Sgt. Rock already served two tours in Iraq. He had already been awarded a Bronze Star, Silver Star and Purple Heart and had more combat ribbons than most. He lived for war, the horror and irony that collide head on in a blizzard of bullets, blood, and tears.

He survived by training and instinct in chaotic situations. He was also kind of lucky. Enlisting in the Marine Corps at age eighteen, he had been involved in the first Gulf War, Somalia, and other places that are not public knowledge. He is a part of an elite Special Operations Unit. This unit is comprised of Marine Force Recon, Navy SEALS and Army Rangers.

These are the men that give the bad guys a very bad day. Sgt. Rock also is a bit of an old timer at age thirty-five. He has worked with several outfits and gets along with any Special Forces personnel. On a good day he even appreciates the average ground pounder.

He declined promotions several times because he enjoyed his work. He feels that Officers are pencil-pushing pussies. He is the kind of guy you would look up to, because of how he handled himself, and his height of six-feet, five inches. His short-cropped dark hair and brilliant blue eyes a trademark, as is his chiseled northern Minnesota body.

Sgt. Rock is referred to as a “shooter” in his profession. A Weapons Systems Specialist, he has performed sniper, recon, assault, rendering, and intelligence missions. He has also been involved in many clandestine operations relating to national security.

The years of watching young men die in unclean and horrific circumstances and the frustration of not being able to save of them weighed heavily on his mind. He was also acutely aware of the lives claimed after battles with Post-Traumatic Stress disorder. Every soldier that decides to be a trigger-puller is exposed to this.

Nightmares, hyper-vigilance, and profound guilt, either because they survived when others did not, or they took someone’s life, are also part of Sgt. Rock’s life. All soldiers handle it pretty much the same way, booze. It is not very psychologically therapeutic, but highly effective.

After his Iraq deployment, he got the call that the services of the Black Watch, were needed in Afghanistan. His team currently consists of Specialist Luke Nordby, U.S. Navy SEAL, Specialist Jason Waller, Eighty-second Airborne Ranger and Specialist Steve Luoma, U.S. Navy SEAL. Specialist Mat Bobaganush, U.S. Marine Force Recon, is the linguist and translator. All four have extensive backgrounds and training.