Essay On How The Military Influenced Me

The experiences I gained in the United States Army and how it influenced me to become the leader and the soldier I am today. I have had the honor to serve twenty four (24) years in the Army, and it has given me the privilege to travel the world. Iraq and Afghanistan are the two places I have deployed, that have had the most influence on me. Being deployed to both these countries helped me to appreciate the smaller things in life that I used to take for granted. I also had the honor to serve with influential leaders that trained and mentored me and in my opinion were the best in their positions. They helped groom me to become a better soldier and leader in today's Army. I also had the privilege to learn soldiering, accountability and communication skills from different types of leaders. With these type of skills I learned over the years, I am able to account for all the tactical communication equipment that was being used by my company in

One thing was for certain, I had no plans to attend college after I graduated from Jackson High School. When my friends were filling out college applications, I was stuck wondering what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Growing up in a middle class family, I knew that I still wanted to make something of myself. Sitting at home one day, the phone rang and it was a United States Armed Forces Recruiter. I had honestly not even thought about joining the Army until Staff Sergeant Jake Smith called that day. The day of my high school graduation, many students walked the stage and gathered their diploma with their future college on their mind. I gathered mine with the idea of joining the United States Army. I knew by the “Be All You Can Be” commercials that I could experience great thing influenced by world travel, influential people, and learn a great deal of working knowledge all while defending my country in the United States