In some ways, Megan Welter has the background of the typical NFL cheerleader.
She started dancing at age three, she told ABC15, competed throughout her childhood and eventually joined her college dance team.
But after graduating from school in 2007, she decided on a very different career path. She joined the Army, completing officer training and eventually being deployed to Iraq as a cable platoon leader.
She spent 16 months there (screenshots via ABC15):
At one point, a group of NFL cheerleaders came to Iraq to entertain the troops and Welter asked them if it was even possible for her to make a team, she told AZCardinals.com.
It took until 2011 for her to tryout, but she made the team.
Pretty impressive considering she took seven years off to serve her country:
SEE ALSO: A Day In The Life Of An NFL Cheerleader