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US Coast Guard Port Security Specialist Michael Canning served two tours in the Middle East.
The first was in 2008 in Kuwait. Less than a year later, he was sent to the North Arabian Gulf.
Canning spent 105 days on an oil rig. He said, at the time, that oil rig supported 80 percent of Iraq's economy.
He spent 24 hours a day protecting it, sleeping less than 10 miles from the enemy.
"They were testing us to see what we would do. To see our reaction," said Canning. "You don't think about what could [happen.] You think about your job. We have a situation. Deal with it."
Like a lot of soldiers, it was hard for Canning to come back and live what some would consider a "normal life."
"If you're driving down the road you're thinking, 'What's this vehicle doing in front of me What's the vehicle doing behind me? When you come back that mindset doesn't change for a long time. If you stop doing it you feel like you're putting your guard down," said Canning.
Canning looks forward to a new chapter in his life with his wife and new daughter Emma.
