Scott DeLuzio:    00:00:00    Thanks for tuning into the Drive On Podcast where we’re focused on giving hope and strength to the entire military community, whether you’re a veteran, active duty, guard, reserve, or family member, on this podcast we’ll share inspirational stories and resources that are useful to you. I’m your host, Scott DeLuzio. And now let’s get on with the show. Hi everybody, welcome back to the Drive On Podcast. Today my guest is David Dezso. David is a founder and CEO of Banyan Risk Group. Prior to starting Banyan, he served 10 years as an Army Green Beret, and he’s here today to talk about his career in the military, as well as what he’s done afterwards to help veterans. So welcome to the show, David; why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?  

David Dezso    00:00:46    Yeah, thanks for having me. It’s great to be able to share my story with the guys that are trying to transition now and trying to figure out the next phase. I served from 2004 to 2014, transitioned out of there and jumped into business and then jumped into the entrepreneur lane, which a lot of veterans jump into these days. So, based out of Houston, I’m married with two kids, so everything so far, so good. 

Scott DeLuzio:    00:01:18    And I find it interesting. I want to talk back a little bit about how you ended up getting into the military. I find it interesting to hear about how people get into the military, what their motivations were and ultimately what their career path was along the way. And correct me if I’m wrong, when you were in law school, correct, when you eventually decided to enlist in the military, is that correct? 

David Dezso: Yeah.

Scott DeLuzio:  So, what was the motivation behind that decision to join the military and how did you come about that decision and everything that went along with that?  

David Dezso    00:01:53    Yeah. So I grew up in Texas and went to the Citadel, which is a military college in South Carolina. I wasn’t your typical military guy. I was pretty laid back and chill looked at ruck marching as like an abuse of not being out in Charleston on Saturdays. But for the most part, I thought about being a JAG but really wasn’t trying to turn anything over on that side.  I was an air force ROTC; so again, as laid back as you can get within the Citadel’s framework, I went on to law school and was going to be a prosecutor and 9/11 happened. And in my second year, actually my first year, a year and from then I kinda just felt like I was in the wrong place.  

David Dezso    00:02:40    At that point, I had a little bit of a hiccup with some knee issues. I had two knee surgeries prior and then needed to have a third to be able to get in the military. Because I had screws on the top of my knee, which are on the top, right below my knee. That would be kind of hard to deal with if you were trying to join the army. So once 2001 hit, I was headstrong doing my research. I joined the Marines, Air Force, Army, Navy, and looked at all of them and really liked the structure of the Army where you could go infantry, airborne, ranger, SF, and JSOC. And the idea would be you stop at whatever level you’re most capable at and where you’re kind of limited to.  

David Dezso    00:03:28    So if you’re at an Airborne Infantry unit, that’s great. If you’re an airborne unit, even better, if you’re a ranger battalion, exceptional stuff. And then if you know, at the time I didn’t have grand visions of a special operations career, I just kind of set forth with it. I wanted to...