NORFOLK -- We've all seen the images of I-E-D explosions injuring Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan. Twice in two months, it happened to Williamsburg native Michael Kidd. Both happened in Iraq in 2005.
"I woke up in the middle of the night one night and I was just being tortured. And I just couldn't figure it out. It just didn't make sense," said Kidd.
Fortunately he had a roommate who understood.
"Thank God he was there so we could talk. He was like, 'Yeah I don't know what it is either, but this is how I am feeling and this is how you are feeling.' We were able to talk about it and he was like 'Okay, we're not crazy,'" added Kidd.
Wednesday, Kidd was officially told by the Marine Corps that he was unfit to serve due to his PTSD. But back in April, he enrolled in a Wounded Warrior I.T. course offered on-base at NAS Oceana by ECPI.
"Ultimately I would like to get a government job working as an ethical hacker. Ethical hacking network security, things like that," said Kidd.
Michael completed the 24-week course and one of three exams needed to become certified.
"There's a lot of companies in Tidewater that like people that have those certificates and there are a lot of government agencies that want to hire these people," said Bob Larner, executive director of ECPI military education.
If he can't fight the enemy in the desert, Michael Kidd says he wants to fight them in cyberspace.
