Erik was born and raised in a small town in South Dakota, where he enlisted in the U.S. Army immediately after high school. He completed Infantry OSUT, the Basic Airborne Course, and the Ranger Indoctrination Program before being assigned to 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. While at 1/75, he served in a variety of positions and deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan on multiple occasions.

After his fifth deployment, Erik volunteered for recruiting duty and was assigned to the Syracuse recruiting battalion as a recruiting NCO. While on recruiting duty, he ran a program specifically for those wanting to join the ranks of the 75th Ranger Regiment, as well as other SOF units, and developed a study guide for them that formed the basis for "Ranger Knowledge".

Erik is currently the owner of Blackside Concepts and is working towards his bachelors of science in business administration.