--- title: "To Serve a Nation: A Veteran’s Take on Second" description: "To Serve a Nation: A Veteran’s Take on Second" image: https://blog.iamsecond.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/20101203-20101203-E3_I-am-Second_Remi-Adeleke-88-199x300-3.jpg --- - Shop - [Media Store](https://iamsecond.vhx.tv/) - [I Am Second Store](https://store.iamsecond.com/) - [Our Story](https://www.iamsecond.com/our-story/) - [Donate](https://www.iamsecond.com/donate/) [Log In](https://www.iamsecond.com/join/) [![](https://www.iamsecond.com/wp-content/themes/blackhawk/assets/img/i-am-second-logo-black.svg)](https://www.iamsecond.com/) - [Stories](https://www.iamsecond.com/film/) - [Articles](https://blog.iamsecond.com) - [Live Second](https://www.iamsecond.com/live-second/) [![](https://www.iamsecond.com/wp-content/themes/blackhawk/assets/img/i-am-second-logo-black.svg)](https://www.iamsecond.com/join/) [![](https://www.iamsecond.com/wp-content/themes/blackhawk/assets/img/i-am-second-logo.svg)](https://www.iamsecond.com/join/) [Log In](https://www.iamsecond.com/join/) - [Stories](https://www.iamsecond.com/film) - [Articles](https://blog.iamsecond.com) - [Live Second](https://www.iamsecond.com/live-second/) - Shop - [Media Store](https://iamsecond.vhx.tv/) - [I Am Second Store](https://store.iamsecond.com/) - [Our Story](https://www.iamsecond.com/our-story/) - [Donate](https://www.iamsecond.com/donate/) [Hot Topics](https://blog.iamsecond.com/tag/hot-topics) # To Serve a Nation: A Veteran’s Take on Second John Humphrey November 11, 2013 | 1 minute read [mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20this%20blog%20from%20I%20Am%20Second&body=https://blog.iamsecond.com/to-serve-a-nation-a-veterans-take-on-second](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20this%20blog%20from%20I%20Am%20Second&body=https://blog.iamsecond.com/to-serve-a-nation-a-veterans-take-on-second) ![](https://blog.iamsecond.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/20101203-20101203-E3_I-am-Second_Remi-Adeleke-88-199x300-3.jpg) [![Back](https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/5261881/New%20Site/Images/backFilled.svg) Back to All Posts](https://blog.iamsecond.com/) As a Navy SEAL, Remi Adeleke recalled “living in a foreign country where you know people want to kill you; you kind of live on edge; you always have to be attentive.” Jessica, his wife, remembered longing for a time when she wouldn’t need to worry “about the constant threat of somebody harming \[Remi\] whether sleeping or awake; for him to experience the luxury of a hot shower and a comfortable bed.  And of course to just have him in my arms again!” But they also knew that living Second in a me-first world was another very real battle they must fight. Fighting to be Second in a world of first is hard.  The battle can be gruesome and exhausting at times.  But we fight, because there is a battle to be won.  There is a victory. > “Being a Navy SEAL strengthened my faith exponentially,” Remi said. “Every day I knew that I could die at any moment. My career as a Navy SEAL helped me to not just read the afterlife promises of God, but to believe them and trust them wholeheartedly.”   As a Navy SEAL, he was trained to fight.  “I had to engage in warfare through many different methods,” he said. “My career in the physical as a warrior has helped me to prepare for my job in the spiritual, as a spiritual warrior.  I had to put on my breastplate, utility belt, helmet, shoes, and bring my weapons on every mission.  If I didn’t I would be combat ineffective.” [![20101203-20101203-E3_I am Second_Remi Adeleke 88](https://blog.iamsecond.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/20101203-20101203-E3_I-am-Second_Remi-Adeleke-88-199x300-3.jpg?width=199&name=20101203-20101203-E3_I-am-Second_Remi-Adeleke-88-199x300-3.jpg)](https://blog.iamsecond.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/20101203-20101203-E3_I-am-Second_Remi-Adeleke-88-3.jpg) Military families face battles on two fronts, overseas and at home. “I really do have a new understanding and appreciation for what many military families go through,” Jessica said. “I took each day one at a time and put complete trust in God.  As long as I did not think my own thoughts, but instead, meditated on the faithfulness of God, I was ok.” Because of their dedication to the fight for a life of Second Remi and Jessica were able to say, after the deployment the first month back home was pretty “normal”.  Jessica says Remi, “has such a mental toughness and most importantly, a complete trust in God, and I believe these attributes allowed his seamless adjustment back home.  He also spent the majority of his free time on deployment studying God’s word and I could see how that helped him greatly while away and on coming home.”   ![John Humphrey](https://blog.iamsecond.com/hubfs/John.jpg) ### John Humphrey John Humphrey serves as Vice-President of I Am Second providing strategic, operational and tactical direction to the organization and is Executive Producer of I Am Second film projects. Prior to joining I Am Second in 2008, he created, produced, and marketed projects with major sports media companies, television networks and non-profits that told the personal stories of high-profile athletes. [More from John Humphrey](https://blog.iamsecond.com/author/john-humphrey) [Leave a Comment](https://blog.iamsecond.com/to-serve-a-nation-a-veterans-take-on-second#comments-listing) ## Related Content [Hot Topics](https://blog.iamsecond.com/tag/hot-topics) | John Humphrey ### [Denton Guyer I am Second Groups](https://blog.iamsecond.com/denton-guyer-i-am-second-groups) ### [Marine veteran who survived PTSD: Don't just thank us for our service](https://blog.iamsecond.com/marine-veteran-who-survived-ptsd-dont-just-thank-us-for-our-service) [Hot Topics](https://blog.iamsecond.com/tag/hot-topics) | John Humphrey ### [My Favorite Olympic Moments and What They Taught Me](https://blog.iamsecond.com/my-favorite-olympic-moments-and-what-they-taught-me) ### Search for what you’d like to read about [Learn To Live Second](https://www.iamsecond.com/live-second/) [View The Community](https://www.iamsecond.com/do-more/) ![](https://www.iamsecond.com/wp-content/themes/blackhawk/assets/img/footer-line.svg) - [Film](https://www.iamsecond.com/film/) - [Subscribe](https://www.iamsecond.com/#modal-subscribe) - [International](https://support.iamsecond.com/international) - [Contact & Help](https://support.iamsecond.com/) - [Our Story](https://www.iamsecond.com/our-story/) - [Donate](https://www.iamsecond.com/donate/) Get all the latest updates from I Am Second by signing up for the monthly newsletter! 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