rescue mission operation. I even conducted an event training to where I participated in a Blackhawk Operation mission with the Army 12th Aviation Battalion and 55th EOD Team which EOD is a bomb squad, which every SWAT Team have in the civilian world in a police department SWAT. I had the chance to partake in a K-9 unit experience training.…
My decision to join the military in general I believe subconsciously started when my older brother returned from Army basic training. While my brother was a pretty smart guy he had never really been to apply himself nor did he have the drive to, but whatever had happened to him during army basic training had made a change in him; a change for the best. He came back and the transformation was evident in every single one of his actions and thoughts. He had a drive to accomplish all of his goals dreams and aspiration, not only that he had the discipline necessary to stay on his new found path. I went on to college in the fall fallowing his return from basic training not sure if these new traits and strength I saw in him would continue or disappear. When I returned home that fall after my first semester and talked to him and I saw the changes had stayed with him and grown even further. With all that he had used the tools he had been given to accomplish so much in already so little of time. All that stayed in my head, but it did not become relevant to me until my sophomore year of college. I realized that while I was…
"Hurry up! We gotta go. We are to bypass 3rd ID in Baghdad and take the northern part of Iraq."…
With ever story of victory, comes a drowning idea of failure. Throughout our live, these battles are fought, taking not only mental strength, but physical as well. Some of these battles are chosen, while the rest flank from behind. With this in mind, a story of victory must be told, on behalf of my Aunt, Joenell. Her battle took place in April, of 2009, she went to the Suttee Delta hospital, in Antioch California for a doctor’s visit, for fear that something was wrong, during this visit she informed her doctor that she felt a not on her left breast. Soon after, she had a mammogram, and an ultrasound done, revealing three cancerous lumps. As the doctor went into detail, she started to realize the gravity of the situation. For the first time; at the age of 59, she was confronted with the most life threating event she had ever faced. So for a second opinion, she went to the Epic Cancer center, also in Antioch California. Certainly, the last thing anyone would like to hear during a doctor’s visit, she knew there would be some decisions to be made, time to study up.…
The violence found and experienced in war is an entity so vigorously potent and robust that it can easily consume and ruin even the most capable human beings, let alone children who are still developing their own minds. In Ishmael Beah’s novel A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, the retrospection of a boy’s attempt to survive and flee from a war in Sierra Leone expresses the consequences of extreme violence and war that influence the physical, psychological and social characteristics of a person. Certainly, Ishmael’s many violent experiences teach a lot about the intended consequences or repercussions of acts of violence. In the novel, the transformation of Ishmael from an innocent boy to a mindless killing machine due to exposure to…
Somewhere in the Middle East there is a mom fighting in a foreign war. The gunpowder smoke coagulating in her lungs, hearing the cries for help, and not knowing if she’ll ever see her 2 year old son again. Soldiers everywhere do this every day not knowing if they are going home ever to see their loved ones. They do this because they are selfless and are heroes. That’s why an American I believe in is made possible by the sacrifices of our military.…
The bloody plane was shot down…I was sleeping dreaming about a concoction of fish and chips and my home before the war. I lived on a farm, and I had my own horse…I miss him. My dad taught me how to ride when I was four; riding would provide me relief from school and farming. Anyways, I then I awoke to a storm of fire. The plane was literally sliced in two. I think the beastly enemy shot us down. Even though they shot us clean out of the sky, I wish to thank them and show some British manners to them because this island is beautiful. It has fruit, and the sights are more beautiful than anything back home. There are even pigs on the island that we could eat. Sadly, I thought myself alone until a booming noise thundered through the jungle. I was scared; I thought it was an earthquake, although I have never experienced one before.…
