Rising to the occasion, regardless of the danger, was in Chief Warrant Officer Aaron A. Weaver's nature. From a young age, Aaron knew he wanted to serve his country. After graduating high school, he immediately joined the military, becoming an Army Ranger in the 75th Ranger Regimentone of the armed forces' most physically and psychologically challenging units in the world.
At the young age of twenty-two, Aaron fought in one of the nation's bloodiest battles in Mogadishu, Somaliabetter known today as the event that inspired the book and movie Black Hawk Down. He was one of the few Army Rangers not injured or killed during that firefight, and he received the Bronze Star with Valor for his heroism in combat.
Years later, serving in the Army as a Kiowa Pilot, Aaron's battles were far from over when he underwent three debilitating cancer surgeries that almost cost him his life. Afterwards, his flight doctors informed him that he was non-deployable and he'd been grounded from flying helicopters. He wasn't supposed to be serving in Iraq, but nothing was going to keep him from fulfilling his duties as an American soldiernot even cancer.
Despite it all, Aaron headed back to war, voluntarily saying goodbye to his wife, his nine-year-old son, and his one-year-old daughter, because being an American Soldier was in his blood.