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Sgt. Chelius in Baghdad, during his second deployment to Iraq in 2007.

In May of 2006, Kyle was deployed to Northern Iraq for 6 months in support of a larger Special Operations mission to capture top leaders of the insurgency operating in the region. This involved numerous assault operations that had to be meticulously executed. 鈥淓verything had to be carefully planned, like a ballet,鈥� he explains. It was not without risk. Kyle recalls in 鈥渢he first hour of the first day of the first mission, there was one soldier killed and one wounded.鈥�  Not every day was like that day; while 鈥�10% was 鈥榳hite knuckle,鈥欌�� much of the time was spent waiting, according to Kyle.

He was not kept waiting for very long. Kyle returned home to Fort Bragg around Thanksgiving of that year. He was sent overseas again in early January, as part of a troop surge, to northeast Baghdad, outside Sadr City. His unit- the 325^th Airborne Infantry Regiment- was charged with targeting the criminal elements responsible for the sectarian killings that had been ravaging the country and jeopardizing the stability of its fledging government. As a young sergeant, he assisted in operations and raids that resulted in the capture of stockpiles of enemy weapons, explosives and currency. Kyle says it can be difficult for a veteran who served in Iraq to reconcile that time with events of today in terms of cost and benefit. 鈥淚 hope we did some good,鈥� he says thoughtfully, 鈥淲e did do good locally, offering protection, food and water.鈥� 

Kyle remembers the weight of his role, 鈥淚 think back to the responsibility I had as a 21 year old kid. I can鈥檛 think of another profession besides healthcare where people have that responsibility. It鈥檚 staggering.鈥� Kyle鈥檚 military experiences transcend that profession. He notes the parallels between his previous career and his new one as 鈥渢he steepness of the learning curve and the severity of the consequences鈥� (resulting from error).

While serving overseas, Kyle saw medics caring for the wounded. Initially he considered becoming a special operations medic, but then thought he would revert to an early dream of being a physician. He dove into science, earning a BS in Biology from Shippensburg University in 2013. However, a friend who is a nurse anesthetist helped inspire him to look into nursing. That decision was cemented when Kyle shadowed a nurse at a local hospital. Today, he enjoys his nursing courses and clinical practica. He 鈥渓oves learning鈥� about the body and disease processes. He noticed from day one in the hospital how nurses worked with one another鈥攏ot unlike a military outfit鈥攊n order to reach a common goal, in this case providing the best possible care for a given patient.

As an adult coming into the profession, Kyle feels that more real work experience and more maturity helps a student be successful.  His military background has been helpful. He understands 鈥渓eadership, teamwork, delegation and attention to detail鈥攖hat鈥檚 big.鈥� He was thankful to already understand the language of a hand off and explains, 鈥渁 battle plan is the same as a care plan. You know what your plan is for the patient. Never go into a situation without knowing what your objective is. Know how to react to contact.鈥�

In July of 2015, Kyle can add the 草榴社区 Nursing Alumni pin to his airborne wings, ribbons and medals.  His uniform will be different but the service no less critical. He hopes to continue working within a fast-paced, ever-changing environment such as that found in critical or emergency care.