 Sommer was raised as a Christian and was home schooled for a majority of his life.He travelled extensively with his grandmother, Denise Fichtner, who died on August 8, one day after the robbery in Tacoma.Sommer joined the Army on June 26, 2003, and was assigned to a basic training class at Sand Hill, Fort Benning Georgia on November 4, 2003, graduating on January 27, 2004.