relations I built and the desire to be apart of this team that is protecting America's values."
Right now, his job as an judge advocate involves helping and providing comprehensive legal assistance to the brigade's command.
"The job I do now, I feel like I contribute a great deal to the organization, the missions and I also serve the Soldiers," said Leary.
Leary has been deployed twice and is currently serving on his third combat tour. He plans to keep serving in the military, but there is one influence that plays a key role in his decision.
"I don't see any reason not to go all the way to retirement eligibility, but the only factor that comes to my mind with major career decisions is my family," said Leary. "As long as they are continually enjoying their life and the Army life, I'm going to keep going as long as I can."
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