Nathan Aguinaga didn’t enlist in the Army planning to be a career soldier—a “lifer”—but the Army had other plans. He entered the world of light infantry in one of the nation’s top-tier rapid-deployment military units in the early 1990s and would continue for most of the next twenty years as a part of the famed 82nd Airborne Division. Lifer is the comprehensive account of his career journey as a paratrooper, drill sergeant, Army Ranger, and combat veteran.

From the high-tempo daily life of the 82nd Airborne Division to a year spent on the Korean DMZ to time spent as a drill sergeant to the daunting task of successfully completing Ranger School to his time spent in Iraq and even to a support deployment in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Master Sergeant (Retired) Aguinaga tells his unvarnished story of Army life—the trials and tribulations, the joys and sorrows, and the humor found in even the darkest moments of duty.