Oz was born in Iran during a time of civil war and revolution.
His parents refused to allow their son born under the given name of Azad Ebrahimzadeh, to grow up in a country torn by violence and unrest, so his mother smuggled him through deserts, over mountains, and across countries with only a handful of money. They reunited with his father and settled in Orange County, California. His parents became U.S. citizens and Oz finally had a chance to live a normal life.
Oz began his military career in the U.S. Army at age 17. He completed basic training and infantry school at Ft. Benning, Georgia. He attended Special Forces “selection” and was chosen to attend the “Q” course, to earn the Green Beret worn by the US Army Special Forces. Oz maintains extensive certifications in multiple specialties, including: NREMT-Paramedic, PSD specialist/instructor, Law Enforcement weapons instructor, Dept. of State weapons instructor and advanced operational medicine instructor. His special training and skills have been utilized to develop curriculum for various special programs.
Oz has been deployed to Afghanistan numerous times, and he has operated in Thailand and Africa on missions outside of military service. In 2012, Oz was chosen to conduct counter-poaching operations in South Africa as part of an elite four-man commando team. The Discovery Channel documented the operation for the series, “Battleground Rhino Wars.” The team helped apprehend 77 poachers and crippled several crime syndicates. They also helped train local anti-poaching rangers to enhance their effectiveness.
Oz is now an anti-poaching advisor/operator for VETPAW (Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife). Oz is also VETPAW’s Director of field medicine and tactical sponsorships. Visit Oz @ www.vetpaw.org/
We are very grateful to Oz for sharing his life journey with us. Please share your family photos of those who served, so we may feature and honor them on Comes A Soldier’s Whisper, where we are all connected.
Comes A Soldier’s Whisper salutes Oz and all of our veterans for their ongoing strength, courage and compassion and tremendous contribution in making the world a better place to live.
God Bless all who serve and keep us safe.
#FamiliesServeToo #SupportOurTroops #HonorThem
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