A second lieutenant in the U.S. Army looks back on a long career full of twists and turns

Hazel Diaz: What was it like being the youngest of four, growing up in Wisconsin?

Tim Shepard: Well, it was really unusual, mainly because our family went through a lot of tragedy. My dad was killed in a construction accident just after I turned two. Our uncle John lived with us and he was killed in 1963. We lived with my grandpa, he was killed in 1968. And we lived with my uncle Jimmy, and he was killed in 1969. Then in 1976, our house burned to the ground and our mom was killed.

So when I say it was tragedy filled, it really was. I only say that because it really had an impact on all of us, as far as how we were living life. Hard to get over. I got involved with some really bad drugs and had no sense of purpose. But I feel like I should.

One day a friend said that he was going to join the Army. And so I said, 'Well, if you're going to join the Army, Jeff, I'll join with you.' So we went down to the recruiting station and signed up and we joined the Army.

When I took the entrance exam to join the Army, I had a score that was close to the very top score that you could get, so I could do whatever I wanted. I signed up to be a helicopter mechanic, but I ended up as the honor graduate of my school. We never touched a helicopter, which I thought was odd.

So I got my orders and they're sending me to the 101st Airborne Air Assault, and that's a legendary unit. I was like, 'I don't believe Tim Shepard is supposed to be in the 101st Airborne Air Assault.'

The first day, our section sergeant said, 'Well, it's great to have you. We'd love to have an honor graduate. Let's issue your toolbox.' I said, 'Toolbox? What do you think I'm going to do with a toolbox?' And it was downhill from there.

I was a terrible mechanic. I had no business being a mechanic. I ruined two tail rotors. So they said, 'You're off the flight line.' I was like, 'Well, this is terrible.' But the company commander, or the first sergeant, said, 'We think we want you to be the company clerk.' Well, I was Radar O'Reilly on steroids.

I mean, all of the platoon sergeants loved me. The platoon leaders, they all came to me. I took care of them. I spent time with them. Two years doing that and it was fabulous.

My company commander stopped me one day, and he never called me by my first name, but he said, 'Tim, tell me what you're gonna do when you're done. What are you gonna do?' And I told him and he said, 'No, that's not what you're gonna do.' 'It's not?' He said, 'No, you're gonna get out. You're gonna go back to school, you're gonna finish your degree and you're gonna join the National Guard, and go through their officer candidate school. And then you're going to come back on active duty.' 'That doesn't sound like what I had in mind.' And he said, 'No, that's what you need to do.'

So I did exactly what he said. I left Fort Campbell, Kentucky, which is where the 101st was, and I moved to Laramie, Wyoming to go to school, to finish my degree. And at the same time, I joined the National Guard and went through their officer candidate school and in July of 1983, I was commissioned a second lieutenant.

One thing I never forgot was what it was like to be a private. I never forgot what it was like to be treated, whether it was well or not so well. So I worked really hard not to treat people the way I didn't like being treated. Kind of the golden rule of doing unto others as I wanted to have done to me.

By far your most precious resource is your people. The most precious of those people are your privates, and if you'll lead that way, you'll be successful. They'll make you successful because they're really talented. You just have to give them the opportunity to succeed.