When I got back to Indiana I had nothing. I sold my car before I left for the Army because I planned on buying a new one with my sign on bonus. My Dad had cut me off from all support so I relied heavily on friends for a place to stay. I had quickly gotten to a point where I felt the world was against me which led to me making poor choices. It wasn’t long before I was arrested and had my first visit with the local jail. Over the course of the next three years I would find myself in and out of that jail three different times and I also had the opportunity to see the inside of a jail in Chicago. Even though I had all but given up on trying to do anything productive with my life I kept fighting the Army to get back in.
In 2005 I started
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I have been able to attend and graduate from Air Assault, Master Fitness Trainer, the Army Reconnaissance Course and Bradley Master Gunner School. I also graduated from Drill Sergeant School and am currently serving in that role.
Lessons Learned I have been successful in the military for a couple one reasons. The first being the leaders that I’ve had the opportunity to work for and with. I’ve been able to work with a wide variety of personalities and leadership styles against which I was able to mold myself. I’ve definitely had a few Soldiers that truly tested my patience and creativity as a mentor. In the end though I’ve been impacted by seniors, peers and subordinates in a positive way and I hope I’ve had a positive impact on my Soldiers. I was failing at civilian life because of my own misdoings. I allowed the impact of things I couldn’t control affect the way I looked at the world. I was even going to let go of something I really wanted in life simply because someone else didn’t want it for me. We only get one shot at life. It’s unfair to ask and expect someone to live their live by another’s expectations. I’ve learned that making a mistake today doesn’t make you a screw up for the rest of your
Natural born leaders are almost nonexistent in today’s military. Military members have to complete numerous leadership classes as you progress through the military ranks whether you are an enlisted or as an officer. There are many attributes that people would have to possess to be considered a great leader. Some of those attributes include honesty, respect, trustworthy, and enthusiasm just to name a few. There have been many leaders I have worked with or for over my past 19 years in the Army. One of the most important one would have to be honesty. Honesty is important because if the people that work for you cannot believe what you tell them, they will never trust you or support you. Employees can make or break their supervisor. If they do not like or trust the manager they will not respect them and they will only do the least amount possible. When your employees believe that, you value their opinion and their work ethic. Like you and trust, you they will do anything you ask of them. Whether the decision is right or wrong it is a decision, a leader never want to leave their subordinat...
“Military leadership qualities are formed in a progressive and sequential series of carefully planned training, educational, and experiential events—far more time-consuming and expensive than similar training in industry or government. Secondly, military leaders tend to hold high levels of responsibility and authority at low levels of our organizations. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, military leadership is based on a concept of duty, service, and self-sacrifice; we take an oath to that effect.”
Though grueling and tedious, the rewards for hard work and studying are priceless. You leave the military with a whole new meaning of life. To be able to protect your friends, family, and country is an honor that anyone should be able to enjoy.
Being a military veteran can have both positive and negative effects on one’s ability to maintain a job and socialize with other people. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is usually a problem with soldiers coming back from war, although after a veteran recovers from it, it creates great job opportunities. Business leaders recognize how useful a military veteran is in the work force. Veterans tend to show great responsibility, leadership, and team work which make them the ideal employee for many jobs.
When I joined the United States Marine Corps, I knew it would change my life, but I never realized how great those changes would be. I was trained in public affairs as a print and broadcast journalist, and immediately stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Drastic life changes can take a toll both physically and emotionally over time, and it is always important to have a great personal support system to thrive through those times. My senior advisor at the time, Master Gunnery Sgt. (Master Guns) Charles Albrecht, turned out to be one of the best supporters I could ever ask for.
The New York Times Bestseller We Were Soldiers Once... And Young was authored by Lt. General Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway. In November 1965, Lt. Colonel Harold Moore commanded the 1st Battalion, 7th cavalry at the Ia Drang Valley-one of the bloodiest battles of Vietnam. He eventually retired from the Army in 1977 after thirty-two years of service. After his military career, Lieutenant General Moore resided as executive vice president for four years at a Colorado ski resort before founding a computer software company. Harold Moore currently lives in Auburn, Alabama and Crested Butte, Colorado.
My Legacy Leader is LTC Brian A. Coppersmith, USA, Ret. LTC Coppersmith exemplified Army leadership from his character, presence, and intellect to his ability to lead, develop and achieve. LTC Coppersmith’s leadership ability directly affected me as a Human Intelligence Collection Sergeant operating under his command in garrison pre-deployment, and while deployed forward to Iraq. The example that LTC Coppersmith set for me is the foundation that I have used to guide each of my actions on as a leader. It is my hope that I will be able to positively influence and inspire at least one Soldier in the same manner that LTC Coppersmith inspired and influenced me.
And if it is true that the lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success then I am right. This is where my path to success really begins. It is never late to start again. Small things that aren’t so small can have a big repercussion in someone's life. We as human beings need to learn how to be more loving, respectful and compassionate. I am so proud to be who I am today because of this past experiences. I believe almost everybody has had a time in their lives in which they failed, nobody is perfect. Failure indeed can be fundamental to later success, but the expectations of success are not what people think, at least for me, but I certainly know I'm not
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
One of the things I have learned as a leader is the amount of time and effort I give to my Soldiers always comes back to me in a positive manner.
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.
Throughout my life there has been many events that have shaped the way I am. The one event that had the greatest impact and has been constant is my military career. Since I joined the military I have changed roles, conformed to new norms, and learned new values. Like most service members the parts that shape your military career is the beginning, so as a focus I will look at my basic training, technical school and first duty station which these three combined events in my life has shaped the last 14 years. Through these phases in my life I have learned a lot about the military society, society in the United States, the world and of course me.
The Air Force has been a life shaping institution for me as it has been for many others. The demands and opportunities inherent to military service have given me the chance to grow and develop as an individual and team member. From the age of five, I wanted to be a fighter pilot. But as I grew up, my dream remained the same while my motivations changed greatly. Once I entered the Air Force, the experiences that I had serving were profound and life changing and my current assignment affords me the opportunity to use that experience in a joint environment to shape the way that the Army and the Air Force integrate. While the steps along the way have been many and varied, upon reflection I can see that the common thread throughout has been the ideal of service before self.
It has always been my dream to become an officer in the military ever since I was young. My uncle was in the military and loved it, he always told me stories about it and how much he enjoyed it. Growing up hearing his stories and seeing his uniform made me want to do it one day. Well, for me that one day is here now and I am proud to put on that uniform and call myself a soldier. I have always been a leader in my family, my community, and in my life in general. I like to not just be in charge but, I like to inspire those around me. I enjoy setting the example for those around me to follow.
When I left my room, my mother knew that I had gone through a rough time, and I did not want to talk to her about it. Even though there was only a month left in my school year, I promised myself that I would be completely truthful to my friends, my family, my heritage, and myself. I expected all my friends to leave me, but I was fully prepared for this. However, none of this ever happened. My friends didn’t leave me, I wasn’t alone at the lunch table, I wasn’t even seem differently by those around me. I had failed my family by doing this, and I wished I had stopped acting like someone I wasn’t sooner. This is one of the only mistakes I have made which I consider a failure because it had taken me close to a year to fix, and this is why I consider it my most successful failure.