Eden Puente

Sargent Eden Puente was born and raised in the south suburbs of Chicago. After the tragic events that happened on September 11, 2001, Eden felt compelled to join the miliary and serve this great country. Eden enlisted as a private in the United States Army as a Field Artillery Surveyor, and soon after Basic Training and AIT he would be deployed to Iraq. Eden served in two deployments to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division’s 2nd Bigrade Field Artillery unit. In 2004, Eden was wounded during an IED attack and received a Purple Heart for his injuries. He was honorably discharged from service in 2006 and often reflects on his service and the camaraderie that he shared on the battlefield with all different walks of life.

After service Eden wanted nothing to do with Veteran led nonprofits and thus sat in a state of hiatus. For 10 years he was in a lull with no growth or personal development. It wasn’t until he asked for help that he truly understood some issues he faced and why. He received treatment for symptoms and soon after graduate college earning my BA and MBA in less than 4 years. Eden loves spending time with his family and friends and always finds time to volunteer and mentor others reentering civilian life. He has competed in several marathons, and in 2022 he was the VGA National Champion for his flight and division.

Sports are a great conduit for bringing people together and he is grateful for the opportunity to Conquer Kili. However, the opportuning to join the Waterboys family is more about challenging Eden’s community to come together and support those in need of clean and dependable water source than Eden’s personal progression.