Life is continually shaped by our experiences as we move from childhood through adulthood. But we can usually pick a few that had the greatest influence on our lives. The single most significant experience that both challenged and shaped me was my attendance in the Air Force’s Survival School Course in Spokane, Washington during my first year in the service. I will explain why it was so significant and how that experience has influenced me as a leader today as well as the impacts it will have on me as an organizational leader in the future.
Growing up in a small town in Western North Carolina I was far removed from a military base or its influences on the local communities surrounding it. Although I had some relatives that had served briefly in the military during the Vietnam era, none had decided to make a career out of the service. Needless to say, most of their experiences were negative ones. So joining the Air Force directly after high school was somewhat a leap of faith for me. I was ready for an adventure and had an open mind about the opportunities that were ahead.
I didn’t join the service at the time for patriotic reasons, though I admire those that do. However, I have remained on active duty for more than twenty years because of patriotic reasons. Those reasons were developed during my experience at survival school. Part of my training as an enlisted flier at survival school entailed a week’s vacation in a prisoner of war (POW) camp. I was in for the most significant experience of my life up to that point. All participants were asked to sign a waiver upon entry acknowledging that physical harm could be brought to them during this training. Although we were not entering a real POW camp, this simulation woul...
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...ganization will help me determine where the passion of the people that make up that organization lies. If necessary, I will conduct climate assessment surveys but that will never replace getting to know the people that work within your organization. Having that knowledge will help me shape and harness the energy of those eager to make the organization stronger. Identifying those individuals and putting them in key positions will facilitate my vision and the success of both echelons below and above my command.
Life is full of surprises. As we grow the experiences we encounter continue to shape us and make us who we are. This paper demonstrated how survival school was the most significant factor in my life that has shaped me as a leader. It also detailed why this event was significant to me and how it will influence me as an organizational leader in the future.
There is not just one definition for a witch hunt. A witch hunt can be looking for and possibly punishing people who are accused of having unpopular opinions. It can also be when a group of people go after another group of people that either have opposing views or are outsiders. Just like in the isolation of HIV/AIDS patients in the 1980’s/1990’s, many people go along with the hysteria of a witch hunt out of fear about something that may or may not be true. These persecutions are often “justified” by those participating in the witch hunt. Whether they blame others to save themselves, or do it out of guilt and greed, they
The Crucible is an incredibly influential play no only in the fact that it displays many important themes, but it also portrays how a theocracy impacts societal actions. The Salem witch trials were the culmination of the problems with theocracy. The actions of society, not only are impacted by their personal thoughts, but also in religious undertones affect them. Act two in the play portrays not only all of these themes, but also some important events leading towards the witchcraft hysteria. Act two in the play portrays how theocracy ultimately leads to chaos.
In the Town of Salem Massachusetts, 1692, a group of adolescents are caught dancing in the forest. Among the adolescents in The Crucible, Abigail Williams and Mary Warren. The girls are horrified that they have been caught dancing, a sinful act, therefore they devise a story to evade punishment: they claim to have been bewitched. The first person who they accuse of witchcraft is a the black maid, Tituba. This results in her jail sentence as well as fearful suspicion throughout the town. Arthur Miller demonstrates the impact of lying as the girls recognise and manipulate their power in the town. Lead by Abigail, they go further, claiming countless others guilty and dooming them to exile. Miller demonstrates that there power is so great that even when Mary attempts to stand against her friends, she is quickly overwhelmed and once again plays along with their trickery. As the girls’ conspiracy continues, controversy arise over their truthfulness; people choose sides often lying themselves to support their side, further altering the lives of all involved.
“It’s strange how I knew you, but I suppose you look as such a good soul should. We have all heard of your great charities in Beverly.” This quote, stated by Reverend Hale, referring to Rebecca Nurse explains how others in the town think very highly of her. Therefore, when Rebecca is accused of using witchcraft to murder Ann Putnam's babies during the Salem Witchcraft Trials, the townspeople suggest that it may be a hoax. I can relate to Rebecca Nurse because we are both greatly understanding, extremely skeptical, and very nurturing.
