I have been blessed to have led a highly fulfilling career over the past 22 years. The Air Force’s standards of conduct and performance have helped me mature into an adult while creating lasting memories along the way. I have had the opportunity to make significant contributions to my country that offer a sense of pride and personal achievement. My current duties allow me to directly contribute to the Air Force and Joint arena on an almost daily basis. Joining the Air Force helped me to realize I had undertaken a task bigger than myself. 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. Within the coming year I would have many exciting experiences allowing me to mature. I graduated technical school at Lowery AFB, CO as a Munitions Systems Specialist and was assigned to Eglin AFB, FL. A little over a year later I received a phone call at 2 AM which would drastically change my life. I was recalled to help transport missiles to awaiting F-15s that were preparing to deploy. We were told that some previously unknown dictator had invaded a country in the Middle East that none of us had ever heard of. Within 48 hours I was on a p... ... middle of paper ... ...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. Being able to clearly understand how my job contributes to the Air Force, the Joint Environment, and the DoD is extremely satisfying. I take my work seriously because I know that what I do can have a direct impact on the military’s ability to fight and win wars. The personal achievements that I have experienced during my 22 years in the Air Force are also very gratifying. The work I did as a Security Policeman stand out the most. It was here that I went from a boy to a man in just a few short months and fully understood what it meant to be a part of the military. From humble beginnings in a small town I made the decision to enlist and take on a task bigger than myself. I had no idea what I was getting into.
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.
My initial reason to enter the Air Force was a great way to pay for college which turned into a call of duty and a service commitment which has actively allowed me to contribute to the Air Force mission. Thus far I have led a joint force search and rescue effort and a multinational exercise to preserve freedom. As an F-15E instructor WSO and combat mission ready WSO I actively contribute to ensure our freedoms are preserved and the attacks of September 11, 2001 will never happen again.
Growing up I always wanted to fly airplanes, especially after I visited the Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. After high school with an uncertain future but desiring an education, I started taking classes at a local technical college that specialized in university transfers. Specifically, a university transfer to Clemson University where I joined the ROTC program as a sophomore. After sophomore year, I earned a two-year scholarship to attend Clemson fulltime, followed by a trip to Lackland AFB for field training. As a junior, I earned a navigator training slot, a flying billet that was an answer to my prayers. Upon completion of my degree in Human Resources, I commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and assigned to casual status to await navigator training.
In this essay I have explained how my background and values led me to a career in the United States Air Force, my most important experiences while serving, and how my job allows me to contribute to the larger Air Force mission. I look forward to continuing my career in the world’s greatest Air Force.
Beyond my mom dressing me up as an Army soldier and playing war games on my Xbox or computer, I belonged to the Boy Scouts, there I really think my passion to serve my country started to show. I spent many hours volunteering, camping, and learning how to survive as a young man. I earned my Eagle Scout by the age of fifteen and as I continue to follow the Boy Scout motto “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” I will take what I learned with me to the next chapter of my life the United States
The most honorable experience that I have had is working on my Eagle Scout project. I learned how to become a better leader, tackle difficult situations and how to work with others. All of these skills helped me be a better person.
Most individuals that enter into military service reflect positively of the time and work they invested in for the number of years they enlist for. I personally look at the past very differently, I am not one to bash former employment because if I were to employ anyone I would hope for the same but I give credit where credit it due since I was expected to learn my job, teach when I can of my occupation and grow as an individual. After my first year of service I felt that a lifelong Army career was not going to be where I wanted to end up in the long run because I felt like I had no sense of accomplishment proud enough and call my own. I took it upon myself to learn everything I could about 3D design and applications to gaming because it was always something I had an interest in growing up and I will talk about the subject of design for longs periods of time when given the chance. For three years of active duty service I would always carry the idea in the back of my head that I would have to just deal with the next couple of years as best I could but be sure that I did my job in the military as my units communication manager as well as on the ground operator to the best of my ability.
Being an officer in the Air Force is something I am very proud of. In addition to being an officer, I am honored to be a Weapons System Officer in the F-15E. Inside both the Air Force and the F-15E are values that I held dear from an early age even before joining the Air Force. I was lucky enough to be in a career field where all of my training led up to a pinnacle of saving American lives in Afghanistan. After the combat time was over though, the new challenge was to pass that knowledge onto the next crop of aircrew to which I am currently proud to do serve.
I served in the military for twenty-nine years. I retired from the United States Navy with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. I am very proud of my achievement in the service considering that I enlisted as an E-1, the lowest rank of an enlisted man. During my career in the military, I held various positions of responsibility that include; Chemical, Biological Warfare Officer, Engineering Plant Assessor and an Engineer Officer with one hundred eleven personnel working for me.
I was enlisted in the army on 23 June 1999 as an Infantry rifleman in 4th Battalion Singapore Infantry Regiment. Initially I hated the army and signing on in the army never cross my mind. I hated the army for many reasons. The regimentation, waking up very early in the morning everyday, no freedom and sometimes even been punished by the Sergeant for no apparent reason. I only decided to take up Army as a career after I ORD in 2001 when I actually miss being a soldier. The army life is so full of adventure, toughness and camaraderie.
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
The demanding nature of the work has given me an added sense of responsibility but also of pride, fulfilment, and greater appreciation for hard work, ultimately making me more mature and dependable.
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.
I took an oath at age 17 to be a part of an enormous family by joining the Michigan Army National Guard. I decided to join for many different reasons, but the main reason was the path I saw myself taking wasn’t a good one. I have always been interested in a job that kept you on your toes and wasn’t the same nine to five that the majority of people despise working.