"Army Strong": The Army Will Tear You Down, It's Up to You to Build Yourself Back Up! I joined the United States Army Reserves when I was seventeen years old. I did not join because I wanted to be a soldier; I joined because I wanted to earn money to go to college. The effect that this endeavor made upon my life has changed who I am forever. [Actually,] I had so many reasons for wanting to do this. The first was for money. The military was willing to train me, feed me, house me, and when I was back home give me cash for college, "up to" forty thousand dollars. At that time I thought that was an incredible deal. Where else in the world could I find an opportunity like this one? [Yet t]he price I would pay wouldn't be worth "up to" forty thousand. Another great reason for joining the Army was to get in shape. I had visions about this ultra lean and strong body I would get from running five miles a day. I was also looking forward to the overall experience of inner strength, confidence, and pride in my country. As much as I was excited about doing something different and brave, I was also full of fear. 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... ... middle of paper ... ... up, I would not have done it in the first place. My second response is, I don't know. Looking back I see a disparate, scared, young woman who was looking for self-improvement. What I wish is that at the time that I was joining the military, I knew how to follow my heart. Every instinct in me said, no. My intuition was screaming at me, "Keep searching, there are other ways." I ignored this and pushed forward. What is done is done and I would not change who I am today. I do see how easy it is to lose one's self in life and how important it is to make sure that you get it back. The farther I get (the older I get), I see more clearly the effect that the military has had on me, and what I am most grateful for is a firm grip on my spirit that no one will ever take away from me again.
Even through all of the difficult situations I had faced at Valley Forge, I would still re-enlist and come back for another term. I know that there will be people who will oppose to my idea of re-enlisting because the experiences at Valley Forge had given us reasons to quit but behind the hardship of the situations, I know that Valley Forge had also given us reasons to stay.
army to avenge the deaths of my family and to survive, but I've come to learn that if I am going
Robert: Very. I was very scared. I was young. I felt that I had no choice. I was tired of traveling from state to state. I wanted a better life and I wanted to do something for my country. I did not know what to expect. It was a hard time in America for African Americans. I thought things would change if I joined the Armed Forces. I thought things would change for me. I wanted to make something out of myself.
Imagine it’s the year of 1777 in cold Philadelphia at Valley Forge. It smells like fresh log from the huts. You see injured men and people starving for food. People crying from the pain and in the corner of your eye you see General Washington making Revolutionary War attack plans. We are here to fight for our freedom. The enlistment is over and you and the rest of the soldiers at Valley Forge have to decide whether or not you are going to quit. If I were you I would quit because of the lack of supplies, family issues, and illness/death.
Most people are willing to die for the ones they love. People often will die for their loved ones because they would rather have themselves die than the other person. I would die for my country if I had too. I probably wouldn’t go fight for my country unless they needed me because it’s not what I want to do in life. I think it would only be an illogical idea to serve your country if you knew that it was basically just suicide mission. It would also be illogical if you didn’t want to do it and they didn’t need you
After World War 1 Japan had a hard time adjusting to the new world. “While its economy was still primarily agricultural, rapid population growth (to over 80 million) had diminished the amount of land suitable for farming. Many people lived in small houses, lacking running water. In a nation about the size of California, only one of every six acres was farmland. This put great pressure on Japanese government to find more space and land for its people.” (America Enters World War II page 12). Japan attempted to change its agricultural-based economic system to an industrial based system. “But the international system of trade barriers and tariffs, established by the United States and other industrial powers to protect domestic manufacturing, hindered Japan’s industrial expansion.” (America Enters World War II page 13). Many of the materials Japan needed were found in neighboring countries that were controlled by European powers. Japan began to question it’s right to Asian markets and raw materials. “J...
It had been decided that after World War I, that the United States did not want to get involved in any more foreign affairs. America had become an isolationist country which was unusual for us. Even as the first few invasions of World War II took place, the United States still did not jump in on the action mainly for the reason on how devastating the results were from the First World War.
