I didn’t take high school as serious as I should have. I didn’t take an SAT or anything in Germany because either there wasn’t a way or I didn’t want to. I wanted to be a police officer but unfortunately most departments at the time wanted you to have a two year degree. Since I did not have a degree I ended up come up with something else I wanted to do. After a little thought I decided I would join the military and become part of the United States Army. I started my Army career at Fort Benning, Georgia. Being in the Army was definitely a huge change for me. It was my first time out in life on my own. I had no idea what I had got myself into. It was different from my time at the ranch. This was structured, organized, and discipline. My first …show more content…
While we were in our holding barracks we all heard rumors about “shark week”. We quickly found for ourselves what it was when we stopped at our barracks. The doors opened and the vacation was over. You had 3 drill sergeants yelled to get off the bus immediately. I was in the last 10 people to get off the cattle truck but I remember the last guy got yelled at and punished with a lot of physical activity. There was yelling from everywhere, people having to do push-ups or running around with a duffle bag full of clothes. This went on for an hour straight. Once we finally got into a big formation, our drill sergeant “smoked” us for an hour. “Smoked” is a termed we used indicating complete exhaustion. We all were dog tired and then we had to run upstairs to the second floor and find a bed. We all found a bed and were standing at the end of it. Of course we had done it wrong because we were not in alphabetical order. We got punished for that by doing push-ups, sit-ups and crawling on the floor from one side to the other. The “smoking” continued through dinner and up until bed time. All we wanted to do was sleep but when we were finished for the night, we had to set up a fire guard (aka security guard) rotation. We finished at 2200 at night and we to have pairs of two stay awake for an hour and walking around the bay area with the beds and make sure everything was safe. If you had the 0500 to 0600 …show more content…
You learned that if one person made a mistake that everyone paid for it. I was amazed at how people didn’t realize this or even more amazed at how many times we had to tell people. It happened all the time. Sometimes I think the drill sergeants just found things so we could be punished. It came time to learn how to fight with our M-16 rifles by pushing the other person with them. I was paired up with someone from another platoon. He was taller and bigger than me. We were about 20 feet apart and we had to walk toward the person at the same time and push off with our rifles at an angle. The guy that I was paired with hit me hard the first and second time. I had, had enough so on the third time I hit him hard with my rifle and he did not like that. On the fourth time, he hit me so hard that the front sight of the rifle hit me right below my eye. I didn’t know it at the time but I was bleeding. Right before the fifth time, I felt my face and my cheek had blood on it. I was going to let this guy have it but the drill sergeant saw my and had everyone stop and I was made out as an example. Apparently he has hit me so hard that it caused a deep gash and I had to go to the hospital to get stitches. It was cool to have a scar and it didn’t really hurt that much. I missed the afternoon training because I was recovering. Later on when my platoon came back I found out some interesting news. We had a big ole country guy in out
My initial reason to enter the Air Force was a great way to pay for college which turned into a call of duty and a service commitment which has actively allowed me to contribute to the Air Force mission. Thus far I have led a joint force search and rescue effort and a multinational exercise to preserve freedom. As an F-15E instructor WSO and combat mission ready WSO I actively contribute to ensure our freedoms are preserved and the attacks of September 11, 2001 will never happen again.
Drill Instructors strip all your old values and Marine Corps values are formed. “There is no ‘I’, ‘I’ is gone” (p.60). To be a marine you must shed all thinking as “I” and “me”, and think as “we” and “recruit”. In American society, striving for independence is a goal for most people, and instead of working as a group we tend to compete with each other to get what we want. As a Marine you must think as a group, learn how to move as a group and you are drilled until not a single action is left to individual improvisation (p.64).
Since time began there has always been conflict. Whether it be religious, race oriented, or conflict over land. Conflicts have lead countries and nations to amass armies. While some armies are small, others may be vast in size. No matter the size of the Army they all have one thing in common… their Soldiers. As Non-Commissioned Officers we would be without a profession if we did not take care of, and retain our Soldiers. Through their mishaps and mistakes it is our job to lead them as they will, hopefully, be taking over our position as they climb the ladder to becoming the next great leader we aspire them to become. However, as in life, there are always trials and tribulations that come with life in the Military. We have all had Soldiers with
As I stood there exhausted holding a blank stare with my arms to my sides and the sound of mumbling in the background, I only heard three words of the entire training brief my supervisor gave us, “time for chow!” I immediately snapped back to it and walked in the same direction as my teammates. As I walked, I looked ahead of the group for the best place to get out of the 103-degree hot Texas sun. I seen a tree and a stump that would be great to rest my back on and it had plenty of shade. When I arrived at the stump, I set my rifle down and quickly took off my training gear that felt like an extra body hanging on my shoulders. At the same moment that I felt like I could take a break from the training day and let my guard down, I heard one of
To some people, it is only noise but to me, it was a whole new world. I can still remember the first time I heard a round whiz past my ear, the cars passing by, or SSG Blue yelling at me to get down. At that moment, I realized that I was not training anymore. I was made aware that everything and everyone were out to kill me. I kept telling myself, “I shouldn’t be here.” Mentally, I can hear my mother in the background crying just as the day she did when she found out I joined the military. My life was not the same nor will it ever be the same. In my first combat tour I learned the importance of life, how to mentally prepare myself for the worst outcomes, and I learned how to be a great leader.
