An edgy, gripping report from the front lines by a young veteran and cast member of The Real World: BrooklynRyan Conklin enlisted in the Army at age seventeen, following 9/11, and joined Angel Company. As a turret gunner with the famed 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles," and a member of the famed "Rakkasans" regiment-the most decorated regiment in the U.S. Army-he endured hellish conditions in the war-torn city of Tikrit, Iraq.When he returned to th...

Responding to President Lincoln's initial call for troops, the 18th New York Infantry emerged as one of the Excelsior State's first regiments and mustered many of its earliest volunteers. Formed of companies from across the state, the unit saw combat early, suffering the first casualties of the Bull Run campaign when they were ambushed on the march four days before the battle. As part of the Army of the Potomac, they fought at Gaines's Mill, Crampton's Gap, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Cha...

Ryan A. Conklin enlisted in the U.S. Army at age seventeen, following 9/11, and joined Angel Company. As a turret gunner with the famed 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles" and a member of the famed "Rakkasans" regiment—the most decorated regiment in the U.S. Army—he endured hellish conditions in the war-torn city of Tikrit, Iraq.After he returned to the States, he became a cast member on The Real World: Brooklyn in 2008. That came to an end when he received his notice recall...