DENVER (KDVR) — You never quite know what direction life is going to take you, and Colorado veteran John Reid certainly had no idea his journey would take him from the battlefields of Afghanistan to an elementary school gymnasium.
“The Marine Corps was everything. It was my whole identity. And when I got out, I didn’t know where I was going in life. So, I struggled a lot,” Reid told FOX31.
‘Suspicious’ package intercepted, addressed to Colorado Secretary of State’s Office
Just a few years ago, he was in a war zone. Wounded while on assignment in Afghanistan.
“(The bullet) came in right through here through my forearm. And then came right out through the backside. That was the exit wound right there,” Reid said, pointing to scars on his right arm.
But the people of that country changed Reid’s life all those years ago, and he vowed to honor the memory of a boot camp buddy who died in Afghanistan by doing something to make a difference in the lives of the Afghan people.
“And when I started looking for a new job this year, I saw on the (web) page here at McElwain Elementary that they were having cultural days. And I saw the Afghan flag. And for me, I was just like, holy cow, this is a full-circle moment like I got to get in there.”