Nathan Aguinaga didn't enlist in the Army planning to be a career soldier-a "lifer"-but the Army had other plans. He entered the world of light infantry in one of the nation's top-tier rapid-deployment military units in the early 1990s and would continue for most of the next twenty years as a part of the famed 82nd Airborne Division. Lifer is the comprehensive account of his career journey as a paratrooper, drill sergeant, Army Ranger, and combat veteran.

From the high-tempo daily life of the 82nd Airborne Division to a year spent on the Korean DMZ to time spent as a drill sergeant to the daunting task of successfully completing Ranger School to his time spent in Iraq and even to a support deployment in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Master Sergeant (Retired) Aguinaga tells his unvarnished story of Army life-the trials and tribulations, the joys and sorrows, and the humor found in even the darkest moments of duty.