This is an I-Heart podcast.

This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star and the American people. And if you

want to listen to our show, go to the I-Heart Radio app or listen to the podcast, well, wherever

you pick them up. Up next, a story kindly submitted to us by the Veterans History Project at the Atlanta History Center.

We will be hearing from Army Ranger Michael Schlitz, who served in Iraq.

Let's take a listen.

I went in the military pretty much right out after high school.

You know, honestly, I was a little immature.

I knew if I went to college, I was probably going to struggle.

I'd probably party a little too hard and not really pay enough attention to the classes.

And I really didn't want to set myself up for failure.

Plus, I was just kind of floating around life at the time.

You know, I didn't really have the direction and really an idea of what I wanted to do.

My father had been a Navy veteran.

My brother was already in the Army, and at the time I didn't know it, but he was about

to go to Haiti for Operation Uphold Democracy.

So my goal was to come in the military, do a few years, maybe come back out, go to college,

and then figure out what I want to do.

Came in the Army in March of 1996, did my training here at Fort Benning, Georgia, Basic and AIT. Pretty much right off the get-go of it, I just fell in love with it.

I like the discipline, I like the routine, I like the everyday

challenges. I mean you pretty much woke up every day knowing what you're gonna do, but

at the same time there's new levels of responsibility and challenges constantly thrown at

...