In: Chive Charities, Heroes
Under Pressure (14 Photos)
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Owen Longsdale grew up on a historic ranch in southeastern Arizona, surrounded by dirt roads and clear desert skies.
Service was almost a family tradition. Both of his grandfathers served, and from the time he was young, he knew he would, too. He graduated from high school early and entered ROTC at the University of Arizona, planning to commission at nineteen. His grandfather pulled him aside and said, “Get your stripes before you lead men.” Owen listened. He left school, enlisted in 2003, and by the end of that year, he was in Iraq.
