“I’m never joining the military!” I fumed to my friend with the sympathetic ear. I just finished speaking with a recruiter and told him, “Please stop calling me!” Only weeks earlier I was ready to commit and trade four years of my life in exchange for a college education, the chance to explore the world, character building, and just because I did not know what else to do with my life. The Army recruiter was persistent and he was calling every day. He told me my life would not have any meaning in the civilian world and I would die regretting my choice. Later, because of this incident, I would eventually decide to join the Air Force (AF). It all started when I approached the recruiter requesting information about going into the engineering or medical field. We discussed bioengineering and he would guarantee the position if I signed immediately. When I arrived at his office, he tried to sell me on the idea of starting a career in military intelligence. The sergeant even said because of the way I looked they would send me into China as a spy for the United States. The idea did not appeal to me, as my family emigrated from there for a reason. I asked him again to guarantee the bioengineering job but he admitted he could not. I concluded military recruiters were not trustworthy. This was an Army recruiter but I was certain I would never join any branch of the military. During the next five years, I earned a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and then worked for two telecommunication companies. At both companies, I was responsible for developing equipment to increase the bandwidth of fiber optic cables. At times, I felt the Army recruiter was right; I might die regretting my life and my lack of significant accomplish... ... middle of paper ... ... in network-enabled weapons, anti-tamper electronics, and software-defined radio (SDR). This work ensures the AF has reliable information in the battlefield, the ability to communicate to our allies through SDRs, and protecting our data systems from our adversaries. I am currently expecting to move to Wright Patterson AFB to get a PhD in Physics with follow-on to Patrick AFB to work with satellites. I joined with the hope of getting into a space-related assignment and the AF finally agreed. The AF gives me the opportunity to pursue my passion. In return, I am able contribute with my research to aid our ability to conduct information warfare, nuclear operations, electronic warfare, and develop joint communications. I reluctantly admit the Army recruiter was right about job satisfaction. I did not always get what I wanted in the AF but it still worked out.
Since the conflict in Vietnam ended, the military has been an all-volunteer force. This means that generally people are in the military because they want to serve, albeit the motivation for service can vary across a wide spectrum of reasons.
Although I grew up in a military family, I never saw myself going into a military career. Up until I was about fourteen years old, I planned on being a marine biologist in Hawaii. Sounds nice, right? Well, at the end of my eighth grade year I decided that I might as well join NJROTC, because all of my friends were doing it and it seemed okay. I have to say, looking back, I was quite naive. Joining NJROTC was the smartest and most valuable decision I have made to this day.
"A young man who does not have what it takes to perform military service is not likely to have what it takes to make a living." When joining the military you must perform your best to protect our country. Tons of men and women around the world fight for the country and make a career out of it. There are three major branches and many different jobs to go with each one. Each have many specific tasks. (Robbie Hughes Interview)
While at Georgia Tech the September 11, 2001 attacks took place making my commitment to the Air Force from one of paying back my scholarship to one of service to my country and defense of my nation. After four rigorous years I received a commission in the United States Air Force to fly F-15E Strike Eagles as a Weapons Systems Operator (WSO). As a WSO I have tw...
Three weeks ago John, twenty four years old, finished his fourth semester of college. He enjoyed college life, fraternity friends and everything that goes along with college. Because of a car accident several years ago, he did not start college on time like most of his friends, but he was working his way through. He had not passed two of his last semester classes, but wasn't worried he would retake them in the summer. Then the dreaded letter arrived in the mail. John was being drafted; he was going to war. Colleges notify the draft board when students fail classes. Immediate red flag!
...ion. When I am old and gray and my grandkids ask me what I did for a living I can hold my head high and say the Army was my profession.
Most or all of my reasons for joining the Marines are as follows. Ideal- The Marines Embody more of my personal views and ideals then the other branches of the armed services. Loyalty, I respect and love the idea of loyalty to a person or persons...or a cause. To be totally loyal to something without question but to also love and honor that something, that idea is something I long for and adore.
Landis, Raymond B. Studying Engineering: A Road Map to a Rewarding Career. Los Angeles, CA: Discovery, 2013. Print.
Garvin, David A., "Quality on the Line," Harvard Business Review, September October 1983, pp. 64-75.
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
This new technology helps the commanding officers know what is going on by that they can be back at there command base and watch raids unfold on large screens and watch real time footage. This allows them to know what exactly what is taking place.
...my work had a direct and lasting effect on the DoD. I am able to clearly see the impact of my job at AFOTEC and that makes what I do very worthwhile.
People travel miles in search of their true passion; some find them early in their life and I consider myself lucky enough to be one among them. I found my true calling at the age of 12 on a field trip to a milk factory. It seemed like the Disneyland of science with huge machineries, conveyer belts running all around, and instruments working about in their own rhythm with sheer intricacies and perfection. As a kid, I was eager to understand the mechanics behind this magical rhythm. The desire of gaining in-depth knowledge about Control System and Automation eventually led me to choose Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering as my undergraduate study.
[Actually,] I had so many reasons for wanting to do this. The first was for money. The military was willing to train me, feed me, house me, and when I was back home give me cash for college, "up to" forty thousand dollars. At that time I thought that was an incredible deal. Where else in the world could I find an opportunity like this one? [Yet t]he price I would pay wouldn't be worth "up to" forty thousand. Another great reason for joining the Army was to get in shape. I had visions about this ultra lean and strong body I would get from running five miles a day. I was also looking forward to the overall experience of inner strength, confidence, and pride in my country. As much as I was excited about doing something different and brave, I was also full of fear.
The day I finally signed up to join the military I knew I was taking a risk in my life. I believe it is important to take risks in life to move into bigger and better things. My first huge decision I made in my life was to join the United States Air Force. My uncle was the main person who put the idea in my head but my dad and my friends thought otherwise. My parents were divorced when I was young and I didn’t have the privilege like my friends to sit down and talk their decisions through with their parents. My father was excluded from the draft after he got in a car accident and I didn’t think he was very fond me joining the service. The main reason I chose to go into the military was make the decision to serve the country. The major decision in my opinion to join the military is to have the privilege to serve your own country. I think it is great for young men and woman to have ambition to serve and it can change a person into very motivated individual. My uncle and my mother were both very supportive and thought that it would be a great decision in my life. My mother knew it would be hard to see me go but was excited of the idea of coming to visit me in Texas. I knew it was taking a big risk being on my own but I was ready for a change in my life.