The act of enlisting in war has been seen as an honorable task since the establishment of the military and its different branches. To take pride and to fight for one’s nation is the true meaning of being an American citizen. Like with every decision made in life, enlisting in the military has consequences. The act of war is often unpredictable and many measures are taken into count. These soldiers therefore, entrust their life to the military. However, what most soldiers never take into consideration before enlisting is the fact that a majority of them will be subjected to a form of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. Sexual abuse and harassment that occurs within their own respected military group. These soldiers get in trouble for reporting
Growing up in Southern California prevailed its beauty yet, growing up in a military family is something I'll forever gratify. For 20+ years my father was a marine and out of those years, I experienced 13 of them. Let me tell you those were the best years of my life. However, I will only tell you the story that has made me who I am.
I was kept in basic training for an additional five weeks. My optimistic outlook on the events taking place at the time were now as shattered as my hand, yet I still couldn't find it in me to quit. I did all that I could to make my hand recover as fast and efficiently as possible to get back and complete recruit training. The long weeks only made the stay in Cape May all the more difficult as I was known by every intimidating and angry instructor on regiment and was exposed to even more bizarre and grueling moments within the program. Eventually, I made it through and was off to my first unit in Galveston, TX. A week after my arrival I was subject to medical discharge do to a spontaneous back
It was now monday morning and camp had officially started. All the troops meet at the Flag Poles at the middle of camp, for announcements. We had around 15 boys in our troop, which was very small compared to the other troops who had around 75 to 1...
I was enlisted in the army on 23 June 1999 as an Infantry rifleman in 4th Battalion Singapore Infantry Regiment. Initially I hated the army and signing on in the army never cross my mind. I hated the army for many reasons. The regimentation, waking up very early in the morning everyday, no freedom and sometimes even been punished by the Sergeant for no apparent reason. I only decided to take up Army as a career after I ORD in 2001 when I actually miss being a soldier. The army life is so full of adventure, toughness and camaraderie.
When I was seventeen I nervously traveled about 350 miles from my sleepy little home town of Freedom, Wyoming to the relatively enormous city of Boise, Idaho to go to the Military Entrance Processing Station. This wasn 't the first time I had been this far from home by myself, but it was the first time I was making adult decisions without my parents involvement. When it came time for me to choose my job in the army the counselors presented me with a long list that I qualified for. I got tired of scrolling and reading so I chose the first job that I actually understood. I returned home and excitedly told my parents that I would be an infantry soldier. My dad 's response to this might be considered a little less than heart warming “You dumb ass. Why didn 't you choose
An opinion is the formulation of personal experiences. After my four year career in the U.S Army, I can officially profess that I am one combat veteran out of very few. During my time on active duty it was constantly mentioned how only one percent of the nation’s population serves in the military. In stark contrast, the U.S has one of the best military defense yet only attracts one percent of its citizens. There must be reason for this, which led me to revise my priorities during my tour. Living in the lifestyle of a U.S soldier molded my perception on what is truly important, which is education. Education is a tool that may enable a person (such as I) to jump through the hoops of generational poverty into a life of stability. This is a component
I have been blessed to have led a highly fulfilling career over the past 22 years. The Air Force’s standards of conduct and performance have helped me mature into an adult while creating lasting memories along the way. I have had the opportunity to make significant contributions to my country that offer a sense of pride and personal achievement. My current duties allow me to directly contribute to the Air Force and Joint arena on an almost daily basis. Joining the Air Force helped me to realize I had undertaken a task bigger than myself.
I remember the day that I left for boot camp. I was terrified. My stomach was queasy, my head was cloudy, and every time I imagined what was about to happen to me, I started to cry. It was an incredible leap I was about to take. The mental preparation was the most difficult part. I had no idea what to expect. I had heard many horror stories about the things that occur in Boot Cam...
Time flies so fast. Looking back, my high school is just like a movie, a lot of things happened. High School is four years of growing up and probably a time in your life where you go through the most changes. In high school you are able to discover yourself and find out who you are as a person. Each year is special and unique in their own way. My journey through high school was a tough one, especially because I decided to not only focus on academic work but also to invest quality time in extra curriculum activities. I wanted more than just academic excellence; I wanted to be a leader, I wanted to add value to every aspect of my life, I wanted a rounded education and not just mere schooling. My success story is what I will like to share with you; how I really made it and how this defines my personality. My journey in High School was scary, exciting, and successful.