Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Training and military education
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Training and military education
The first week of my military career was the best, yet scariest week of my life. I was anxious, full of excitement, yet fully uncertain as to what lied ahead. The first day started very early, 3:30 to be exact. I was shacked up at a hotel not far from BWI airport with another recruit waiting to head off to basic combat training. I was headed to Fort Jackson, SC, my roommate, Fort Benning, GA. I can remember thinking, “I will be headed home soon enough, a changed man”. I have quite a few friends from high school that enlisted in the military and they have all said that it was the best thing that they have ever done. Now it was my turn. The ensuing 10 weeks is a period in my life that I will never forget. It was a cool, rainy April morning headed to the airport. I had one small duffel bag stuffed with everything on my packing list my recruiter gave me the week prior. It was the first time I’ve ever been on an airplane. That was the easy part. My plane landed at the airport in Columbia, SC roughly an hour and a half after takeoff. Waiting for me and 2 companions was a black van and two people dressed in their army uniform, or ACUs. Very stern, the one man commanded the 3 of us to, “Get in the van and be quiet”. Without hesitation, we did. We drove for about an hour until we arrived at …show more content…
This time was in front of what looked like a small prison. There were bars covering the small, dark windows. The building looked like nobody had lived in it for years. “Welcome to transition, the most boring 4 days of your life.” said the driver. He was right, it was extremely boring. The next few days consisted of nothing more than making me and 30 other men look as much alike as possible. We had the same clothing, equipment, and haircuts. Every morning was a wakeup call at 4:30am to stand in formation for 2 hours to salute the flag as it was raised. Then it was breakfast, wait in line to be issued something, lunch, stand in line, then dinner and stand in line some
You kept quiet, ate the soup (even if you don’t like it), and do everything in your power to not give up and show the officers that you are not weak. “The barrack we had been assigned to was very long.” (34) The description of where they were staying showed the reader that him and his father were assigned to the same sleeping quarters.
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.
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.
Once again I met new officers, new platoon leaders, new fellow soldiers, and a new home. After we were settled in we were given a tour of the base and its shooting ranges. Once again my life
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.
Hello, and welcome to my Air Force story. This paper is factual, and encompasses the humble beginnings of a poor college student and provides insight through to how I am affecting the Air Force mission today. Along the way, you will read about the circumstances that enticed a young man to join the Air Force, training received, a brief description of assignments, accomplishments, positions held, and how I affect the future leaders of the Air Force and its mission.
Some veterans say that they had a wonderful experience in the military while others think it was horrible. Braulio has no regrets till this day about joining the United States Military. If he had a chance to do it all over, he would do everything the way he did back then. Braulio recommends joining the military because you learn many life lessons that you should know and you should bring those lessons into your daily life. You also get close friends when in service because they are the only family you have there and Braulio remains in contact with friends from his
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...
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 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.
I remember the day that I left for boot camp. I was terrified. My stomach was queasy, my head was cloudy, and every time I imagined what was about to happen to me, I started to cry. It was an incredible leap I was about to take. The mental preparation was the most difficult part. I had no idea what to expect. I had heard many horror stories about the things that occur in Boot Cam...
The car was hot and stuffy when I slipped back into the driver's seat. I found the most depressing music I owned and drove out of Glenwood as the sun started to set. Two more hours until I was home, two more hours of thinking what a terrible day I had gone through, and two more hours of cussing myself for being so naïve. The drive was a long one.
The day was overcast, cold and thoroughly November. I answered the call to arms with the eager sincerity of a private fresh from basic training. My Grandfather wept openly, fearing for my life as I bade him farewell. I entered a young soldier brimming with bravado; I returned a troubled man with bruised ego, clutching hard-won wisdom to my breast.
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.