Personal Narrative
The Air Force has offered me the greatest opportunities of my life, and for this I am exceedingly grateful. It is breathtaking to look back and see how much I have grown both personally and professionally. Furthermore, I have dedication to the Air Force for the opportunities that I have experienced thus far. I desire to follow my passion, and I am steadfast in becoming an OSI agent. I also know that if I put my mind to it I can make it happen.
At the age of five I knew that I wanted to be an Airman. Growing up, everything I did was out of a desire to meet the expectations that I perceived made the best Airman. 1 August 2008 is a day that I will never forget. It was the day that I graduated from basic military training and became an Airman in the illustrious United States Air Force. This event marked the completion of my childhood goal and sent me on the most remarkable journey of my life.
It was my dream to become an aircraft mechanic. The icing on the cake was selection as an A-10 crew chief since it was my favorite military aircraft growing up. I enjoyed the opportunity to learn everything about it.
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I was excited to go to Korea because it is an overseas base, and I had never traveled abroad before. Nevertheless, I quickly felt overwhelmed. I felt that I did not know my job as well as I should have to be stationed in such a tense part of the world. I am forever indebted to Senior Master Sergeant Hershey (Retired) for taking me under his wing and being a great mentor. His ability to make me feel confident in the job I was doing was very encouraging. I completed my twenty-four-month tenure getting proficient at my job and being one of the top Airman in my unit. I took pride in the fact that my boss came to me and told me he appreciated that he could count on me tell to perform any task, and he knew it would be done on time and
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.
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.
Growing up it was my older sister, brother, and my twin with a single mother. My brother played basketball I wanted to be like him so I played to. I played basketball from second grade to my junior year, that's when I decided to join the Air Force. When I was little all I wanted to be was a surgeon, but that’s just a dream. Watching Grey’s Anatomy made me want to be a surgeon even more, but when my older brother joined the Air Force my freshman year I saw all the thing he was able to do and how much fun he was having doing something that he likes. I plan on going to college for two years to get my associates degree so when I join, I can go in with higher rank.
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.
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.
Every day of my life I have woken up to the sound of Reveille, and gone to bed listening to Taps. I have moved nine different times, know the feeling of having my dad deploy more than four times, and eating Thanksgiving dinner in a DEFAC is second-nature to me. Being an army child is a huge part of my life, however it does not define who I am; it has shaped how I view the world. Because of my life as a military child, I have determined that I am compelled to positively influence how others view life.
As a child I attended a local air show with my father and came away smitten with aircraft, and the idea of someday being a pilot. The idea of joining the Air Force, which would give me the opportunity to serve in the military while at the same time following my dream of flying airplanes, suited me perfectly. The prospect of a free college education made the idea even better! Throughout high school I devoted my efforts in and out of school to achieving this goal. My pursuit paid off with an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Class of 2004.
As you can see it was not a single factor, but a combination of many that led to me join the USAF, and a critical series of opportunities that have led me to the position I now occupy. The unique experiences and expertise I have allow me to help ensure the capabilities of the F-22 Raptor are delivered to the war fighter in a timely and cost-effective manner, thus ensuring the USAF maintains Air Superiority long into the future.
I’m a prior enlisted officer with many years in the service. My long Air Force career and current leadership characteristics have been molded by incidents in my life and career. These incidents include my grandfather’s influence, significant events in my Air Force career, and my contributions to Air Force and national intelligence objectives in my current job. These three things are the leading factors that have made me the leader I am today. Each of these things contributed to different traits like; dedication to hard work, honesty, goal setting, initiative, persistence, and many more.
After 12 hours of surgery, assisting in a large operation for a young guy with "Treacher Collins syndrome". It was aw-inspiring how the team of OMS approached the patient, constructing his orbits, grafting and correcting his dentofacial deformity. Although I was exhausted, but I enjoyed every second of the operation and felt really proud and I knew that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
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.
In the beginning it was great. Everything was new and exciting. Whenever I went on leave I couldn 't wait to get back to work after only a few days. The years passed and all the new and exciting things became old and boring. I began going on back to back deployments and I started to get really burned out. When I went to my twenty year high school reunion I got a chance to see what life as a civilian could be like and I wanted that. I no longer wanted to move when the army decided that they needed me some place. I wanted to put down roots and I couldn 't really do that while I was in the army.
Can you single out just one day from your past that you can honestly say changed your life forever? I know I can. It was a typical January day, with one exception; it was the day the Pope came to St. Louis. My brother and I had tickets to the youth rally, and we were both very excited. It was destined to be an awesome day- or so we thought. The glory and euphoria of the Papal visit quickly faded into a time of incredible pain and sorrow, a time from which I am still emerging.
The United States Air Force (USAF) is composed of a diverse workforce. Its men and women come from all walks of life and their contributions make the USAF the world’s premier fighting force. I’m a proud member of this dedicated team of professionals. My Air Force story is, but one out of thousands of others illustrating the diverse backgrounds and values our Airmen bring to our force, the experiences that shape our understanding of the profession of arms, and the contributions we make to the Air Force’s mission.
Throughout life I have had many memorable events. The memorable times in my life vary from being the worst times in my life and some being the best, either way they have become milestones that will be remembered forever. The best day of my life was definitely the day that I received my drivers’ license. This day is one of the most memorable because of the feelings I had when I received it, the opportunities that were opened up for me and the long lasting benefits that I received from it that still exist today.