Upon coming back from Iraq as a highly decorated Army Ranger, my family welcomed me as a hero in their eyes. Although my appearance looked complete, inside was a wounded soldier who would begin a new battle within. I am a first generation American, born in Southeast Los Angeles of immigrant parents who migrated from Mexico. I am the middle child of three and grew up in a working class community where I attended school. Although I was never a stand out student, my hard work kept me at a passing range. When I began high school many of my friends began to get involved in gangs and drugs. I on the other hand joined the football team to stay out of trouble and graduate from high school. It was during this time that I made the decision that has impacted and continues to impact my life by serving my country during a time of war in The United States Army.
The year was 2003 and the war on terrorism had begun in Iraq, I took the biggest step in my life to join the United States Army. Although I was
…show more content…
there as a patriot, I experienced racism and my skin color played a big part in the hard work I would need to be successful. In November 2003, I was flown out to Georgia, where I began basic training to become an infantryman. After I completed my training I was sent to Fort Campbell, Kentucky to the 101st airborne division where I completed Air Assault School. In my unit, I was the only Hispanic first-generation soldier and I began to realize the negativity coming from many of my peers at the beginning. As we continued our trainings I realized I would have to work much harder than many to overcome the racism existed within our ranks and to integrate with people from different ways of life. Afterwards, I participated with 600 soldiers to become an Expert Infantryman, which included many rigorous tasks where I placed in the top 16 to receive my Expert Infantry Badge. Due to my high performance my platoon sergeant decided to take a risk to send me as a private to Ranger School, which traditionally catered to officers. It was during Ranger School where I met Lieutenant Snyder a West Point graduate who helped me as a mentor to complete the course. Upon returning to my unit I became one of the most decorated soldiers in our division and the military over all, and I became that one percent that are known as Airborne Rangers. After completing this great task things began to turn around, and I was not just a first generation Hispanic, but a soldier or brother to many. My first deployment to Iraq was in 2005-2006 as a 19 year-old during one of the toughest deployments during Operation Iraqi Freedom. While deployed I went on hundreds of combat missions, that included home raids and the securing of high valued targets to the training of the Iraqi army and the freedom of women to receive an education. While in Iraq military deaths in the country were rising to reach almost 100 or over month after month. At the age of 20, I first witnessed combat and roadside bombs aimed at my platoon and me. I continued to push forward and it was not until July 2006 when another hard moment hit my life. I lost my first friend and others were injured with severe burns. Moreover, when I continued my mission life began to seem less and less important as death was all around me. As if that was not enough, while on my deployment I received one of the toughest news that changed my life forever. A Red Cross message was sent to me telling me my 14 year-old sibling was to go through a brain surgery in order to remove a tumor. Although I had just returned from a mission my first sergeant and captain went to give me tough news that I would be sent home. When I arrived a few days after to “Children’s Hospital” where my brother had undergone surgery, I witnessed the worst feeling a family can go through; my brother was in bed since he was not able to walk and had lost feeling on his left side. His doctor said that he would not be able to walk again. There was another issue I had to deal with, which were my men at war and me being away. Even though I could have stayed longer on emergency leave and despite this extraordinary situation, I had my men who needed me so I decided to return to the call of duty that my country needed and the people of Iraq. When I finally returned home in 2006 and received my honorable discharge I made a stop in San Antonio, where one of my good friends, Sergeant Trujillo was located due to his burn wounds he received in combat. Once again another part of my life came down when I saw him unrecognizable due to his fire wounds. I continued to receive news of more of my friends losing their lives at war, to include my Ranger buddy Captain Adam Snyder. The count reached nine of my brothers that were lost; nothing was real anymore, as people did not realize what many young men like myself were going through. In February 2010 I finally finished my call of duty and received my honorable discharge. When I returned I realized I had spent over six years, counting on a weapon next to me in order to earn a living. Although I was out of the military I continued to earn a living with a weapon, as I became a bodyguard. However, at the age of 25, and I decided to make a big change in my life. I returned to school at East Los Angeles College, where I struggled due to my past experiences. I have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a Traumatic Brain Injury, hearing loss, back and knee problems which I continue to fight through in order to continue my success. After returning as a combat veteran and being forced to discharge from the military due to the downsizing, I was left in the dark where I turned to alcohol to cope with life.
