Army defensive back Lowell Garthwaite has spent his entire life overcoming obstacles. Lowell was an all-area selection as a wide receiver and a defensive back in High School; he was a member of the National Honor Society and had recently been admitted to West Point.

Lowell was playing football for the Army Black Knights and life seemed to be going pretty good, but in 2005 his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and he was forced to take an emergency leave of absence to return home. At home he drove a cab in San Francisco to earn money and support his family during the mother's illness. His mother recovered and he was able to return to the team in 2006 and eventually earn a starting position by the end of the season.

Life seemed to be back on track until Garthwaite began suffering from severe asthma attacks. These attacks were often accompanied by vomit because of the fluid that built up in his lungs. Fearing that his career may be over, Garthwaite took another leave of absence to go to the Middle East to find himself. "The health issues I was having really had brought me to a point where I had to re-evaluate whether football was something that was in my future," Garthwaite said. His Army teammates and coaches did not agree with him leaving in the middle of the season. They thought that he was taking a "me-first" attitude by leaving at a time when the team was not very deep. He left his teammates in a bad situation so when Lowell returned and he asked if he could rejoin the team the coaches told him that he had to earn his teammates respect again. He had to earn his way back on the team. He was placed at the very bottom of the depth chart.

For someone who had fought hard to win that starting job just two years ago, being seventh on the depth chart may be discouraging. However, this is a kid whose father had schizophrenia, and whose mother had battled breast cancer. This is a kid who had asthma so intense that it nearly ended his career and who lived in a single unit house with his mother and three siblings. For Lowell Garthwaite, this was just another obstacle in a life that seemed to be full of them. The senior defensive back is now starting; he is Army's second leading tackler. Army Coach Stan Brock says the Garthwaite is, "a great leader...He'll be an excellent officer in the Army. He is one of the toughest football players and people-mentally and physically tough- that I've ever been around."