Sergeant Solomon Abanda proudly serves in the 82 nd A irborne Division at Fort Bragg , but his path to get there has been complicated. Born in Cameroon, Abanda came to the U.S. at 19 to study. A fter a series of mis steps, he found himself living on the streets in Los Ange l e s . He was homeless for two years before a chance encounter set his life on a different course. A man walked up to him one day and invited him to a party, telling him to get on a bus w aiting nearby. Abanda recalls