"Everybody has scars," Roever told a group of more than 150 service members gathered here in an event sponsored by the base chaplain. "Mine just happen to be on the outside.â€Â"Everybody gets hurt," he added. "That's not the question. The question is how [does one] react to getting hurt?" The veteran’s physical scars stem from severe wounds he’d suffered in 1969 during a tour in Vietnam. Roever said an enemy sniper's bullet had detonated a white phosphorus grenade that he was holding. The subsequent explosion and intense heat nearly eviscerated him. After his medical evacuation to Japan, Roever said doctors didn’t expect that he’d survive. Fourteen months and countless surgeries later, Roever did survive -- and eventually would thrive. Where many would have been consumed by bitterness, Roever said he found relief and gratitude in just being alive, and pledged that he’d help other wounded veterans for the rest of his days. "I don't intend to go out quietly," the 64-year-old veteran said. "I want to make a difference in people's lives." In 2007, with his wife Brenda, Roever co-founded Eagles Summit Ranch in Colorado, which focuses on helping wounded veterans, both spiritually and by teaching business and life skills. "It's a beautiful facility up in the mountains," he said. "We're teaching them how to start a business or a [non-profit venture] ... and help[ing] them with the emotional part of recovery." To hear Roever speak is to follow a winding path of emotionally wrenching stories. Eventually, the listener finds that the stories interlock to focus on the theme of resiliency. Roever told service members here about a previous time in Iraq when he was asked to say a prayer for a fallen soldier. He said he prayed for God to send someone to comfort the soldier's best friend who lived stateside. A few days later, Roever said, in the middle of the night at an empty Atlanta airport terminal, a young man sat down next to him even though there were hundreds of empty seats nearby. Roever learned the man was the best friend of the fallen soldier. The young man, who was returning from his friend's funeral, couldn't understand how Roever knew so much about the situation. The fallen soldier’s friend asked, 'Who are you?'" Roever recalled. "And I told him, 'I'm the answer to my own prayer,'" Roever said. Roever urged married members of his audience to ensure their marriages were strong and to communicate regularly with their loved ones back home. He also praised his wife of 43 years, for standing by him and caring for him after his horrendous injuries. "Our marriage [endures] because it is built on desire, not need," he said. "We don't need each other; we want each other. It is a choice.â€Â Feb. 10, 2011: By Air Force Maj. Brian Bowman- 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

"Whenever I hear the national anthem played at ceremonies with instruments only and no words, I offer to sing it the next time," Tillman said. "I feel the words of our anthem are important and need to be heard." Tillman volunteered to be the worship leader during the Protestant chapel service, and had been in the position for a few weeks when he heard Air Force Senior Airman Chris Barajas sing. Tillman knew then he had the second member of the group. "I knew it would be difficult to find a tenor," Tillman said. "But as soon as I heard Chris sing, I recognized that he would make a great fit as a tenor." Soon after the service, Tillman approached Barajas and asked him if he had sung with any barbershop quartets. "He responded positively and started listing off his favorite barbershop quartets," Tillman joked. "I knew then I was well on my way to starting the group." Soon rehearsals began when two more deployed airmen -- Air Force Capt. (Chaplain) Sean Randall and Air Force Col. Mark Danigole, wing vice commander -- joined the group, forming "For God and Country." "The reason we named it that is because we were all serving our country and volunteering our free time in the chapel's music programs," Tillman said. Tillman next used his connections as a member of an Alaska quartet to assist in training his deployed quartet. The group responded by sending music, helping the newly formed quartet to learn tracks and come together as performers. With a little practice, the group began singing the national anthem and other music at several events. "To say the least, wing members were amazed that we could produce the sound that we did," Tillman said. "At one event, the crowd wanted us to sing more, even after we sang all the songs we knew. So we ended up singing a few songs twice, and they loved it." Tillman will be finishing his deployment in a few weeks, and he said he is grateful that the members of "For God and Country" were able to use their voices to boost the morale of the deployed members around them. "I am thrilled that we were able to pull it off during our short deployment together," Tillman said. "It's been a great run with fantastic results, and I am just happy to be a part of it." Feb. 9, 2011: By Air Force 2nd Lt. Bernie Kale- Alaska Air National Guard

