“If I could get ice in the middle of the desert, I could do pretty much anything else in my life.” (Video Interview, 33:16)

Matthew Inchun Braiotta

Matthew Braiotta, 2006 War: Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, 2001-present Branch: Army Unit: 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment Service Location: Fort Knox, Kentucky (basic training); Fort Carson, Colorado; Bosnia; Iraqi Rank: Sergeant

Born in Korea, raised on Long Island by adoptive parents, Matthew Braiotta joined the Army in 1999 right out of high school. His intention was to pick a specialty specific to the armed services, not a skill he could use later in life. As part of an armored cavalry unit, he served in Bosnia and then shipped out to Iraq in March 2003. Eight months later, he was badly wounded by a roadside explosive device. Now out of the Army, Braiotta credits his military experience with giving his life purpose and direction.