Air Force Application Essay

When I first joined the Armed Forces, I never imagined that I would make it a life-long career. My initial intention was to complete 4 years of service and transition to a full time student. Little did I know, my experiences in the United States Air Force would lead to a drastic change in my plans. The first time I experienced a true sense of job satisfaction was at the Defense Language Institute (DLI). Shortly after arriving, I joined the DLI base honor guard. 6 months of practice and dedication led to my advancement as lead where I was given the opportunity to build teams and make decisions as an Air Force leader for the first time. It was in this position that I developed a sense of pride that I had never felt before. From that point forward,
It was not long after I was given this role that my leadership ability was recognized. My commitment and abilities led to my selection as a Compass Call instructor analysis operator and the group Pashto SME. With my newly appointed titles, I was moved to the EC-130H Flying Training Unit (FTU) where I was given a variety of leadership roles. In this squadron, I was tasked with developing and maintaining the group Pashto cryptologic language training material and eventually appointed the enlisted mission crew course manager, a position in which I was responsible for leading 53 instructors and 113 students through a 6 month training syllabus. Finally, I was upgraded to an EC-130H mission crew supervisor. I have no doubt that these jobs and responsibilities have instilled in me valuable leadership, teamwork and personal development skills that will help me excel as a rated officer. If selected to become a Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) pilot, my experience as an aircrew member in a demanding career field working with limited resources as an Airborne Cryptologic Language Analyst will assist me with the stressful expectations of the RPA