FORT KNOX, Ky. — Tragedy has a way of stepping out of the dark and changing our lives, whether it be for better or for worse. But for some cadets, tragedy came out of nowhere and gave them something else — perspective.

For Cadet Ommy Irizarry, assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Regiment, Basic Camp, it all started with a plane crash that resulted in the death of his dad.

Irizarry was visiting his father in Florida, the father and son having decided to go to the beach with Irizarry’s little sister, and had been racing to the shore when everything changed.

“We hear[d] a loud crash, and then it was a plane. Whenever I looked back, it was a plane already there,” Irizarry said. “My father’s head was cracked open, [and] my little sister was unconscious.”

Immediately following the crash, after seeing his father floating in the water, Irizarry grabbed his sister and ran back to find his grandmother and call for help.  At that point, he had his younger sister with him and made an effort to keep her turned away from the tragedy behind them.

But that day solidified Irizarry’s calling in life. With his father having been enlisted in the Army, it seemed obvious to Irizarry what he was meant to do.

“I decided to do this because [I want] to follow my father’s legacy and carry on his will,” Irizarry said.

According to Irizarry, he had always admired his father for being in the military and fighting for his country, and after his passing, he wanted to follow in his footsteps while also pursuing something new — the path of an officer.

But tragedy has other tactics for influencing the lives of cadets.

Cadet Jermey Houston, assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Regiment, Basic Camp, was 19 when a family of five got in a car accident that occurred nearby his house. As someone who was considering going into nursing at the time, when he heard that there was a child with a head injury, Houston did not waste any time before rushing to help.

“Without shoes, no socks, I just ran outside. I ran out there to go see if everyone was okay,” Houston said.

After arriving at the scene, Houston saw his nanny with the baby in his nanny’s hands, and instinct took over.

“I made sure to try and stop the bleeding for the baby, and then after that, that’s when a lot of people [were] starting to come over to try to help,” he said. “I made sure to stop the bleeding as quick[ly] as possible so it could be neutralized.”

The surrounding bystanders worked with Houston to help get the rest of the family members out of the car, and Houston fought to keep an injured grandmother with a broken arm conscious while waiting for reinforcements to arrive on the scene.

While both cadets experienced different kinds of tragedy, the influence was still the same — the cruel twist of fate resulted in them finding the Reserved Officers’ Training Corps.

Houston claimed that he had spent previous years trying to figure out if he wanted to join ROTC, but after the accident and some encouragement from one of his instructors, he realized how much more he could do if he joined the program.

“I thought, you know what? I really want to be in the hospital, why don’t I use the military to pay for my master’s degree, and then also my doctor’s degree as well,” he said. “It’s a blessing to be able to know that I really found my passion. I really found my purpose when it came down to that car accident.”

For Irizarry, following in his dad’s footsteps has been full of new experiences. From meeting cadets from all different backgrounds to learning vital information during trailing, he knows without a doubt that his father is proud of who, and what, he has become.

“I know he’s proud. I hope he’s proud, watching me complete my goals, following his footsteps and taking care of our family,” he said.

Even though tragedy has a way of leaving scars that extend far below the surface, there is one thing about it that is certain — that sometimes it has the possibility to give you not only perspective, but it also opens the doors to a life-changing choice.