Isaac Greenberg, a solution engineer at Deloitte, a business consulting firm, says Tucson Hebrew Academy provides its students a strong sense of family and of the importance of community service.
“And doing something without recognition is one the most honorable life experiences,” says Greenberg.
(Courtesy Isaac Greenberg)
Greenberg, 33, who grew up in Tucson, attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., graduating in 2005. Two weeks into his studies at West Point, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks shocked the United States and put the military academy on guard. It was rumored West Point was a potential target for both strategic and symbolic reasons, Greenberg explains, but the threat simply galvanized his resolve to serve.
“I didn’t want to give up, and I didn’t want to give in to fear,” he says.
Greenberg spent his nine-year military career as an intelligence officer. He began his training with the 1-32 Infantry Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division in Fort Drum, N.Y. and rose to the rank of company commander, responsible for 250 soldiers. He served two tours in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007 before leaving active duty in March 2015, and was recently promoted to Major in the Army Reserves.
A few days into his first deployment, Greenberg realized providing intelligence and strategic battlefield resources to the frontlines of an armed conflict had a huge impact. But his extensive training assured he would execute any mission during the most stressful times, he says.
Wherever Greenberg was in the world, the bond with his THA classmates never faltered, he says. The close knit community THA creates for its students made his childhood friends feel like family. In fact, three of Greenberg’s groomsmen, and two of his closest friends today, he met while attending THA, he says.
When his sister, Anna, was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer, his friends played an integral supporting role for her while he was deployed.
He learned so much from his sister, especially about always keeping a positive attitude, says Greenberg, who speaks of her in the present tense. They shared a love for reaching out to their community, he says, knowing “our positivity is something that we can spread, even through the darkest times.”
Greenberg also recalls his time at Sahuaro High School fondly. He played linebacker for the Cougars and had early aspirations to pursue a professional football career. But he’s honored to have served his country, he says, and to have graduated from one the most prestigious military academies in the world. Currently, he resides in Orlando, Fla. with his wife, Felicia, where the couple is tackling their latest mission — raising their 15-month-old son, Noah.
