Matthew Hanes grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania. He is a U.S. Army special forces officer and graduate student at the Naval Postgraduate School. Matt commissioned from the United States Military Academy in 2009 as an infantry officer and entered special forces in 2014. During his career as an infantryman and Green Beret, Matt has deployed six times to four countries, including two trips to both Afghanistan and Iraq. The views expressed in this article are his own and do not necessarily represent those of the Naval Postgraduate School, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense.