Chris Reader was once a lost teen in search of a purpose, now he's a successful entrepreneur, husband and father of three who credits his time in the military for shaping his life.

 As a teenager in high school struggling with grief, Reader felt a void and knew he needed to make a big change.

"I was really lost, my father had passed away and even though I had family members that stepped up in a huge way to help, I needed to start pushing my boundaries elsewhere and do something meaningful with my life," explains Reader.

He recalls expressing his interest in the military to his father before he passed away.

"My father was very strict, very stern, very disciplined but also very fair," explains Reader. "I had always wanted to join the military ... and I think it's one of the only things where he was like --No I don't want you to do that."

Still, a soul-searching boy, Reader dropped out of high school and on February 13, 2003, against his late father's wishes he enlisted in the military.

He did two tours in Afghanistan and spent ten years serving our country before retiring in 2013.

As a grown man and veteran,  dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and looking to write his next chapter, Reader drew on some similarities he shared with his dad.

"My father, before he passed -- always wanted to start a woodworking business," explains Reader. He recalls his dad's interest in gears and says that's where he too discovered that passion.

"When PTSD was starting to rear its ugly, disgusting head welding was one of the few things where the demons just subsided ... this is what I need to do, if for no other reason, for my health and sanity."

Today, Reader is the owner of Veteran Welding; a business and safe place for "veterans to take their service skills and repurpose them for the civilian world."

Reflecting back on his father and his journey; overcome with emotion, Reader says his experiences have shaped him as a man and helped him find his greater purpose. 

"I think the reason my father didn't want me to join [the military] is because he didn't want to run the risk of putting one of his kids in the ground," explains Reader. "But after what I've gone through, what I've become and what I'm doing  -- sorry, I think he'd be very proud. I think he'd be very happy and I think if he could say one thing it would be -- good job!"

Reader has three sons of his own: Harvey, Lawson and Maverick whom he shares with his wife Sarah.