Vet's military service enhanced his faith

“I worry. It’s scary, but I am proud of JD for what he’s done,” Laura said.

Now that Thornock is out of the Marines and a full-time student at BYU-Idaho, he and Laura are living a normal life.

“Just through prayer it was clear: we need to go to BYU-Idaho,” Thornock said. “I love going to school here. Being here has been more therapeutic for any of the stress I have than any of the counseling. I don’t know what the ‘Spirit of Ricks’ thing is that they always talk about, but something is here. It’s definitely a strong presence.”

Hilary Owens is working toward a bachelor's in communication with an emphasis in journalism from BYU-Idaho. In her spare time, she loves to travel, spend time with family and work on a book she hopes to have published one day.