Man sheds nearly 1/2 his weight to fulfill lifelong dream of joining the military

A dedicated man from Kissimme, Florida, lost almost half of his body weight to fulfill his dream of joining the U.S. Army.

Christopher Montijo, 28, wanted to join the army for as long as he could remember, but his weight had been preventing him from achieving that dream.

"Physically, it was just draining to walk, to sleep, to do anything," Montijo told WOFL. "You know, my friends would tell me, 'Are you okay?' and I'm like 'Yeah, I'm just sitting down' and he said 'No but I can hear you breathing really loud.'"

For Montijo's height and weight, the Army required that he weigh under 201 pounds -- he weighed 350 pounds.

Many people take the freedoms and rights we have in the United States for granted -- but Montijo's desire to join the military meant he wouldn't be one of them.

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In only 12 months, Montijo lost 160 pounds just to be able to serve our country. He credits switching to water from soda, not eating out and exercise for his dramatic weight loss.

#Dedicated and #disciplined, #FutureSoldier Christian Chabrier Montijo lost 165 lbs to achieve his dream of joining the @USArmy. More than 12 months and countless hours of training later, he is ready to #serve as a satellite communications systems operator-maintainer. pic.twitter.com/5ZmaUFYlXS

— U.S. Army Recruiting (@usarec) December 3, 2019

"When I started, it wasn’t like a diet, it was like a life change," Montijo said. "A lot of times when you do a diet, it's just 'Okay I'll lose the weight and then I'll go back to it.' So when you make a life change, it's forever."

Montijo is married and has two children. He knew that if he continued with his old lifestyle, he wouldn't be able to see his kids grow up.

"If I keep going [like he had been], little by little I’m gonna die."

Montijo is now 165 pounds and says he feels amazing.

"A special Congratulations to PVT Chabrier Montijo on his immense effort to join the Army," the Kissimmee Army Recruiting Office posted on Facebook. "This young American was determined to join and was willing to lose 165 pounds to make his dream a reality!

"This amazing feat took over twelve months to complete and he continues to work hard to drop weight to be prepared for the challenges of Army Basic Combat training. For some they may see this as impossible but through hard work and dedication he saw it through to end and volunteered to serve as a Satellite Communications Systems Ops Maintainer (25S)."

Montijo passed the Army physical test and will head to Fort Jackson in South Carolina at the beginning of 2020 for Army Basic Combat training.

"You know at the end of the race you get a medal, you get a trophy. That was my medal." Montijo said.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.