Dakota Hopper, raised in Arizona and Massachusetts, comes from a family with a tradition of military service. Hopper’s family history and desire for economic mobility led him to join the Army in 2010. He attended Sniper School at Fort Benning, GA, where he remained for the first two years of his service. He spent nine months at Hohenfels Army Air Field in Germany before being deployed to Kunduz province in Afghanistan. Hopper engaged in several firefights and experienced two IEDs. He speaks thoughtfully about the cultural barriers between Americans and Afghanis, the nature of the Taliban, and transition to civilian life.

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