Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Leadership development in the army
Leadership in the army profession
Leadership in the army profession
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Leadership development in the army
My Army Story
So there I was, a 16 year old boy in High School in early July 1999, listening to my older brother’s recruiter explaining all the benefits that the Army has to offer after graduating from High School. I realized that I was able to join the Army as early as 17 years old and I could enlist as an E-2/PV2 with having to complete 2 years of ROTC program. Also, I realized that I can be a part time Army Soldier and pursue my personal goals in the civilian world by attending college, assist my parents with daily needs and one day purchase my own home.
Life was not always easy for my family and me. Even with both of my parents working, they could only provide the minimum daily needs. My brother and I did not have the luxurious things
…show more content…
I attended basic training days after completion of my junior year and advance individual training days after my high school graduation at Ft. Benning, Georgia. When I completed basic training, I went back to school and was able to attend every functions that the school has to offer; i.e. junior prom, winter ball, etc. I was also proud that I was able to buy any clothing, games, and pay my bills on my own without a burden to my …show more content…
I decided to re-enlist in the Army Reserve twice for 6 years contract and the best part was that my first re-enlistment had an incentive and tax-free because I was currently deployed. As a Reservist and a UA, I was able to use various programs and benefits from Tuition Assistance, MWR, and VA home loans to name a few. Most importantly, I was able to provide not only for my needs; but also assist my parent by paying bills and even purchased a car for them. In mid-2012, I was approved a VA home loan. By the end of 2012, I finally bought my first home, which housed both my parent and me. I could remember how at ease I felt knowing I had a stable job with medical and retirement benefits, stable income, affordable home, and most of all still is a part of the US Army Reserved. Although, I have not yet to achieve an Associate or Bachelor’s Degree; which I still plan to achieve. I am very fortunate and blessed to have had the opportunity to take advantage of the many benefits that the Army provides, whether it is as an Active Army or as an Army Reservists. Most importantly, I was able to buy a house that my family and I can call a
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 was earning 17 or 20 dollars a month and that was a lot of money for me at the age of 17. Although I had joined the Armed forces I did not like it. I was not able to do much. The units were separated and segregation was still in place. I was ordered to do a lot of cooking, laundry and mopping the floors. I thought I would be doing something more. It was still a lot of hard work.
My Air Force story begins with me searching for a viable way to pay for college. I was brought up in a home with two hard working parents who were great role models that tried to provide every opportunity for me. However, my family was part of the lower-middle class which meant I needed a way to pay for college. I followed suit with my parent’s stringent work ethic and set a goal to pursue a degree in aerospace engineering and have the Air Force fund it. I felt that the Air Force would be a great match as it would allow me to pursue my aviation dream and also serve as a great way to fund my education due to my financial needs. After a challenging process I received an Air Force ROTC scholarship to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology and pursue a degree in Aerospace Engineering. In return for this scholarship I would have to pay the Air Force back with four years of service.
It’s my junior year of High school and I’ve been thinking about my future a little more and I’ve come to a conclusion that I want to serve my country. This is a big decision I have made and many others have too. I’ve had the honor to interview 4 military people who are retired and still serving.
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.
I spent three years in the U.S. Army. I always knew that one day I would join, but I wasn 't given the chance to finish what I started there. I gained a very unique perspective of the world. I was injured halfway through my first tour and subsequently I was medically discharged against my will. When I was transitioning out, there were many briefings I was required to sit through in order to complete the process. One of the most memorable was the resume writing class. If a soldier decided to attend and pay attention, I think the most important thing they would have learned is to never have a single plan. You should always have at least five plans for each important transition in life. These plans should all carry equal weight. Your time should
I wasn’t phased much at first , but then my fiancee decided she did no want to be with me. I sold cars for a short time and was very good but I got sick and with no health insurance and It was just too much to struggle through. I then was out of work for almost two years with exception of army reserve which earned me basically nothing with child support. My credit and all my bills went to straight hell and soon I was homeless. I slept in my car. I then decided to ask reserve for release to go full time active which was a chore in itself. This was a mass of red tape and paperwork. I got in best shape possible and finally at age 42 went back in the army, the infantry no less. For some reason the people in the army can be less than fond of a guy that age going to
To some people, it is only noise but to me, it was a whole new world. I can still remember the first time I heard a round whiz past my ear, the cars passing by, or SSG Blue yelling at me to get down. At that moment, I realized that I was not training anymore. I was made aware that everything and everyone were out to kill me. I kept telling myself, “I shouldn’t be here.” Mentally, I can hear my mother in the background crying just as the day she did when she found out I joined the military. My life was not the same nor will it ever be the same. In my first combat tour I learned the importance of life, how to mentally prepare myself for the worst outcomes, and I learned how to be a great leader.
Dodging bullets and and praying to God that your foot does not step on a landmine. Missing the company of your family, not to mention having to miss birth of your first born child. Only to be on an unknown terrain, hoping that the next second will not be your last, only to produce a salary that rigidly pays to maintain your household. Today joining the military is not a trendy determination to compose and sensibly so. With the bloodshed in both Iraq and Afghanistan more military cadre are essential but an insufficient amount are joining. So why should you join? Today, in spite of the intimidation of going to combat, is the utmost cost-effective time for a person to comply to join the military. There to have at no time been as many benefits either as broad of perks granted.. Currently, there is the Montgomery GI Bill as everybody knows accessible for combatant men and women to attend college and acquire a college degree. There reside plentiful opportunities to take dominance of by joining into militant service. Of course there are a great deal of senses both for and against joining the army. Joining the military, however, is a verdict that demands to and has to be built to be realized to continue to reside in the United States.
Your family members get to use everything at the spouses disposal pretty much. I enlisted in the military for the educational benefits because I knew I would not get any scholarships and I knew the armed forces get it all for free so I should take advantage of the same benefits that so many others have. I am proud to say that though I am part of something way bigger than myself, the military makes you two times as confident and proud of yourself.
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.
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 military, for me the Air Force, has its own way of life and its own social function. The first thing I remember getting off the bus at Lackland Air Force Base was the Drill Sergeant running towards us and just yelling and yelling. As a group of individuals we could do no right, “pick up your bags, put them down” was yelled over and over until we learned that when the bags are placed down they can’t make noise. The first day was long and we had to learn quickly the norms of military life. We were giving roles, I was a chow runner, and each role had its own role set. I had to count the trainees and report to the Drill Sergeant how many people in my flight would be eating the meal and after reporting I had to report to the flight leader when our turn will be. It seemed that each day was blurred together as we learned and expected military life style. Class after class was giving by our Drill Sergeants we made sure that race, sex, sexual orientation and color did not affect our daily routine. As each day became in the six week course we started to get used to the daily ritual and...
When I first got to college I needed a way to pay for school, so I enlisted in the Army Reserves and was shipped out to basic combat training. At basic combat training I learned of the differences between an officer and an enlisted soldier. I had a phenomenal company commander who was a ROTC cadet who told me all about the program and the responsibilities of an officer. Once I returned from basic combat training I got in contact with the recruiter for UAB ROTC and joined the program. These decisions helped me pay for college, a big reason I initialed joined the Army.
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.