May 4 2017
RAF LAKENHEATH, United Kingdom — Zachary Kasperek grew up in Angola, New York, on the shores of Lake Erie, playing with G.I. Joes and fighting with friends over who shot who in their imaginary games of war.
He always wanted to join the military.
After the Sept. 11 terror attacks, military recruiters started calling his older brother. Zachary would answer the phone and try to convince them that at 11, he was not too young to sign up. He wanted to fight bad guys and “see the world.”