He swiftly paces from one end of the room to the window wearing an American flag cap, jutting forth his broad shoulders with each step as if it were intentional.

Tyler Morris takes a brief second to spit his residual Copenhagen into a plastic bottle, then continues to ramble on about the story of Black Hawk Down, as if he had memorized it from a history book.

Reaching into his pocket he pulls out a gold coin and proudly slams it down on a desk. The bang resonates through the room.

“I always have this with me,” said Morris, an Afghanistan veteran and independent study undergraduate student at the University, talking about his distinguished unit insignia for rangers of the Special Forces unit.

Morris pulls off his silver Killed in Action bracelet, leaving a stark tan line on his wrist. The encryption is worn away save for a few words, but Morris forcefully rattles off each word by heart.

“Private First class. Roy D. Brown Jr. Killed in action. 20 December 1989. Operation Just Cause. Panama Alpha Company 3/75/RGRRGTF.”

Morris, a veteran of the Third battalion, 75th Ranger Regimen, wears it to remember those who have fallen.

Morris sits back down and fondles his keys. Attached is a brown Third Ranger Battalion patch shaped like a scroll.

“This is what makes you a ranger everyday,” he pointed.

After enlisting as active duty at 17 years old, enduring the most rigorous training of his life, being deployed twice to Afghanistan, and having since left the military, Morris still sees himself as a ranger.

The relationships he formed in the military continue to be a part of his life to this day, and have always acted as a family. Being a ranger is who he is.

Morris always wanted to be a soldier.

He is the grandson of World War II veteran Hillard Morris, and Vietnam veteran Allan Morris.

He grew up watching “G.I. Joe” cartoons and being around guns and shooting.

“I used to put on my dad’s fatigues and (my friends and I) would go to the creek and play army with our plastic guns,” Morris recalls with a smile.

At 17, Morris enlisted for active duty. By Nov. 1999 Morris went into the Ranger Indoctrination Program, which involved the most rigorous training of his life.

He would train 48 weeks out of the year and endured much higher discipline and exercise standards than many other military units because it’s a part of the special operations community, he explained.

“It’s not so much a job as it is your life,” he said.

When he went to Afghanistan times were rough because “you just can’t roll in there with tanks and thunder and get rid of the terrorists,” he said.

Since everyone spends so much time working together and relying on one another, he said it was natural for everyone to become a family.

“We’re like a bunch of brothers. We fight, but ultimately we’re there for each other,” Morris said. “While you’re watching your buddy’s back, he’s watchin’ mine. It’s all about being a part of that team.”

He said it wouldn’t matter if one of his brothers needed a pair of socks or backup in a hostile fire situation, anyone would volunteer to assist.

It wasn’t only helpful to bond with each other, but it was a necessity.

“Everybody needs to work as a team . and be on their ‘A’ game all the time – even in training – or someone gets killed,” he said.

Working took so much time and effort that whatever moments of freedom Morris and his squad had were lived to the fullest.

“Work hard, play hard,” he said was the mentality of his entire military experience.

Often times in Afghanistan the squads would have to wait around in the desert for their next duty.

To keep things lively, Morris said the squads would instigate playful brawls.

“When it’s your birthday,” Morris said, “you try to keep it a secret.”

When their commanding officer had his birthday, the entire platoon of about 40 guys jumped him.

Those on top held him down and one person would shave his head.A week before Morris left battalion in Sept. 2002, his head was shaved as well.

His buddies covered his head, face and clothing with shaving cream.

“I was like, ‘I’ve got to wear these clothes for another week!'” he yelled.

“Whether it’s falling out of an airplane, partying on the weekend or the nastiest detail – burning our crap (in Afghanistan), we always doing it together – even our squad leader would go out and burn shit,” he said.

It has been three years since he left the military, and he still has strong ties with the experience as a ranger and with his buddies from the battalion.

Tom Amenta, ranger in 2nd battalion and former Daily Illini columnist, became good friends with Morris after their shared experience in Afghanistan.

“I can look at him and he can look at me and we can understand each other,” he said.

For Morris, being a ranger is all about his friends, nothing else.

“You’re not thinking about the politics, the situation, your family at home, the American flag. … The only thing I wanted was to be able to walk off the plane with all my buddies in one piece,” Morris said. “That’s the kind of unit we are and they’re still my family to this day.”