“Your previous by no means forgets you.” – Dan Blakeley
The very first thing that struck me about Dan is that he’s extremely simple to speak to. Some particular operations guys have a status for being slightly standoffish or having a larger-than-life ego, not Dan. But, he endured a few of the most demanding navy coaching there may be to turn out to be a member of the 2nd Battalion of the seventy fifth Ranger Regiment, a part of the US Particular Operations Forces (SOF). Dan deployed six instances in six years to a number of battle zones in assist of the World Struggle on Terror. He’s fought in each Afghanistan and Iraq.
Naturally bold, Blakeley joined the Army on the age of 17, proper out of highschool after graduating a yr early. He went straight by primary coaching, adopted by airborne faculty and the grueling Ranger pipeline, ending up on the 2nd Battalion, the place he served from 2006 to 2012, ultimately incomes the rank of Employees Seargent.
Then, as occurs to so many people, life threw him a curveball; his was in the course of the Army’s Superior Chief’s course whereas he was on a gaggle run. Dan began feeling a pointy ache in his chest. As an alternative of going away, it solely obtained worse. In brief order, he discovered himself at the back of the fall-out van and, later, on his option to the ER. Seems it wasn’t simply indigestion from some unhealthy burritos the night time earlier than; the docs discovered that Blakeley had a gap in his coronary heart.
There isn’t a state of affairs the place that’s going to be excellent news for anybody, particularly a warfighter.
