SGT Scotty Hasting, U.S. Army, Afghanistan, Purple Heart

Scotty Hasting is now a popular country music singer but his story of service will explain a lot about the performer you see today.Hasting grew up in the Cincinnati, Ohio-Northern Kentucky area and developed immense respect for the U.S. military from the movies and television shows he watched. He enlisted in the Army at age 21, which quickly made him the "old man" in basic training. Hasting wanted to serve in the infantry because he wanted to be in the fight. Just a few months after basic training, he was off to Afghanistan with the 4-4 Cav. In April 2011, Hasting was severely wounded after being shot 10 times by an enemy gunman.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Hasting takes us to the day he was wounded in great detail. He explains how his brothers in the 4-4 Cav responded to his wounds and got him evacuated. He will also share how close he came to dying shortly after everyone in Kandahar thought he was stable enough to fly to Germany. He also tells us about his recovery at Walter Reed and his determination to return to active duty with his unit despite his wounds. Hasting then describes the path that led him to music and a very unlikely career in country music where he focuses a lot on helping veterans. He even shares a powerful story about how one veteran who planned to commit suicide changed his mind after hearing one of Scotty's song.