NEW LONDON

If the U.S. military is looking for a poster child, they need look no further than Edison High School graduate Brian Church, 24.

Church was a member of the National Honor Society at Edison High School in Milan when he enrolled in the U.S. Air National Guard 200 Red Horse unit in 2001.

Six years later, he's completed four tours of duty in Jamaica, Kuwait, Qatar, and Iraq, and completed his business management degree at Wright State University with a 3.5 grade-point average.

But Church admitted when he signed his enlistment papers, the thought of actually going to war never entered his mind.

"Our base is pretty small and we do construction," Church said. "My recruiter said our base hadn't been to war since the 1970s. My dad served 23 years and didn't have to go to war."

That pre-9/11 naivete was cured with a sobering dose of reality the day New York City's twin towers fell, a day Church said he will never forget.

Church said on the morning of Sept. 11, he was in training at a base in Gulf Port, Miss. When the news that the nation was under attack came in, Church said he was more concerned about his fellow soldiers than about actually going into combat.

"I wasn't worried about where I would be," Church said. "There were quite a few people trying to make contact with their parents at the Pentagon.

"A lot of them were really worried. I was in the moment trying to calm my friends down."

Church said the reality of possibly fighting in a war did not really hit him until he was on his way to the Middle East.

"I didn't think about it till I was on the plane headed to Kuwait and Quitar," he said. It didn't hit home until I was on that plane for 20 hours. At that point I prayed and trusted in the Lord to take care of me."

After working in Kuwait's scorching 140 degrees temperatures, Church eventually made his way back to Dayton during the fall of 2004.

He enrolled at Wright State University only to be pulled out a semester later to go to Iraq, which was frustrating for Church, who said being pulled in and out of school made it harder to focus on his goal of graduating.

"I whined and complained a little bit, but when it's all over. I'm better for it," Church said.

Even though he was disappointed about being pulled out of school, Church said he was proud and excited to serve in Iraq.

While most people have trouble sleeping with the T.V. on, Church had to sleep with an orchestra of gun, tank, and mortar fire echoing through the night.

One one occasion, a mortar shell exploded just 20 feet away from his sleeping quarters. On another occasion, an explosive devise made by insurgents was detonated right outside of Church's base. Although he never actually had to face combat, Church said he dealt with the reality of possibly dying everyday with a steely resolve, which was grounded in a profound sense of faith.

"I trusted in God to lead me everyday," he said. "That's why I wasn't worried, cause if it was my time, God would allow it. If it wasn't, who's going to fight God? I can't imagine being over there and not trusting in God."

Church was stationed in Iraq for six months until he was able to come back to the States where he completed his degree in Business Management at Wright State University in November of 2006.

Although Church is humble about all he's accomplished, his parents are happy to talk about how brave and determined their son has been over the years.

"We're very grateful for what he has done," said Church's mom, Kathy. "Whatever he has set his mind to do, he has completed, no matter how hard or challenging it was. He could've said forget my degree, but he rose to the challenge."

Church's dad, Keith, who is a 23 year veteran of the air force, said he thinks being in the military actually helped his son.

"I think the military helped him stay focused," he said. "It helped him stay even more focus over here on what needs to get done. This kind of matured and developed him in a way that would have taken 5-10 years over here."

Before he moves on to the next chapter in his life, Church said he wants to take some time to catch his breath.

"I'm taking a break," he said. "This is my last month in the military. I'm free to travel and not have to come back. I can get away from school and skateboard."

Church said he's not sure what he wants to do next, but he plans to get a job soon and maybe open up his own CD store with one of his friends.