In the Crucible, we are introduced to the main protagonist John Proctor; the way that Arthur Miller presents him by rebelling against the authority in Salem. Out of the entire town he is the only person that speaks out, realising that the authority is unfair and unjust; he is not like everyone else in the town who keeps quiet to themselves. There are many situations where we the readers can see very clear examples of him rebelling against the authority that controlled Salem. One example of Proctor rebelling against authority in Salem was when he did not go to church on a Sabbath day and instead decided to pray in his own home ‘Mr Proctor, your house is not a church; your theology must tell you that’. That is one clear example of him rebelling
In the crucible, I believe reputation and respect was interwoven in the term of the play the ‘‘crucible’’. Reputation and Respect can also be a theme or a thematic idea in the play, reputation is very essential in a town where social status is synonymously to ones competence to follow religious rules. Your standing is what enables you to live as one in a community where everyone is bound to rules and inevitable sequential instructions. Many characters for example, john proctor and reverend parris, base their action on the motive to protect their reputation which is only exclusive to them. People like reverend parris saw respect as what made them important or valuable in a town like Salem, this additionally imprinting to his character as a very conventional man.
This discussion will focus on leadership as described by Robert Dees in The Resilience Trilogy, Resilient Leaders text. The points made in the book can be personally related. The three most important concepts learned from chapter 1 and 2 are tribulation, risk management, and selflessness. It is crucial for anyone is seeking to delve into leadership that everything will not happen as planned all the time. After a leader experience failure, knowing the avenues to take to regain a solid footing is also key to successful leadership. Often leaders who are unaware of available resources fold and give up. In the military profession, when someone gets knock down they get up brush themselves off and get back in the fight.
Great events, whether they are beneficial or tragic ones, bring change in a person. These scenarios can give one an entirely new perspective on life, and turn around his way of thinking. Events such as the Salem Witch Trials show the people involved what they could not see before. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor, Reverend Hale, and John Proctor gain valuable insight into themselves, as well as others.
The Crucible is a famous play written by Arthur Miller in the Early 1950’s. It was written during the “Red scare, when McCarthyism was established. Many anti-communists wanted to prevent communism from spreading just like in The Crucible many wanted to get rid of witchcraft. Many would accuse others of witchcraft in order to not be accused just like many would accuse people of communism. In The Crucible witchcraft would be punishable by death. Many were scared to be accused; therefore many would admit practicing witchcraft in order to save their lives. The Crucible is considered a good play because it is based on real life events during the Salem witch Trials and shows how fear played a role in the individual’s life just like during the “Red” scare.
From the outset of Chief Petty Officer Academy (CPOA), I was consumed with nervous anticipation of challenges that lie ahead. Even so, I was excited and ready to conquer the challenges propelled my way. The CPOA employs a diversity of teaching techniques to assist CPOs when confronting personal and professional struggles. Whether it’s the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) to assess leadership characteristics, the President’s Challenge to help develop better fitness, or team building exercises designed to cultivate group cohesion; these tools provide a means to address the most burdensome obstacles to personal and professional leadership growth.
He was one of those guys in the logistics unit. I am grateful he wasn’t a frontline soldier because without him I would not have become the person I am today. Those memories with my dad strengthen my desire to join the military and to give back to this country. My dad always instills in his children that when we become successful, we must always be a good citizen and give back to this country for letting the Vietnamese people come live here. I have always had a sense of duty and felt the call to serve. Being the first in my family to be a navy officer is a great honor and I take great pride in accomplishing that goal. Being a young guy, just out of college, I wanted an adventure. I want to experience the world and I travel to other countries while serving my country. Being in the navy gives me that especially in the civil engineering Corps. I can do humanitarian projects and show others that America is always there to help in times of needs. I want to prove people that I can make it. To prove something of
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
It gave me the chance to be stronger and never give up on myself, my peers, my family or my subordinates. In my job as an Army Career Counselor, I don’t take a “NO” as an acceptable answer. I call, email or contact face to face whoever is that person need it to be contacted to make sure the Soldier receives all the information and help necessary on whatever is the situation. I will read, research and write an email or memorandum to whoever is need it to take care of the Soldier. As a young Soldier I was told “pick who you don’t want to be”, never understood the statement until I became a leader. I learned then, that I didn’t want to be the weakest link on the chain, I didn’t want to be out or empty of answers when required or need it. I didn’t want to be the change, I wanted to be part of the change; because it takes more than one person to make a change happen in an organization as big as the military. My cultural background help me to understand that I have a place in the pyramid of my job, the only difference is that in this one I don’t have to wait to age to rise up, I just need to work hard for my next rank and this will give me the chance to continue to be part of the
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.
For hundreds of years, millions of people around the world have wanted to serve their country because they felt that it is the goal that they needed to do in their life. One of my objectives in life is that I honestly want to do in life has become a member of the US military. I want to join because my grandfather and my uncle were both in the USMC and I have always looked up to the both of them. A long time ago, I have thought of them as being heroes for what they have done because they have risked their lives to help protect this country. I feel that it is my life's plan that I need to take that path and follow in my relative's footsteps.