Man drops 130 pounds to achieve his dream of joining the Army

theGRIO REPOT - Steven Harper once weighed more than 350 pounds. “I was big,” Harper told Q13 Fox. “A lot of people told me ‘you’re too big, Steven.'”...

TheGrio Staff

Jul 10, 2015

Steven Harper once weighed more than 350 pounds.

“I was big,” Harper told Q13 Fox. “A lot of people told me ‘you’re too big, Steven.’”

Despite his size, Harper said he’d always dreamed of joining the military. He knew he had to make a lifestyle change.

When he met Sergeant Jesse Santos, his dreams began to take shape. Harper told Santos he wanted to join the Army. Santos took him seriously.

“I believe he was over 20 percent body fat,” Santos said. “But I told him not to give up.”

Santos took Harper under his wing and invited him to train with him. The two of them trained Army style, and Santos assured Harper that as long as Harper remained committed to his goals, Santos would continue to push him and to help him.

Eventually, Harper lost 130 while training with Santos, and he leaves for basic training this fall.

“I mean, I really feel like I can actually do something,” Harper said.