Most people have never heard of Jason Everman even though he played guitar for two of the greatest grunge bands of the early 1990s.

Everman was born on a remote island off the coast of Alaska after his parents moved there to return to nature. “My birth certificate says Kodiak, but I’m pretty sure it was Ouzinkie,” he said. “My parents lived in a two-room cabin with a pet ocelot named Kia.”

As a young teen he found punk rock music and learned to play the guitar. As an adult, Everman would go on to play for both Nirvana and Sound Garden before either band hit it big. He attempted to pursue a career in music, but he was no longer finding the enjoyment that drew him to the guitar as a teenager.

A friend who had served as a Navy SEAL told Everman that military service was the most rewarding and fulfilling work of his life. Disillusioned by the world of entertainment, 27-year-old Everman enlisted in the United States Army in 1994. There he found a place to excell like never before.

“The deepest most meaningufll relationships I eve, to this day, still have, were men I served with in the military. Guys I called brother,” he said. “Guys I played music with, I never called them brother.”

Everman joined the 2nd Ranger Battalion before earning his Green Beret with the 3rd Special Forces Group. He served for 12 years with multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before being honorably discharged as a Sergeant First Class in 2006 at the age of 39. Everman still works as a military consultant and regularly travels overseas.

Hear more about his journey to the Special Forces in the video below.