By Janine Logue, Doylestown Patriot Editor

Brian Stann may only be 28-years-old, but he has seen a lot of action in his life.Stann started his life in 1980 at Yakota Air Base in Japan. Later, he moved to Scranton, PA where he grew up.

During high school at Scranton Prep, Stann found himself the star of the football team. Stann set school records as the team's quarterback for both career passing yards and rushing.

His stand out performance on the field caused colleges to stand up and take notice. Stann decided that he didn't want to sit behind a desk at an office job. He determined the United States Naval Academy as the school for him and in 1999 he enrolled.

During Stann's four years at the Academy he excelled in his new football position as linebacker, beating archrival Army in three of his four meeting.

Stann also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics during those four years.
It was during Stann's senior year that the Iraq War began, and in 2003 he was commissioned as an Officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Within a few months, Stann and his men were deployed to Iraq.
Stann was the 2nd Mobile Assault Platoon leader with Weapons Company during his first tour in Iraq.

It was May 2005 when he led his men in to battle to seize a bridge near Karabilah, Iraq. He continuously maneuvered his men to avoid enemy attacks. Unfortunately, he and his men fell in to an enemy ambush.

The attack lasted for over a week with enemy fighters surrounding Stann and his men. The enemy fighters launched over 30 rocket-propelled grenade attacks, fired at the American troops with machine guns and attacked with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

During the enemy attack a suicide bomber with an IED was able to hit one of Stann's platoon vehicles. Stann was sure that the five men he had inside the vehicle were dead, men he said averaged around 20-years-old.

Miraculously, the men were still alive, but they were injured and in need of medical care.
Stann set up casualty evacuation points and called in for close-air support and tank fire assistance.

"When we began, it was a big fight, but as the days went on, we began to use more of our assets," Stann explained. "We called in close air support and used tanks and dealt a big blow to the enemy."

According to Stann, he owes the victory of that battle to the hard work and determination of his men in the face of grave danger.

For his actions, Stann received the Silver Star, awarded "for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States."

Major General Richard Huck, 2nd Marine Division's Commanding General awarded the medal to Stann. In his opening speech he said of Stann, "He has great strength of character and endurance, which was shown when everything happened over a week and he kept on going. It doesn't even capture all that happened."

But for Stann the medal was more a representation of the hard work that his men did rather than he, himself.

"This award represents my guys. It's an insight to what my men did over there. There were a lot of our guys who received awards from our group when we were out there, not just me. You can forget all the other medals. I just wanted the award that said 42 out of 42 men came home safely. And we all came home, so mission accomplished," said Stann.

During the time between his first and second tours in Iraq, Stann married his college sweetheart Teressa, who happens to be a former Eagles cheerleader.

It was during Stann's second tour of duty that he decided to try his hand as a professional mixed-martial arts fighter.

Stann managed to get himself booked for a fight, and he earned himself first round knockout. The impressive showing by Stann caught the eye of a promoter who, soon after, signed Stann to a World Extreme Cage fighting deal.

During Stann's first fight as a WEC fighter he again earned another first round knockout, only this time he completed the task in just 16 seconds. It was the fastest knockout in WEC history.
In March 2008 Stann defeated WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Doug Marshall, earning him the title. However, in August 2008, Stann lost the title to Steve Cantwell.

Today, Stann continues to serve on active duty as a United States Marine Corps Officer at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

To learn more about Stann's career as a WEC fighter visit http://www.brianstann.com/.