After having gotten out and continuing with my struggles it was not until 2013 that I began to receive help from the Veterans Affairs. It was then that I realized the veteran community that I belong to lacked many resources. Moreover, after receiving counseling from other fellow veterans, I realized was one of the biggest improvements in my recovery to cope with the day-to-day lifestyle. Realizing the importance of counseling, inspired me to pursue an education in social work. Having had participated in research conducted by the University of Southern California, I then realized the efforts being made in order to help the veteran community. Therefore, my long-term goal has become to eventually get admitted to the USC School of Social Work, where I can become an asset in helping veterans and their
families. Being a first-generation college student where guidance towards higher education did not exist within my family, it was a challenge understanding the transfer process but not impossible. It was with my initiative that I created relationships with many professors in my college years. Because of these relationships I have finally reached a decision in order to pursue a career in counseling for veterans by following a career in Social Work. Although I faced many struggles, I have made the Dean’s List and have been awarded multiple scholarships. While my struggles only make me stronger, in my community college years I helped with the chartering of a Veterans Club where I began as a delegate and in my last year the president of the Veterans Club where it created a support system for college veterans. While being president, I carried out fundraisers that have helped our student veteran community gain access to university tours in order to expand their knowledge with the transferring process. I have also been involved in coordinating a toys for tots drive that provided gifts to the children of low-income communities. Furthermore, I have participated in a sock and undies drive that provided veterans clean underwear. Therefore transferring to USC would be a perfect fit to further develop my skills from a prestigious institution that gives back to surrounding communities in need. Although I continue to give back to families in need, I have also found a partner to create my own as we have a one-year-old daughter. Although it has been tough being a full time student currently at UC Irvine, where I will be getting my BS in Sociology. Being a full time student like my partner and a parent has limited my activities since being there for my daughter in her early years and school has become my priority. Therefore, receiving a Masters in Social Work not only can it provide for a better future for my family and me, but for other veterans and their families that I will be able to help. If I earn my Masters in Social Work my career goal would be to work with the Veterans Affairs to provide services for veterans and their families that I will be receiving from USC. Moreover, with this career goal I would be able to raise a healthy daughter and direct her to one day become a helping asset to our communities.
The Hero’s Journey is a basic template utilized by writers everywhere. Joseph Campbell, an American scholar, analyzed an abundance of myths and literature and decided that almost all of them followed a template that has around twelve steps. He would call these steps the Hero’s Journey. The steps to the Hero’s Journey are a hero is born into ordinary circumstances, call to adventure/action, refusal of call, a push to go on the journey, aid by mentor, a crossing of the threshold, the hero is tested, defeat of a villain, possible prize, hero goes home. The Hero’s Journey is more or less the same journey every time. It is a circular pattern used in stories or myths.
Growing up, life wasn't easy. As a result of these adversities, I've been able to not only see, but personally experience, having a constant battle in my life. Throughout this journey of life, I’ve had the opportunity to meet people and learn about different backgrounds and hardships many others suffer from. These experiences,
I knew I loved to help others but it was not until I was an emerging adult that I knew what my calling was. My devotion to improve the quality of life for those who are disadvantaged is one of the reasons I have chosen to pursue a Master’s in Social Work. After obtaining my masters, I plan on diversifying my masters by getting licensed and becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I would like to study social work because I feel it will lead me directly to one of the most emotionally fulfilling careers available, as well as giving me the chance to combine helping people 's mental well being with their physical
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 have known that I wanted to go into the field of Social Work since my first year of undergraduate studies at SUNY at Fredonia. I entered SUNY at Fredonia as a major in secondary education, with a concentration in English. It was during my first semester of my freshman year that I had taken an introductory course in psychology. I realized then that I wanted to work with people, but not in the capacity as a secondary education teacher, but in a career in mental health. My professor spoke with such enthusiasm about the subject of psychology and psychopathology and soon, I found myself intrigued with these subjects. I wanted to help individuals who needed the help, especially knowing the stigma mentally illness exists in society.
