"I remember us flying on a plane and he was so fascinated by the plane," Concord police Sgt. Maurice Jennings, Hananiah's father, said. "The pilot let him come up to the cockpit. He must have been 9 or 10 at the time. That got him. That hooked him."

Attending West Point is not easy. It takes a lot of work and dedication to be accepted among the ranks, but in the end the rewards are great, Hananiah said.

"They are very selective," he said. "I learned a lot there."

While attending Antioch High School, Jennings played football, basketball and tennis. In his senior year he was the co-captain of the football and tennis teams, which kept him very busy. Even with all the work of playing on the sports teams he was able to keep his grades up and work part time. After graduating, in 2000, he went directly to a West Point preparatory school for one year. Then he was off to West Point for four years, graduating in 2005.

Jennings' father also attended a military prep school, opting instead of attending military school to just join the regular service. Today he is a sergeant for the Concord Police Department. Jennings' older sister, Sheena, served as an enlisted airman for four and a half years in the Air Force as a military police officer. Sheena has since gone on and gotten her master's degree in business administration.

During his military education Jennings attended various schools, including air assault, airborne, armor and air defense artillery. After leaving West Point, Jennings was given the rank of second lieutenant. He continued his training in the Army until he was deployed to Afghanistan in April 2008.

Although most of his time with the 101st Airborne has to remain classified, Jennings said it hasn't always been easy. He now holds the rank of captain. He said he was fortunate to have a three-week break and come home to visit with family and friends last month.

"I've had the chance to see some of my high school buddies since I've been back in town. That's been great," he said. "But mostly I've been spending time with family, which has been really important to me."

Before going to Afghanistan, Jennings said that he had the opportunity to travel around the world. The Army has sent him to England, Kurdistan, Germany and several U.S. states.

Jennings still has another five and a half months in Afghanistan and then to wherever the Army sends him next.

"I'm not sure I'll make the Army my lifetime career," he said.

Even so, he said his time with the Army would definitely do him good in any future career he might choose.

"I've had the opportunity to be a leader and learned a lot about myself during the time I've been in the Army," he said.