For Marc Esposito, the Sept. 11 attacks, the ability to solve complex problems and an addiction to life’s thrills played into his decision to join the Air Force.

“I was always driven to find something that has adventure as a young person, something with an element of danger. Something that I would have, you know, autonomy to solve complex problems,” Esposito said. “And really, after 9/11, that was the thing that really resonated with me and made it clear that I wanted to go to the military. But I didn’t want to do the regular military path; I wanted to find something where I was doing something very adventurous. I wanted to go after the bad guys.”

Esposito, a 2004 Boardman High School graduate who now lives in San Antonio, Texas, joined the Air Force immediately after high school. While he had relatives who steered him toward the branch, Esposito admitted that it wasn’t his first choice, considering other branches.

“I talked to all the services initially. Navy SEALs was the thing I wanted to do because I love the water, all the aspects or the thought of maritime operations, diving in the ocean or jumping out of planes,” Esposito said. “I talked to them first, then the Army, then the Marines and finally, following my guidance from my family members, I was like, ‘all right, just go check out the Air Force.'”

Esposito said the Air Force’s contributions to unconventional warfare and special operations resonated with him, noting it did everything the SEALs did but was also the only branch that held a dual role as both the “destroyer of enemies” and the first on-call for humanitarian disasters.

Esposito had a near-death experience in Afghanistan in 2009, being caught in a firefight while simultaneously controlling air support.

The Humvee he was in hit a roadside bomb, sending him flying through the air, slamming him to the ground and knocking him unconscious. Esposito was left mangled by the experience, being unconscious for several days and getting treated for a traumatic brain injury, severe burns and broken bones in his legs, feet and back.

Esposito was wheelchair-bound for five months, spending extensive time at the San Antonio Military Medical Center and the Center for the Intrepid at Duke University, where he was in rehab.

“They (The Center for the Intrepid) taught me how to walk again. I figured out how to walk again after almost five months, but I remember going in there one day and I was like ‘I don’t remember how to go downstairs, you guys are gonna have to help me’. I was going down like a kid, like on my butt,” Esposito said.

Esposito said adaptive sports, such as the Warrior Games or the Sea to Shining Sea Ride played a “critical part” in getting him back both mentally and physically, pushing him past a lot of possible plateaus in his life.

Esposito’s troubles haven’t gone without reward, too.

He was presented with the Lance P. Sijan Leadership Award earlier this year, one of the Air Force’s most prestigious awards.

“I was blown up in Afghanistan, and I was basically on the brink of death while doing the job that I’ve worked so hard to achieve,” Esposito said. “And then everything I was capable of doing was ripped from my hands because I was basically blown to pieces. I’ve since been put back together and recovered to the point of being able to assess for Special Operations Officer. The award to me is just the least I can do to give back to all those people who were involved in putting me back together and getting me back to where I’m able to be.”

Outside of his military-based responsibilities, Esposito spends time with his kids, crediting them for allowing him to feel young again. He also has a passion for motorsports, doing some driving instruction and setting a track record at a racetrack in Florida.

To suggest a Friday profile, contact Metro Editor Marly Reichert at mreichert@tribtoday.com or Features Editor Ashley Fox at afox@tribtoday.com.