Saiers was born in Denver, Colorado but raised in Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Swaziland, Ghana and Virginia while his father, Larry, worked for the USAID. As a child Saiers lived through several violent conflicts overseas. During his time in Afghanistan, the events (Saur Revolution and others) that led to the full-blown Soviet invasion were underway and included the assassinations of the Afghan President Daud Khan and US ambassador Adolph Dubs. Saiers' experiences included hiding in his family's closet and under their stairs as tanks fired on the road in front of his house and having Su-7 or MiG fighter planes fly near his home as they bombed Kabul. His family moved to Swaziland in late April 1979 (as aid to Afghanistan was cut in response to Dubs' assassination).