In 1993, I joined the Army National Guard, as a Mechanic. Soon after enlistment, I realized Army life actually suited me; and, despite never having turned a wrench before, I turned out to be a pretty good mechanic. Through the years, I’ve worked hard in hopes that one day I would reach the top of the Army rank structure. Being promoted to the rank of Sergeant First Class was a major accomplishment. As a senior non-commissioned officer, I felt I had arrived and was perfectly content on retiring at this rank. That is until recently, when I realized the possibility existed that I could become a First Sergeant, the highest ranked non-commissioned officer in the company.
Achieving the goal of becoming a First Sergeant will require a series of events to take place. In order to illustrate this case in a hypothetical syllogism it would be best to do so using a chain argument. On the pages that follow, I will attempt to present the reader with enough proof to enable them to conclude I will definitely be promoted to the rank of First Sergeant. In addition, I will reconstruct the full argum...
I have led, recognized and employed the strengths and talents of those Airmen entrusted to me. I have lead from the front only because I have earned the trust of those behind me. I believe in and embody our service's core values in my personal and professional lives. I am the 'Whole Airman' through excellent technical aptitudes, unrivaled commitment to duty and a genuine desire to improve our force. Time and time again, and without reservation, my family and I sacrificed our wants and time for the demands of my profession. My family and I fully understand what this transition entails and as an officer, I will be fully devoted to the duties and Airmen entrusted to me. As a prior-enlisted officer, I will empathize with my Airmen ensuring their contributions are recognized and further develop them in every facet that is our Air Force culture. Finally, as a commissioned Airman, I intend to serve long and decisively to honor those that have served before us, my family’s proud military heritage and my wife and daughter…who drive me to be successful and strive for every new
The Army requires its members to adhere to prolonged training and learn specialized skills. From the moment a soldier transitions from the civilian sector into the Army, he is indoctrinated with training. Regardless of rank, the Army demands each soldier to be technically proficient and mentally competent in order to be qualified in a respective Military Occupation Specialty. As a soldier progresses in his military career, he is required to continue his education and training. Army leaders are expected and required to continue developing their skills through academic studies, operational experience, and institutional training. An opposing view argues that anyone can learn these skills; however, statistics show less than 0.5% of the population serves in the armed forces, indicating a soldier is a rare mix of intelligence and character.1 These lessons are necessary qualifications to achieve what General Martin Dempsey describes as “effectiveness rather than efficiency.”2 Much like the profession of medicine which must heal, the media which must provide truth, and law which must provide justice, the profession of arms must provide secur...
For years I have aspired to become a part of an elite organization such as the military, and more importantly, the United States Navy. Its reputation for instilling high moral character was encouragement for me to develop into a more mature, responsible, and independent young citizen. There are certain qualities that an officer must possess such as: honor, courage, commitment, and attention to duty, responsiveness to orders, cooperation, loyalty, leadership, integrity, and discipline. Throughout my high school career, I showcased these qualities while an active member of The American Legion of Ohio Buckeye Boy’s State, The National Honor Society, as a leader in the Ohio State Highway Patrol Junior Cadets, Clay and Waite High School Marching Band Alumni, Quiz Bowl, and Top Ten Scholars. I was actively involved in charitable activities such as Math and SOS tutoring, community volunteering, and the Indian 100 Leadership Team, (a volunteer organization on my high school campus). I have shown strength, perseverance and leadership in my participation in wrestling, cheerleading, and bodybui...
As an Eagle Scout candidate, my ambition is to serve others while pursuing a life of prosperity, happiness, and leadership, whether it is through education, religious duties, scouting, or careers. My life purpose is to be seen as a model or leader to others while remaining satisfied with my current situations in life. I resolve to stay resilient through any obstacles thrown in my path to achieve my ambitions and life purpose. I will strive to be respected by those that know me in all of the things I participated through leading from behind (following the principles of servile leadership) and applying all that I have learned over the years in Scouts and my life in general.
As our forefathers before us stated, ‘‘No one is more professional than I. I am a Noncommissioned Officer, a leader of soldiers. As a Noncommissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a time honored corps, which is known as “The Backbone of the Army (“The NCO Creed writing by SFC Earle Brigham and Jimmie Jakes Sr”). These words to Noncommissioned Officer should inspire us to the fullest with pride, honor, and integrity. The NCO creed should mean much more than just words whenever we attend a NCO’s school. For most of us this is what our creed has become because we learn to narrate or recite. The military from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard has an overabundance of NCOs who fall under their pay grade of E-5, E-6 and etc. Yet somehow there still not enough leaders. I believe that the largest problem afflicting the military today is our lack of competent leaders, ineffective leader development, and how we influence our subordinates under us who are becoming leaders.
