SFC Berchtold moved to Chillicothe to be closer to his wife’s family. He came at a time when headlines frequently report the toll of the United State’s war in Iraq and Afghanistan. “It is the hardest job I’ve ever done,” he says. “But I love what I do.” With a son serving his second tour of duty in Iraq he says he can empathize with the families he meets and the decisions they face.

Sergeant First Class (SFC) David Berchtold meets with a high school senior who had expressed interest in joining the Army outside her Carrollton, Mo. home.