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. In December 2002, my dad’s boss called telling him, he was to be deployed in January 2003. Being 5 years of age I didn't quite understand what he would endure, all I knew is my daddy was leaving us for 7 months. The morning of my dad's departure came quickly. I'll never forget the goodbye that changed my outlook on family and love. At 5 am my father walked into my room. Scared and nervous, he was crying… I had never
Deployment is a word that all military spouses and military families dread to hear. When my husband came home to our barely moved in house with news of his deployment to Afghanistan, I was devastated. Though we received terrible news, we also felt incredible joy that same week. I was pregnant with our first child. We were overjoyed by this news but it also meant that my husband would be away the first eight months of our son’s life.
Thesis: The war overseas, but there are millions of veterans still fighting the war at home.
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
We are quite the bunch, all strong willed and very determined. After the terrorist attack on 9/11, my dad was gone all the time. He was still serving, and was part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. My father loaded cargo plans, it doesn't seem like much, but it can be dangerous on its own. I can remember the day that my dad was leaving to go serve overseas for the second time in my lifetime. We were standing in the hanger, and the C130 was waiting to load all the men and women. My dad said goodbye to us and that he will see us very soon, but we all knew that it would be a grueling year until we would see him again. As I watched my dad throw his pack over his shoulder and walk towards the plane, my heart had broken. I was just a little girl, who had to be without her daddy for what seemed like eternity. There are thousands of other little girls and boys, feeling the heart-rending pain of missing their fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers. I miss my brother terribly, along with my sweet nephew, Jayce and my sister-in-law. They are a young military family and I’m sure once they are back in the U.S., they will be participating in many American Legion programs to help them with daily life. I hope that Jayce will be strong and be proud of his father for the change he is bringing into the world every single day. I know I am so proud of my brother and my father for the amazing things they do and have
When I was four years old my father left home. Not only he changed neighborhood or town but he left the country. It may seem that I was too young to notice his absence, but the truth is that this changed my life completely. I was quite close to my father and even today I can remember the emptiness that I felt in my chest. At four years of age I did not realize that behind the story of his departure was one of the greatest life lessons that he taught me.
Today when I woke, I was expecting my son to be asleep. That wasn't the case. Today was his first race. Now here we were, at the track, race about to start, everyone was lined up ready to run. *bang* The starting gun went off. Like a bolt of lightning, everything came flashing back to me.
He decided to become a civilian and worked with two automotive suppliers. In 2003, my dad decided to join the military as an officer. Our first cycle of moving occurred in 2006. We were sent to San Jose, California. When I first arrived it was a culture shock. Coming from a population of majority white people into a multicultural area ruffled my feathers. Not only was the cultural environment different the people were different. I grew up with my classmates at Cedarville Elementary and in San Jose I was forced to make new friends. As a second grader, the challenge is a easier. In June 2008, my family packed up and moved four hours away. Stationed in the "beautiful" San Diego. As a fourth grader, I made friends instantly, but the friends in San Diego were unfamiliar. The kids were harsh and rude. They would call me names and I grew up to resent San Diego. The beaches
Friends that I knew their parents and I knew how hard it would be for them to know about the lost of their son. Other part of my colleagues (friends) lost body parts as well. The thing that was harder more that the training, was to go to visit those who stayed alive in the hospital. Some of them were in a vegetative state; others got treatment for their wounded parts. Impossible to explain the feeling or the look of those parents standing next to their child’s bad not knowing if they should be happy or sad. With all the pain and the suffer, I have learned to appreciate life, I learned that nothing is taken for granted and every day I wake up it is a day that I received as a gift, if I could be among those wounded or dead soldiers but I did not, instead, I was from those who visit wounded soldiers and not visited by others. It is a sign, this is my destiny, and I must fulfill it in the best way possible.
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.
Growing up I wasn't a nice person I went to F.E.S kindergarten through 2nd grade and I would fight anyone just with them looking at me a way and didn't like I would beat them up. In 1st grade I was a permanent in the office at lunch kid because I couldn't get along with anyone. I remember my last day I was able to go out side to play on the playground there was this kid that was on the spider monkey with me and my friend hope and stabbed my best friend with a pocket knife and I blacked out and ripped him off of the spider monkey and I don't remember nothing but coming out of compleat black and sitting in the office in handcuffs.
The “fortress” is a life that may be hard for others to understand. Military communities do not live the life that most do. They have 5am wakeup calls, most instillations come to a halt at 5pm to honor the flag being lowered, and they enjoy the somber sounds of Taps being played at 9pm. That is what I miss most about living near an instillation. I loved taking that dogs out at 9pm and listening to the coyotes howl while Taps was being played. Life on an instillation is structured, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Structure is something that helps hold things together.
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
My first experience in the service world was in eighth grade when I was a counselor at a camp for children who had cystic fibrosis. This was probably my first experience with the real world. For the first time, and to my amazement, I saw that people-even kids-were sick and dying. I realize I was extremely naive, but for some reason I thought only people outside of America were sick and dying. My life up to that point had been sheltered and dreamlike to me. I saw kids who were only a few years younger than I and who were probably living their last year. I remember when I went back the next year to see the kids off on their bus to camp not seeing some girls who were in my cabin the year before. I was horrified to find out that some of my campers had not made it through the year. Thank goodness I was able to be opened up to the suffering that was taking place so close to me. And my mother is the one I have to thank for this. Thank you for taking me to CF camp. She planted a seed which still desires to grow to this day...
I grew up in a small town and after I graduated high school I wanted more in life than a 9 to 5 job; I wanted to see the world. I had a few friends that had joined the military and had come home to visit with exciting stories about their experiences. I noticed a change in a few of them; they seemed to walk a little taller, maybe act a bit more mature. This, along with the intrigue of life outside of my small town, drew me to consider joining the military. I met a recruiter in Lakeland Florida in July of 1989 and a few months later on September 26th I raised my right hand and took the Oath of Enlistment. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into.