As a Non-commissioned Officer you can expect me to be a professional leader dedicated to taking care of soldiers, the mission, and the army way of life. You can expect me to use Army Regulations, Technical Manuals, and direct orders from my superiors as my guidance on what actions to take in each situation faced whether tactical or technical. I will not be afraid to make sound and timely decisions in the absence of my leadership’s orders. When left in charge I will take charge.
*Punctuality: Over the last month you ave been on time to all required formations. Ensure that you continue to arrive for formations at least ten min prior.
Around mid-July 2012, I received notification of my selection to attend the CGSC resident course. My tentative report date to Fort Leavenworth Kansas was 4 January 2013 according to the Request for Orders (RFO) email that I received from my branch. Although I had high aspirations of attending CGSC, the timing of this move was not the way I had personally planned the next couple of years of my military career. I had just took command in May of 2012 of the Ranger Support Company (RSC) of 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, a position that I had worked very hard to obtain. Additional, I was preparing for a combat deployment as commander of the RSC. Having previously deploying twice with the 3rd Ranger Battalion in a staff position, this depl...
There are many things that have impacted my life in a positive way as a result of my military service. For starters, joining the Navy was huge. It got me organized and opened my eyes to an entirely new world, and not just the military service world. The variety of experiences that I’ve had in the service interacting with people from all over the world has helped me grow as a person. However, from the day I entered service, one item or one rank in the structure of the Navy struck me as critical to the operation of the Navy. That item or rank was the position of the Chief Petty Officer. As I entered service I quickly discovered that the Chief was the go to guy and the old saying “ask a chief” had a profound meaning. The Chief was a leader, mentor, and an expert in just about everything, all qualities that I lacked at the time. Then, twelve or so years later, the life changing event for me of being selected as a Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy came to fruition.
It’s simple, I felt it’s something that needed to be addressed head on. Sure, I am going to tell you about all the great things I’ve done since then and everything I’ve learned along the way but I wanted to address the 800lb gorilla (my NJP) first. As a Staff Sergeant, I have been afforded the opportunity to serve in multiple leadership billets. As a Platoon Sergeant, I lead a platoon of 30 Marines and mentored two Junior officers. I was appointed as one of two Truck Masters, S-3 Chief and Combat Hunter Instructor in which I was responsible for all the pre-deployment training and served as an advisor on all Combat Hunter matters to the Battalion Commander while at Combat Logistics Battalion 1. During this tour, I was hand selected to attend Eager Lion/Native Fury 2014 in Jordan as an Individual Augment. While serving only 30 days for this exercise, my work did not go unnoticed, as I received an impact Navy and Marine Corps Achieve Medal Award and accolades from the Commanding General governing this exercise. I left CLB-1 with a successful
As being a military officer, society will expect a great deal from us. We have professional standards that ever...
...who expanded my skillset, but it was that first NCO who patiently taught me the ropes from the time I was a PFC, SPC, PFC, SPC, and SGT. When chaptered out of the Army in October, 1989, I was under pinpoint orders to be a Platoon Sergeant at the 125th MI Bn in Hawaii. I would not have been chosen for that had I not made my reputation under the guidance and tutelage of SSG James M. (J.J.) Johnson, Jr.
There are many roads in life that people travel down to get to where they are going, and it is impossible to know where you are headed until you find experiance in where you have been. I did not have the opportunity to grow up in a military family per se, but the discipline instilled in myself by both of my parents allowed me to strive for any goal I set out after. From a very young age, a higher education was something not only to be sought after, but an expectation.
I want to be and officer so that I can be the example for the new soldiers who come in full of ambition and dreams. I want to be the leader they can trust and follow into any situation no matter what it is. However, I also want to be someone they can rely on and talk to whenever something is going on in their lives. I want to be an officer so I can help those around me and change the Army for the better. I know as an officer I’m set to a higher standard and that what I do and the decisions I make impact everyone around me.
Army life can be very challenging and a life changing experience. It was very challenging and life changing for me. I was raised by my Grandparents they did everything for me so this was a wakeup call for me on life. An independent person was not I, so I had problems with the changes about to come. Army life is constantly demanding and constantly changing without notice. Although the travel was exciting, army life for me was very challenging because I had to learn to adapt to a new system, to share my life with other soldiers, and to give up many of the comforts of home.