Aidan grew up in Northwest New Jersey before enlisting as a Navy nuclear technician. He spent two years in tech school in South Carolina where he worked in a reactor control division on the nuclear submarine USS Pasadena. He then moved to San Diego to deploy to the Western Pacific, eventually returning to the East Coast and a new homeport in Norfolk, Virginia. After leaving the Navy he spent six months biking around Europe and the United Kingdom.

Josh grew up in Chicago before moving to Georgia where he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a medic. After completing his lengthy training, he was assigned to the 514th Ground Ambulance Company at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Josh served as an ambulance aid and supported many COVID-19 missions the past two years.

Adam was born and raised in Central Arkansas, enlisting as an infantryman in the Army National Guard in 2012, returning home in 2019. He still misses range days and those moments one only shares with fellow servicemembers. The first of his family to leave the South, and with the support of his “Yankee partner,” Adam is eager to feed a nascent thirst for knowledge by embracing, as he puts it, “the expansiveness of the world.”

Kristian was born in Japan but raised in Louisiana where he enlisted in the US Army as a satellite communications operator and maintainer. Kristian served 6 years as a communicator for 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne). He deployed twice to Afghanistan and once to the Baltic region to support Special Forces ODA’s located in austere conditions. These deployments and the exposure to foreign cultures instilled in Kristian a deep respect for the past, urging him to pursue a career in archaeology.

Originally from Israel, Tom moved to the U.S. at the age of 10. He enlisted into the United States Marine Corps and deployed twice to the Middle East. During his service, he was a squad leader focused on training and mentoring subordinates in a combat environment. Additionally, he graduated from a variety of courses ranging from drone operations, intelligence collection, and advanced infantry tactics.

Longyang was born in China before moving to Queens, New York at the age of 14. While she was still in High School, she decided to join the United States Navy, graduating from NAS Pensacola as an aviation support equipment technician. During her service she was stationed at FRC West Fort Worth where she supported and maintained 100% flight readiness for both Navy and Marine air missions. She also served on the base honor guard, performing funerary services and special event support.

Originally from Huntsville, Alabama, Isaiah spent six years in the Air Force serving as a weather forecaster. Isaiah’s first duty station in 2016 was at Scott AFB in Illinois as part of the 15th Operational Weather Squadron, where he served as a weather forecaster. His second tour was at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center on Joint Base Pearl Harbor- Hickam. During his time at the JTWC, Isaiah served as a satellite analyst, analyzing tropical cyclones for the Navy.