Pacifica Sauer left high school at the age 17 to join the U.S. Navy. "Life was new and exciting, and I couldn't wait to be in it," she said. In February of 1996, Sauer left home for boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois, ready for a big adventure. "It was challenging in the ways I expected it to be, and shocking in others. Service in the military is a proud family tradition. It was something I found worth doing."