FORT KNOX, Ky. — Arriving from the Smoky Mountain Brigade, Cadet Tyler Crowe, , 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp, returned to Kentucky after overcoming a difficult battle. Fighting a twist of fate, he spent a year building persistence and Army grit.

Crowe found himself in the Army relatively early. In his junior year of high school, he went to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri to complete basic training. This experience drew him to embrace the challenges of the military.

Upon graduating high school, Crowe was offered contracts to become a counterintelligence analyst or a military dog handler. However, he turned them both down to enlist in the Tennessee Army National Guard in 2020. Later, his father encouraged him to consider Army ROTC.

As part of the Simultaneous Membership Program, Crowe enlisted in the National Guard while enrolled as a Cadet at his university.

“I was told by a wise person (my dad) not to limit myself,” Crowe said. “He recommended me to become an officer.”

Helping his son plan his future, he advised him to explore all possibilities. Preparedness is a quality he had instilled in Crowe.

“I thought ROTC was the most effective route, and I still get to have that hometown experience without going to academy,” he said.

He expected to arrive at Cadet Summer Training last summer until he faced a devastating accident.

During a jiu-jitsu sparring match, he was caught in a guillotine choke where his entire body weight was flipped over his neck.

At the hospital, Crowe learned his spinal cord had been compressed and that he suffered a herniated disc.

“I couldn’t push open a door,” he said. “I had a ton of nerve blockages.”

He faced another setback on the road to recovery. A second disc herniated without warning, worsening his injury.

“(The hospital) pretty much told me to have the surgery or have permanent nerve damage,” Crowe said. “I had to make a tough decision.”

He chose to have the surgery.

It lasted two hours, one for each disc. He was released from the hospital only hours later. For four weeks he could hardly muster the strength to walk.

“Then at the six-week mark I was able to lift five pounds,” Crowe said. “A gallon of milk is eight (pounds).”

He could take care of himself after several more weeks and then began electro and physical therapy.

A year later, Crowe returned to CST.

He still relied on the support of those close to him while enduring these challenges. Bringing a refined resilience to his platoon after overcoming a difficult year, he knows that strength comes from others and within.

Noted by his Cadre, Crowe continues to hold this mentality firm. Now back at CST, he has found the time to develop those around him and learn from others too.

An alum of the UT Chattanooga, Crowe hopes to commission into the infantry or armor branch following graduation from CST. He is prepared to accept any challenge that comes his way alongside his peers.

“Embracing the hard obstacles has always brought me some fulfillment,” said Crowe. “It’s very hard to do that by yourself.”