a DRIVEN life story of WO1 ANTHONY RADETIC, US ARMY Ret.

First and foremost, thank you Anthony for your service.

Retired US Army Warrant Officer Anthony Radetic is one RAD guy! We first met Anthony five years ago on a jet ski adventure up the eastern seaboard, The Never Quit Challenge; an event giving wounded veterans the thrilling experience of traveling by water from the Florida Keys to New York City in six days. To say this man is DRIVEN is an extreme understatement. By perusing his lengthy list of adventures and accolades or scrolling his action-packed profile, it would be hard to imagine he travels most frequently by wheelchair. Nothing can slow this man down; he is full of adventure and of life.

Anthony's U.S. ARMY Career

Anthony's military career started at a young age, with the dream of becoming a fighter pilot. His dreams were halted when finding out his eye sight would prevent him from living his dreams. Despite knowing he would not be able to have his dream job, he entered the U.S. Army as a parachute rigger (92R), quickly earning the rank of E5. Special Forces saw his drive and talent and recruited him to become a Special Forces Communication Sergeant (18E). It was then that the U.S. Army began a new program that allowed soldiers that had photorefractive keratotomy eye surgery to take place in a special test program and attend Army flight school. Anthony was selected for this program, promoted to WO1, completed helicopter flight training and became an Army Aviator (153A).

On February 17, 2004, his forward progressing dream of becoming a fighter pilot, was yet again halted. On his way home from a flight training mission he was in a motorcycle accident and suffered spinal cord injuries that would force him to adjust to a new wheel chair life. One with new challenges and adjustments; but with the right positive and motivated mindset came new adventures. Anthony continues to seize every given opportunity to "DIE LIVING"!

What does living a DRIVEN life mean to you?

Driven means picking a goal in a life and following through, not allowing yourself to become distracted.

What are your top 3 accomplishments in life thus far?

I would have to say my family. My wife and two children are my biggest source of pride and accomplishment.

What drives you to be who you are and do what you do today?

I work toward being a better person than the man I was yesterday. We all have setbacks and delays in life that are out of our control, I work towards being adaptable to life and improving daily within changing situations.

Do you have a quote or life motto that guides you?

"Never give up. Die living." That's basically all you can do, keep trying.

Who has been or is the most inspirational person to you?

My father continues to inspire me daily. His advice and guidance have increased in value as I've grown older. Thank you everything Dad!

What's the best advice you've ever received?

Take advantage of the time you have. Life is short.

What're your top 3 goals over the next 10 years?

1. Spend time with my family and make sure all their needs are taken care of.
2. Improve and be better as an athlete each year.
3. Be a father that my kids always look up to and ask for advice.

What advice do you have to guide the next generation of you?

Well, the world is changing each day and it's hard to give advice based on that, but to the younger generation I would say, "Don't rest, assuming life owes you anything. Never underestimate the value of hard work. Coming home exhausted is not necessarily a bad thing. Look at yourself honestly and improve the things you don't like. Spend quality time with the important people in your life. It's the connections we have with others that defines the quality of our own lives."

Thank you Anthony for sharing your aDRIVENlife story. You have been an inspiration to us and we know you will continue to inspire others for a lifetime. Your perspective of change and adapting with things out of your control is a hard concept; you are proof that with the right mindset we can all be better today than we were yesterday, despite the need to overcome things outside of our control. Die living aDRIVENlife RAD guy! Brittany & Dusty