Though family lineages in military service aren’t uncommon, the Paxtons stand out for the way three generations chose to spend part of their Air Force careers.Paxton is now going down the same path chosen by his father and grandfather as a military training instructor."Even when I was in high school, I knew I was going into the Air Force," said Paxton, who serves in the 323rd Training Squadron. "And I always knew at some point I was going to be a TI, because I thought it would be cool to be a third-generation TI." The Paxtons’ military training instructor lineage started in 1970, when the sergeant’s grandfather, Jack Paxton, arrived here from Vietnam. He joined the Air Force in 1954 to leave West Virginia, he said, "because there was really nothing for me there.â€Â He spent four years as a military training instructor here before retiring and taking a civilian job on the base. It wasn't long after his father’s retirement before Jack Paxton Jr., one of six children, followed his lead into Air Force blue. "About a year after high school [in 1978], Dad woke me up one morning and said, 'You've got an appointment at the recruiter's office,'" the younger Jack Paxton said. "I didn't know what I wanted to do -- my dad nudged me along. If I could go back and do it all over again, I'd do the same thing." The "same thing" translated into an Air Force career. Twenty-two years later, he retired as a senior master sergeant. He spent eight of those years as a training instructor, section supervisor and superintendent. "I knew I wanted to be a TI because I grew up with my father being a military training instructor," he said. "The same thing with Jason -- he was around this environment when I was an MTI." Jason, who joined the Air Force in 2001, arrived here after deciding the time was right to apply for a military training instructor position. He was certified as an MTI in June. Perhaps it was destiny calling when Paxton was assigned to the 323rd TRS. The squadron is housed in the same recruit housing and training building where his father spent six years in the MTI corps. But that's not the only connection. Jack Paxton Jr. was the MTI for his son's current supervisor. So when the three generations of Paxtons gathered at the squadron recently, it was like coming home. "Jason runs into people all the time who knew me," the sergeant’s father said. "When I see what Jason's going through, it brings me back. And every time I walk in this building, it's like nothing's changed. "I saw some trainees at parade rest [while I was coming in], and I almost yelled at them," he added with a laugh. But his personality and that of his father suggest otherwise. "Anybody who meets Dad and Grandpa knows they are very, very laid back -– big time," Paxton said. "Dad never brought it home. And if I didn't know, I'd have never thought Grandpa was a TI." His father quickly agreed about his own father. "People look at Dad as the nicest guy in the world," he said. The sergeant’s grandfather said he enjoyed being an instructor and remembers his time here. "I still go back to the TI business in my dreams,â€Â he said. “It never leaves you. Sometimes I wake up marching, 'Hut, two, three, four.' Some of it is TI and [some is from Vietnam experiences]." All three Paxtons agree job satisfaction far outweighs the long hours and demands involved in being a military training instructor. "Three generations of TIs … says something about the career field," Jack Paxton Jr. said. "I'd do it all over again. This was by far the best job I ever had." Feb. 7, 2011: By Mike Joseph- 502nd Air Base Wing

“My best friend from childhood and I honed our hunting and fort-building skills in the woods,â€Â he said. After high school, Weiland contemplated what he’d do for a living. He eventually contacted a Marine Corps recruiter to visit him at his parents’ home. “What time is he going to be here?â€Â asked his father, Norm, in reference to the recruiter. Until then, Weiland said, his family didn’t have a clue that he was considering joining the Marines. His father was more than proud of him for joining the military, he added, but he wanted to ensure that he was doing it for the right reasons. “He told me to find a skill that would follow me for the rest of my life,â€Â Weiland said. Weiland’s father, Norm, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1965, serving as a KY-8 radio technician and a helicopter door gunner. Stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., multiple locations in Vietnam, and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. Weiland’s father traveled and experienced quite a bit in his four years of service. “He never really told me to join or expected me to join. It’s always what I’ve wanted to do,â€Â Weiland said. “I remember when I was 9 or 10 seeing my dad’s box of medals, and I was like a kid in a candy store. It was definitely a determining factor.â€Â Like his father, Weiland joined the Marines. In 1996, he was assigned to his first duty station, Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4, as an EA-6B Prowler aircraft technician, at the age of 19. He deployed three times during his first enlistment, twice to Aviano Air Base, Italy, in support of Operation Deliberate Guard and Operation Allied Force and once to Japan. As a sergeant in the Marine Corps and with time dwindling away on his first term, Weiland had another important decision to make. He decided to depart the Marine Corps and began college. “I didn’t like what I was studying and realized the Corps was a better fit for me, but I knew if I came back in that I probably wouldn’t be a noncommissioned officer, so I had to do something different,â€Â he said. “So I did some research, talked to my dad quite a bit, and decided on the platoon leaders course in 2003.â€Â Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 2006 with a degree in physical geography from the University of Wisconsin, Weiland headed to flight school. “I was sitting there going through the numbers with a few of my buddies at flight school,â€Â Weiland said, “and I realized there was a decent chance for me to go to Marine Aircraft Group 14 again.â€Â Weiland found himself assigned to Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4 again, this time as an officer. “I thought it was a joke at first, but it wasn’t, and it started to sink in like I never left in the first place,â€Â he said. “I thought sarcastically to myself, ‘Oh I’m back at this place again.’â€Â His first time with the Seahawks was as a Prowler electrician, and the second time as an electronic countermeasures officer. “I spent four years of my life maintaining the aircraft, when all I wanted to do was see what it is like to fly in it,â€Â he said. “Then I realized I had to go through flight school just for that.â€Â Thirteen years after he first stepped into the squadron’s hangar, he returned to see several familiar, albeit older, faces -– Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Daen J. Glover, for example. “Captain Weiland was always someone I looked up to and tried to emulate when he was enlisted,â€Â said Glover, who has known Weiland for 12 years. “I was confused when he got out as a sergeant and went to college, because he was an outstanding Marine,â€Â Glover continued. “But I’m glad he decided to come back, and now both our squadron and the Marine Corps are better off with a Marine of his caliber.â€Â Weiland said his life is prosperous, as he is happily married to his wife, Neva, and he has three children: Brandon, Aidon and Elizabeth. He also has a unit full of old work buddies as he pursues a profession that allows him to fly and work with young Marines. “I definitely have a unique perspective of what it is to be an enlisted Marine,â€Â Weiland said. “It has benefitted me as an officer, and really all you need to do is think about it like a lance corporal does, and you’ll get the job done.â€Â Feb. 4, 2011: By Marine Corps Cpl. Samuel A. Nasso- Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point