A new piece in New York Times Magazine profiles Jason Everman, who played for legendary rock bands Nirvana and Soundgarden before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1994.
Everman was twice burnt. Nirvana kicked him out just short of their huge success, and Soundgarden did the same. Not to be deterred, Everman enlisted in the Army, became an Army Ranger, then went into the Special Forces.
He had three drill sergeants, two of whom were sadists. Thank God it was the easygoing one who saw it. He was reading a magazine, when he slowly looked up and stared at Everman. Then the sergeant walked over, pointing to a page in the magazine. “Is this you?” It was a photo of the biggest band in the world, Nirvana. Kurt Cobain had just killed himself, and this was a story about his suicide. Next to Cobain was the band’s onetime second guitarist. A guy with long, strawberry blond curls. “Is this you?”
Everman exhaled. “Yes, Drill Sergeant.”
Everman went on to deploy multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan as a Ranger, and later a Green Beret. After separating from active duty in 2006, he enrolled in Columbia University’s School of General Studies, majoring in philosophy.
The full write up in the New York Times is well worth the read.
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