Murphy’s law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. As someone who bears the name I can attest the truth in that statement. I have an extremely blessed life and do not endure the suffering that many people do on a daily basis. However, I have bizarre connections to small misfortunes and circumstances that follow me back as far as I can remember. Any acquaintance of mine will attest that things in my life never go as planned and anything that can happen will. Yet through a collection of misfortune, one can still find solace and benefit through their tribulation and see that negative experience could actually be positive. Positive twists during troubling times is illuminated best through my experience with joining the United States Coast Guard. As hyperbolic as it sounds, it seemed that the universe itself does everything in its power to keep me from serving. From the start, I had difficulty getting into the service through means beyond my control. When I stepped into that recruiting office after graduating from high school trying to find a purpose and shook my recruiter’s hand, I knew something was bound to go wrong; my …show more content…
I was kept in basic training for an additional five weeks. My optimistic outlook on the events taking place at the time were now as shattered as my hand, yet I still couldn't find it in me to quit. I did all that I could to make my hand recover as fast and efficiently as possible to get back and complete recruit training. The long weeks only made the stay in Cape May all the more difficult as I was known by every intimidating and angry instructor on regiment and was exposed to even more bizarre and grueling moments within the program. Eventually, I made it through and was off to my first unit in Galveston, TX. A week after my arrival I was subject to medical discharge do to a spontaneous back
First I am going to explore a few theories. Murphy’s Law States that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Throughout my short but bountiful life, I have learned that nearly every possible negative outcome is definitely a
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.
After serving five years in the millitary, my brothers and I have been through a fair amount of unpleasent
When one has a positive outlook in difficult circumstances, it is the most important predictor of resilience; how quickly people recover from adversity. People who are resilient tend to be more optimistic and positive compared to less-resilient people. Resilient people are capable of preserving their optimism and controlling their emotions through some of the most difficult circumstances ("The Benefits of Optimism"). The dean of Mount Sinai School of Medicine Dr. Dennis Charney found resilience in 750 Vietnam War veterans. He examined these war veterans who were held as prisoners of war for six to eight years. These 750 men were remarkably resilient throughout these tortured years. Unlike many of their fellow veterans, they did not develop depression or PTSD after they were released. Even though they experienced enormous stress, they kept a positive attitude. It was found that their secret was ten characteristics that distinguished them from the other men; and the top one was optimism ("The Benefits of Optimism"). These men endured painful conditions and could have ended up with a l...
The air was warm, the beams of sunlight shined on my skin, and the sweet laughter of my daughter came as she ran about. I could hear the bark of the neighbor’s dog in the distance, the scraping sound of a jogger's sneakers on the gravel sidewalk and I could smell the sweet aroma of the ripening peaches coming from the tree in our backyard. It was a brilliant summer day just like any other. My husband, Matthew, pulled in. Our daughter ran to him as he walked up the drive, “Daddy, Daddy,” she shouted as she wrapped her arms around him, embracing him with love. My husband sat beside me and began to speak. My heart began to beat slowly and erratically at first, my eyes began to burn in their sockets and a lump rose in my throat. The hair on my arms stood on end as my eyes began to fill with tears. “I got orders babe, I’m going to be shipped out in eight days.” These words my husband spoke would be the begging of a whole new life, a whole new fear. This day my life changed forever. On this day I learned my husband was going to be deployed.
I joined the Army National Guard while I was a senior in high school. I was tired of Bristol and my unfulfilling life in Tennessee. I could not wait to leave and go far away from home and see what other places had to offer. In August I left for Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, a basic training post. There were a five or six of us that left from Knoxville by van to get there. We arrived around midnight. As soon as we stepped out of the van we were ushered into a room like cattle. There was already over a hundred people sitting elbow-to-elbow on the floor. This room was extremely small and overcrowded, but I managed to wedge myself between two people. Someone was standing behind a counter telling that we could not have weapons, drugs, pornographic material, and things for gambling with. After that, the people in charge, drills sergeants started yelling at us and telling us to get up and run out of the building. They ran us to another building. This building had our beds in it. We were told to go upstairs, put our things on the bunks, and come back down. The drill sergeants said that we had one minute to accomplish this and that fifteen seconds of it had passed. All of us darted up the stairs, knocking each other down, trying to make it back down in time. All of us arrived back down stairs to the screaming of drill sergeants. They were saying, "Front leaning rest position move". Once the drill sergeants saw me they got really angry. I was just standing there because I did not know what front leaning rest position was. One of the drill sergeants came over and began to verbally assault me, yelling, "Are you deaf? I said, FRONT LEANING REST POSITION MOVE!" I told him I did not know what that was. He replied that it was the push-up position in a very unfriendly manner.
