CARROLLTON, Ga., Feb. 8 (UPI) -- U.S Army Reserve Lt. Col. John Burson, a 74-year-old Georgia doctor, is headed for his third overseas combat tour.
The ear, nose and throat specialist from Carrollton has asked to be assigned to an infantry unit in the 101st Airborne Division in war-torn Afghanistan.
"When you're 70, where are you going to find that kind of excitement?" he asked.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Sunday that Burson hung up his active duty uniform in 1985. Then when the Army found it needed medical personnel in 2005, Burson said he heeded an inner calling and went on to serve two tours in Iraq.
"I'm a kid from the Deep South. I lived through tough times and made it," he said. "I lived the American dream. Other people made the sacrifices."
Lt. Col. George Wright, a Pentagon spokesman, said Burson is one of the oldest to volunteer, the newspaper reported.
Before heading to Afghanistan for his third tour, he will go through a mini boot camp at Fort Benning in Georgia, the newspaper reported.
