Nate Self

From China Spring, Texas, Self graduated from West Point in 1998. At West Point, he was part of the lightweight football team.[1]

After becoming an infantry officer Self deployed to Kosovo with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division, and was then selected to serve in the 75th Ranger Regiment. As platoon leader of 1st Platoon, A Company, 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, he deployed to Afghanistan shortly after 9/11 as part of a Special Operations task force with a mission to kill or capture Taliban and al-Qaeda's top leaders. Self commanded a Quick Reaction Force to rescue a missing Navy SEAL during the Battle of Takur Ghar mountain. For his actions during the battle he was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and a Purple Heart and was invited to attend the 2003 State of the Union Address. Following a tour in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division, where he wrote and directed daily operations and trained Iraqi Security Forces, Nate commanded a rifle company before leaving the Army in 2004.

Since leaving the army, Self went on to co-found a leadership development company in 2006 that worked closely with the US Army named "The Praevius Group" where he leads as a key partner.

Self has also written about his experiences in Afghanistan and his struggle with PTSD in his autobiography entitled Two Wars in 2009.

• MacPherson, M. 2005. Roberts Ridge : A Story of Courage and Sacrifice on Takur Ghar Mountain, Afghanistan, Delacorte, ISBN 0-553-80363-8
• Naylor, S. 2005. Not a Good Day to Die : The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda, Berkley Hardcover ISBN 0-425-19609-7.
• Executive Summary of the Battle of Takur Ghar (pdf)
• National Guard description of Takur Ghar lithograph series.

• Review of Two Wars at Letters on Pages (No longer works)