When you are someone’s support system you take on multiple roles that indirectly deteriorate your self preservation. Being a listener or a shoulder to cry on, requires sacrifices that, in the moment, you do not even recognize as imposing. Voluntarily and willingly being there for someone begins with the unwavering doubt that you and your own problems cannot and will not prevail over your person’s immediate crisis. Depending on the duration of your duty, a somewhat selfish thought of inconvenience is bound to surface. But, that wave of retraction is almost always combatted by a riptide of dedication and loyalty that brings you back to sea, where all you can do is tread. In turn, the suppression of self regarding issues regularly comes with a layer of obligation and a sting of bitterness.…
WARNING ANY ALL MATERIAL SUBMITTED HAS BEEN EDITED TO AVOID ANY AND ALL COINCIDENCES WHERE I WOULD TO VOLUNTARILY ADMIT SOMETHING ABOUT MYSELF OR EVEN TIME, DATE AND WAYS IN WHICH ANY LOCATIONAL KNOWLEDGE CAN BE INTERPRETED FROM CONNECTING INFORMATION FROM SECTIONS WHILE YOU ARE READING THIS. TO AVOID IMCRIMINATING MYSELF AND MY FAMILY. I HAVE ADHD. SORRY FOR THE LEGNTH. I AM A 30 YEAR OLD MALE LIVING WITH HIS PARENTS.…
My experience in the Corps of Cadets has been the most rewarding. The Corps is the closest you can get to living and breathing Texas A&M. It molds you into a person you didn’t think possible.…
It is another dreary night at Valley Forge. As I crawl into my unbearable smoky hut, doubt, fear, and cold death are roaming the walls of my hut. In the winter of 1777, Washington’s Continental army suffered terrible conditions at Valley Forge. Many soldiers died from sickness and severe cold weather. Others deserted the camp. Most soldiers received the chance of re-enlisting or not re-enlisting. This decision was one of the hardest decisions of their life. I have decided to re-enlist because the reason we fight in this war is for freedom, there is still hope within us, and pride and relief await after the war.…
On the 30th day of September, in the year 1992, I was surgically removed from my mother and declared female. My mother gave me the first name Samantha, after her favorite vindictive soap opera character, Samantha Brady, from The Days of our Lives. Little did I know at that moment I was going to be sentenced to live with seven other siblings before I even turned 20. The worst part is estrogen flows through five of them. My mother is a Forensic Scientist and my father is a Physician’s Assistant in the U.S. Army. They make me very proud to be a part of a family that serves to keep this country free. I have lived in Germany, Texas, Missouri,…
The route I have taken after high school has definitely been the path less traveled. I enlisted into the United States Marine Corps after graduating high school to serve the country that welcomed me in with open arms as a refugee, and blessed me so much with freedoms and opportunities that I would have never obtained in Tibet or India. During my years in the Corps, I received the opportunity to travel the World, lead Marines, and make a difference. The Marine Corps has definitely been a steppingstone because it has rewarded me with a broader perspective of the World, military discipline and bearing, and many other intangible traits I plan to instill throughout my life. Also during my service, I gained very unconventional experiences that were…
It was about seven in the evening and I got a call from my friend, letting me know she and her grandmother had made it home. Her grandmother is in her 60’s, so there wasn’t much texting going between us. I’d been trying to catch up with her all day to interview her, but I guess she had a very busy weekend. I finally arrived to the house just ready to get the interview over with.…
One sunny, warm afternoon with the glowing sunlight peeking through the windows and showering our dining table with its golden aura, my father and I sat down for a talk. During this occasion, the story being told was one of sacrifice, bravery, and dedication. My dad unveiled to me his life experiences and motivations from college, throughout his Army career, and even to now. He talked to me about how to be a leader, what I could do for the people around me, what he has done to keep our family together and well fed, shared stories of military life, told me of the benefits and negatives of army life, training in college and what it would be like for me, and instilled a view of patriotism within me that I had never felt before. I was so inspired by this talk so much that it motivated me to attend the University of North Georgia and join the cadet corps on an Army ROTC scholarship. I now want to serve my country, benefit every citizen within America, and help people around the globe, all because my father taught me…