Emmy and Steve Ligeikis share a deeply intertwined life story. At 43 years old, Steve had given up hope of finding love after two failed marriages. However, his lifelong dream of a military career led him to enlist in the United States Army in 1987. Serving with C Co. 1-187th INF REGT of the 101st Airborne Division, Steve deployed to the Sinai in 1988 as part of a multinational force of observers. Following this, his battalion was sent to Saudi Arabia for Desert Shield in 1990, where Steve served as squad leader for the 60 mm mortar section during Desert Storm.