Mark Greene grew up in a military family but his dream was to play quarterback. And he was doing well until an injury suddenly ended his career in college. After half-heartedly (at best) trying to finish college and taking other jobs, he and a friend joined the U.S. Navy with dreams of becoming Navy SEALs.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Lt. Greene discusses how he wound up in the Navy, how he struggled mightily to meet the qualifications to attend BUD/s training, and the physical and mental challenges of the six month gauntlet of becoming a SEAL.

Greene also takes us with him to sniper school - from the random way he got the assignment to the very high standards required to pass to the teamwork and quick calculations that sniper teams go through in training and in combat.

You'll also hear how Greene was almost killed by falling off Navy ships on two different occasions and the unexpected challenges he faced when trying to become an officer.

This is the first of two episodes featuring Lt. Greene. Please listen next week when we discuss his deployments to Iraq & Afghanistan and the work he does helping servicemembers transition from military to civilian life.