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SALT LAKE CITY Choice Kinchen was among the first U.S. soldiers to cross the border into Iraq in March of 2003.

I'm sure most people would remember the statute of Saddam when he came down," he said. "I was actually around the corner. That was my 21st birthday.

The veteran went straight from high school into the military in the hopes hed be able to go to one day go to college.

I am 100 percent permanent and total," said Kinchen. "A bomb blew up in front of me in Iraq. They gave me a TBI, and a lot of people that found out, you know, they're not quite aware of what PTSD is. They think it's because I went to war, and my PTSD stems more from coming home.

He struggled for years with addiction, gambling and homelessness attempting to pursue his degree, finally returning to the University of Utah in 2018.

If I can make it out of, you know, where I dragged myself out of, then anybody can do it," said Kinchen. "So that's kind of what I want to do, is definitely help veterans realize that there is life after war.

At Thursdays commencement ceremony, Taylor Randall, U of U's president, honored the 41-year-old grad, sharing his journey of perseverance with thousands of students, families and friends.

He was able to find a new road," said Angela Brink, Office Manager at the U of U Veterans Support Center. "I've watched him go from dark to light, and that process for him to find his smile was just amazing to watch.

Kinchen plans to pursue a master's degree in social work, so in the future, he can help veterans like himself work through PTSD.

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Iraq War veteran graduates from college after battling PTSD, addiction and homelessness - FOX 13 News Utah