Thank you for your service to America SSGT Black. Godspeed soldier.
MSA histories like this one are rare. Quantum leaps are normal in chess development. To go from Class E to the cusp of Expert while still in high school is remarkable, but not infrequent. To do it in a handful of tournaments is really impressive, and was much harder in the 1990s than today.
This is what we as a nonprofit have to offer the youth of America: learning how to learn. Sometimes I think we overemphasize membership retention: this great American took what he learned from our game and used it to do other great things with his life.
My deepest condolences to SSG Black’s family and his fellow soldiers for their loss.