Great read on Lyman joining the Army

This is really a great read on Lymans choice to join the Army.

http://wakeboardingmag.com/features/...-the-military/

Thanks for your time on the board Lyman, we will miss you. Good luck and God Speed!

That was cool. Thanks for posting Andy. Lyman will always be toward the top of my list of favorite riders. Dude has one of the sickest styles out of anyone out there.

I agree, its sad to see him leave the sport. But after reading that he is leaving for all the right reasons. I have hung out with Lyman a handful of times. One of the nicest, most humble riders I have met.

i read in some other interview he really wished he could one day fly the f 22 raptor... i guess what he got is something in that direction, after having read this part:

" What I’ve signed up to do is badass. It’s a high-speed job, and it’s exactly what I wanted. The contract I was able to get was pretty difficult to get with the branch I’ve chosen to go into. I’m looking forward to getting started and pursuing this dream."

Great article! Lyman's heart and drive will help him go places in the army, but he won't be flying a F-22 or and other fixed-wing aircraft because they don't have them. I doubt he went in as a officer, so my guess would be Airborne. He could later become a Ranger or a warrant officer and fly helicopters.

Where does it say he is actually going to the Army? It just says military...

Regardless, best of luck to him, and theres alot to be said about following your dream...

Thanks for posting this. I feel Keith Lyman is a true role model for the sport but even more he is just simply a good model citizen who sees the opportunity to to reap all of the rewards of his life while giving back to this country.

Keith Lyman makes me proud to actually own a LF Lyman board. Because of this, I will look forward to displaying this in my garage when I'm done riding it, so people can ask why I have it on display.

Thanks Keith, your choices makes most of us feel better about who we are!

I agree great article. I’m also fond of Army (been in over 18 years). He is a class act!

my guess he's in the 18x or xray program.

from the internet:

18X isn't actually an MOS (Military Occupation Specialty). Instead, it's an enlistment option. Until recently, the only way to join the Army Special Forces was to apply after achieving the grade of E-4.

Under the 18X enlistment option, recruits are guaranteed the opportunity to "try out" for Special Forces. It does not guarantee that the recruit will be accepted into the Special Forces program. It only guarantees that the recruit will be given the opportunity to see if he "has the stuff."

A recruit who enlists in the 18X Special Forces enlistment program will attend Infantry OSUT (One Station Unit Training), which combines Army Basic Training and Infantry AIT (Advanced Individual Training), all in one 17-week course.

Upon graduation, recruits attend Airborne Training at Fort Benning, GA. After "jump school," recruits attend a 4-week Special Operations Preparation Course (SOPC) at McKenna MOUT Site, Fort Benning, Georgia. Following graduation from SOPC, recruits are scheduled for the Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) program. This is a very tough course, and has an extremely high wash-out rate. The Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) program assesses and selects Soldiers for attendance at the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC). This program allows SF an opportunity to assess each Soldier's capabilities by testing his physical, emotional, and mental stamina. The SFAS also allows each Soldier the opportunity to make a meaningful and educated decision about SF and his career plan.

"Hopefully there will be an era in wakeboarding where all the riders are just launching tricks out into the flats. Hopefully I’m remembered as one of the originators of that style."

- He hit it on the head with that last line.

Great read.