In 1941, one of the largest American military defeats occurred. An entire naval fleet was destroyed, hundreds were killed, all before nine A.M. on a Sunday morning. The US did not have any knowledge of this attack, mostly because of their own ignorance, partially because of the military strategies of their Japanese opponents. The Japanese attack on the US naval base of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was a classic case of "It will not happen to me!" Although the US suspected the Japanese actions, they were not ready because they believed an attack would never happen on American grounds. Through an examination of military history, tactics and eye witness descriptions, it will be proven that the US had no knowledge of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, but had sufficient warnings from the Japanese and others that an attack was imminent.
The surprise bombing of Pearl Harbor was the entire reason for the United States' entrance into World War II. Many elements play into this event. For instance, the Japanese chose this site for several reasons. In addition, there are various theories that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was made aware of this attack, yet allowed it to occur. Known as "The Day of Infamy ", the bombing is taught in our history classes for an infinity of years to come. How did we react at the time? What did Washington do to prevent this? Why Pearl Harbor anyway? The bombing of Pearl Harbor was a desperate FDR's backdoor into the Second World War.
Pearl Harbor was one of the most motivational events in American history. From the very beginning Japan and America had their own social views and stereotypes about each other that a feud was bound to occur. On December 7, 1941 the nation of Japan sent out a fleet of their Imperial navy to attack the American held base on the island of Oahu. Leading this attack was Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto who was a militarily strategic genius.” Yamamoto was planning on sinking the entire American Pacific fleet so the U.S navy could be put out of the war for the time being and the Japanese navy could continue their expansion in the Southwest Pacific.”(book)(Gordon Prange 136-138)
President Roosevelt set up investigations to find out whether or not there was any warning of the attack on Pearl Harbor before it happened. One report found that the navy and army commanders of the Hawaiian area, Rear Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, and Major General Walter C. Short, were guilty of "dereliction of duty and errors of judgement." (Microsoft Encyclopedia) The reports showed that the commanders had received warnings weeks prior to the attack and just overlooked them.
October 16th, 1941, Hawaii received a message from the Navy: Japan would possibly attack. Disagreeing with the warning, the Washington Army staff told Hawaii to disregard it. No one believed Japan was or could have been on the verge of attacking. Washington assumed that Japan had no seaborne aircraft that could contend with the Army’s B-24 bombers. Furthermore, they believed that Japan had spread their military too far throughout other countries, leaving not enough for a large scale attack in the Pacific. Even on the night before the attack, the Honolulu press voiced America’s belief that Japan was powerless as a threat. On top of it all, none of the U.S. authorities believed Pearl Harbor was in danger. No one saw any need for ...
December 7, 1941 was a date that lived in infamy; it was a date that 2,400 Americans lost their lives needlessly. Several military ships were destroyed and millions of dollars in military equipment was lost. It was a date that this great nation still to this date has not forgotten. No one could have imagined something so horrific happening on American soil that day. The United States of America at that time was a neutral party in the war at that time. This attack caused a turning tide in the war. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s decisions that day could be said to be one of the most critical moments in presidential history. The first 24 hours from the attack that day were crucial and President Roosevelt responded with calm, deliberate, and decisive decisions that day. The United States declared war on the Empire of Japan and joined the fight in Europe against Nazi Germany and the Axis Alliance. The America people rallied with a vengeance and united to defend its self.
Navy, US. "The Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941." Naval History & Heritage Command. US Navy, n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. .
Being a soldier was a really tough life. In the end I hated doing the same thing day after day with no change in sight, I despised the leaders that didn 't take care of their subordinates, and most importantly, I couldn 't lead my soldiers from the front anymore. I 'll be the first one to say that joining the army was the best thing to happen to me. I have grown so much as a person and the lessons I learned are invaluable. In the end I realized the negative factors outweighed any possible benefit I might receive from continued service. It was time for me to