Former MTI’s road to recovery transformed tragedy into inspiration

In the pitch blackness and pre-dawn stillness, his booming voice alone was enough to send several dozen new trainees into a frenzied scramble from the comfort of their bunks. His scowl was enough to keep those trainees frozen into a formation of stone figures.

Tech. Sgt. Matthew Zien was one of those military training instructors who seemed to have boundless energy, rousing new troops long before dawn and taking care of issues long after sunset. He was a textbook MTI.

That’s what would make it hard to believe that Zien would be struggling with his life less than a year after turning in his campaign hat, dealing with an unforeseen illness that would not only threaten his life, but send him into the depths of despair that would put that MTI strength to the ultimate test.
more…