Pettengill was a 23-year-old vet who had planned to make the army a career, but then he got a severe back injury in Iraq, and that forced him to take a medical discharge.
Pettengill era um veterano de 23 anos que tinha planeado seguir uma carreira no exército, mas que sofreu ferimentos graves  nas costas no Iraque, que o forçaram a ficar de baixa médica.