Coming from a military family, enduring through tough situations was not a foreign concept to me. Living on military bases my whole life around such like-minded people had left me in a mindset that most people also felt the same way. As high school progressed, the number of people I interacted with who had experienced multiple challenges that broke them apart at a young age was astonishing to me. I learned that many of these people did not have the skills needed to cope with adversity, and that setting an example sometimes was the best way to help them move forward with a different perspective on their
There has been an uncanny situation that let my interest into the naval services. Knowing that I am not truly from here it disturbs the fact I am always looked down at, especially since I am a young women. However, my beliefs in this country have inspired me to believe that there’s more than just working all my life, that there’s those who protect and serve it. My interest sparked when I joined my JROTC program at my high school. My JROTC program inspired me to become the person I never thought I would be; a leader. Being able to lead and help others as something that I realized I was good at. Going from the lowest cadet rank to the battalion commander taught me that time, respect and patience brings a better citizen out one self. Adjacent
I was at Fort Benning Georgia in August 1988 to attend jump school. I had done my basic training here four years earlier with Sgt. Smith who would be my black hat true instructor for airborne school. I was standing in formation at five in the morning. It was cold now, but Georgia has hot, humid daytime temperatures that were draining mentally and physically for a student from Northern California. I knew I wanted to be here even though there would be physical and mental stresses, challenges and the possibility of serious Injury. The students would be weeded out at every point. I did not want it to happen to me. During my four years in the Army, I learned that I like to be an independent, resourceful, goal oriented problem solver. In the infantry, I had to obey the orders and not think for myself. Uniformity in everything was demanded.
I love camping and spending time outside, but this summer I had a completely new experience when I visited the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Before leaving, I had very little knowledge of the Boundary Waters. After getting advice from friends and purchasing some special equipment, I realized that camping there was going to be much more complicated than I had thought.
I have always loved being in a large family. Monday through friday, I could have up to sixteen siblings. On the weekends, it’s my three brothers and my four sisters. My Mom watches up to ten kids under her daycare, under our roof; And under our roof, parents come and go, picking up and dropping off their kids. Monday through Friday, I get to experience a bond with these families. There is one set of parents that wear the same uniform, proudly. Lane and Miranda Parker are currently members of the Colorado Army National Guard. While discussing Lane’s roles and responsibilities to our country, it brought warmth to my heart. I truly have never met a pair of young parents who love this country as much as they do.
As a retired Seal, I still retain the memories of the struggles and hardships I have encountered over my life. Starting at the age of five, my mother met a man named Leon. He would always criticize me for something I did or what I did wrong. Every little detail that was not done correctly would lead to pain and discipline. This was Leon’s way of ,”setting me straight”. Finally I had enough. I decided to leave home by boarding the wrong bus after school one day out of fear. I was so scared to go home. But I eventually decided that I have to live with it, I knew Leon was going to stay I could do nothing to change that. In life there are things that you can't change. I believe that you must learn to cope with problems in order to succeed, not by running away from them.
From a young age, I knew that I wanted a career in the medical field. The thought of potentially saving a life and helping other people made healthcare very appealing to me. I was exposed to first aid techniques early on by my father, and it became a large part of my life as I went on to complete several first aid courses and eventually become a lifeguard. My current job as a lifeguard is something that I enjoy wholeheartedly. There is a huge amount of responsibility that comes with keeping patrons safe and that is not an aspect of all part-time jobs. One particular experience allowed me to realize that helping others is what I am meant to do and showed me how rewarding it really is.
On my sixteenth birthday, my friends--we call ourselves The Crew--gave me the best gift ever. They combined two of my favorite things--the TV show, Law and Order, and Taylor Swift--and created a mini movie. The first time I watched it, and every time since, I crack up laughing. It is the funniest, quirkiest creation I have ever seen and it’s a fantastic representation of how thoughtful and loving my friends truly are.
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