Chiefly, this plan of action includes a change in my medication, additional counseling sessions, and me enrolling in the Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) program, which is designed to help Veterans like myself to develop a rehabilitation plan that will lead to employment based on my personal interest of obtaining my Bachelor degree in Business Administration here at Ashford University, in conjunction with reintegrating me back into the community at the highest functional level possible. In addition to utilizing these effective methods, I will also make sure to keep an open line of communication with my Student Advisor Joan Welch and my Lead Veteran Access &Wellness Counselor Ashley Kirwan in order to stay on track with achieving my goals that are expressed within my plan of
“Why would you want to interview me when there are plenty of people back home that would be easier to interview in person?” asks John Stout. He is about 5’11, has dark black hair and his eyes are a rich chocolaty brown. He is tan and has a strong muscular body. John is currently deployed in Bagram Afghanistan. He departed on July 7th, 2016 and will not return until April of 2017. He grew up in Fort Ripley, MN and graduated from Brainerd High School in 2014. John is very close with his Mother, Father, Brother and Sister. He grew up with a wrench in his hand and always helped his Father work on project cars and fixing things around the house. To John, family is everything. His family always took vacations and every summer, he gets to travel around the United States for Army training. John grew up in a military family. His Father works as a Warrant Officer in the Minnesota National Guard and his Brother, Curtis, is in the Marine Corps and is also deployed right now.John has always wanted to serve his country
12 Aug 1962. One year to the day, Anton and Josef disappeared around that alley corner. At high noon a loud commotion originated from the west. It didn’t matter where you were in the city or on which side; everyone could heard the clear exaggerated honking from automobile horns pressed hard in a synchronized protest of the wall.
Cense the cold times in January little Cassi had been helping me with books and being like my best friend and it was nice. I told her stuff that I hadn't told anyone. Then one day she told me that she had a real nice surprise for me. She also said that she found it in the woods but I didn’t mind. I was just so happy that Cassie was so sweet and got me something. As I watched Cassi step into the dry gully then to the bank I was getting tired of walking. “It ain’t far. You need to see this.” So I ran as fast as I could loosing my balance. As we started walking again I felt lost. “You sure it's this way, little Cassie?” “Not to much farther. There it is.” We walked into a dark little spot with vines every where in the
“Finally, we’re here! Africa, here we come!” Sara shouts with joy. That 15-hour flight is over, but luckily I got the window seat.
Dr. D is a cardiothoracic surgeon. He was my hero. He may well still be, even though he is a throw-back to the days when I was more concerned about science than symbolism.
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.
I wasn’t much to look at, had a job as a taxi driver to pay my rent. I eventually volunteered for the army became a marksmen and a pretty damn good one. I had nothing to live for, orphaned at the aged of sixteen no one to take care of me. That’s why I volunteered. However, I was working when my mom died at the rally and my father died before I was born. So my alterative motive to come back was to get some closure on what little family I used to have.
My passion to become a social worker began when I was pursuing an undergraduate degree. From a young age because of my compassion and empathetic nature, I knew that I wanted to work inside the human service field. I wanted to use my personal characteristics to improve individual’s lives. Social work was my calling because of the many different areas in the field that are all primarily focused on making a difference. I am interested in clinical social work, working with individuals and families.
I have experienced crisis and a lot of pain that had a profound effect on me, after a process of soul searching I have decided the best use of the skills that I have acquired which satisfied a need to give back to my community. I therefore have chosen to become a social worker. While traveling around the world I found that I am capable of dealing calmly, sensitively and supportively with people in fraught and stressful situations. With this in mind I believe that a MSW would best suit. me as it would allow me to use those skills in order to help and support people. My goal is to continue on to post graduate studies at which point I would like to specialize in health and mental health issues that are faced by military veterans while understanding the policies that impact the military, veterans and service