TOP CHARACTER STRENGTHS

BRAVERY - HUMOR - LOVE

Noah was raised in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. He was the youngest of five children born to blue collar, working parents. Being that Noah was the baby, he was doted on by each of his siblings and lived a life filled with love and adventure. Noah was extremely active and embraced the "Colorado" lifestyle. Spending his free time snowboarding, hiking, rock climbing and immersing himself into music. Noah was always enthralled with the military and it came as no surprise that he enlisted right out of high school. Noah chose infantry and to be a part of the 10th Mountain Division. This was huge for him, as he was raised a short distance from the birth of this division. During his first year, Noah, like so many before him was deployed to Afghanistan. He did his tour with pride and honor, welcoming a beautiful daughter while overseas. Upon his return to native soil, he quickly began his rise in rank. Noah's ability was not overlooked and he was appointed to Drill School. Noah did not take this lightly and graduated from the program with a second in class ranking. He had just moved to Ft. Benning (where he had done his basic training) to embark on this new chapter. We have no doubt he would have excelled in this role, had he been given the time.

Character Strength Stories:

Bravery - Noah was always brave. I remember this adorable little diapered boy being picked on by a pair of geese on the family ranch. He had been chased and harassed by these birds for quite some time when he decided he had had enough. He saw these rotten birds start their charge and stood his ground. Puffing up his little two year old chest as they came at him. He stood his ground, despite the obvious fear that it caused. In the end, Noah did get chased by these animals, but never backed down from them again. He displayed this type of courage with everything he did. Fear was not an option, but a crutch, and he wasn't limping.

Humor - Noah was one of the funniest humans I have ever had the pleasure to encounter. He was animated and quick witted. The life of the party, always dancing ( best "Carlton" dance impression ever), laughing and cracking jokes. The last hike that I made with my brother found us climbing the Glenwood Canyon to the high alpine Hanging Lake. I always would wear a baseball cap on a hike and this limited my field of vision. After making the climb, we decided to continue up the mountain to see the waterfall that fed the lake. As I stepped on a rock in the trail, my limited view caused me to miss the bent trunk of a tree growing from the cliffside. I smacked my head, full force, and made myself see stars. Immediately, Noah was at my side helping me to level ground and checking to be sure that I had not seriously injured myself. "Did you give yourself Brain Damage?" he asked. Just as I was about to answer he added, "Eh, you wouldn't be able to tell anyway!" The onlookers all flinched at his comment until they saw me laughing with tears in my eyes. "Shut up! Not everyone needs to now my limited capacity!" This was followed with uproarious laughter and a big hug.

Love - Noah was so full of love. For life, his family and his friends. He tasked me with telling the family how much he loved them. When Noah was fourteen, I found out that I was going to be a mom. He was thrilled, but also, a teenager. Acting aloof and moderately unimpressed. That is until there was ultrasound imaging. Gifting my parents an image of their first grandchild, they hung the ultrasound on the fridge. One day, the image just disappeared. Nobody knew where it had gone and nobody came forward saying that they took it. It was a big mystery until my mom went to the school and was congratulated on her "promotion". Not knowing what the teacher meant by this, my mom pried a little information from her. Noah had borrowed the ultrasound to bring to school and show off his new niece to teachers, staff and his friends. His love for his family was always one of the biggest pieces of his life.

-Samantha, Surviving Sister