Retired Lt. Col. Jason Amerine of the U.S. Special Forces was PNW’s third speaker for the 63rd Sinai Forum held in the James B. Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex on Sunday, Oct. 23.

Amerine, who was welcomed with a standing ovation, spoke about the events that took place in Afghanistan and his attempts to save a group of people held hostage by the Taliban. This journey is documented in a book titled, “The Only Thing Worth Dying For,” written by Eric Blehm.

Amerine also spoke about the repercussions of the act of heroism performed by him and his team of Green Berets. Since Amerine did not give the government the option of staying quiet about the hostage situation, a new hostage policy was released by the White House shortly after. Amerine was vocal about his desire for the hostages to be set free. The audience was given the chance to ask Amerine questions in a Q&A session held at the end of his speech.

Amerine encouraged the PNW students to take advantage of all the time they are given in life. He said just because a person is going one way, does not mean that is the path they need to walk for the rest of their life. He also encouraged the students to make mistakes and said how making mistakes was one of the driving forces that put him where he is today.

“I’m 45 now and I feel that I’ve lived 12 different lives,” Amerine said.