Cross Cultural Reflection

My desire to serve in the United States Air Force as a commissioned officer stems from the environment in which I grew up and an underlying, deep-rooted desire for public service. Many members of my family were privileged to serve in different capacities. In fact, I was able to obtain academic credentials because of their service. I feel that it is only right that I spend a portion of my life using the knowledge, skills, and abilities I have earned to serve my country in this capacity.

We (my family) are very proud of our country, so serving is something that is very important to us. I did not think twice about signing on the dotted line. The military did its part by taking care of my family growing up as a young child; I felt I had to give back.

My whole childhood I always wanted to be in the military. I would watch war movies, play G.I. Joe, and talk to my Grandfather about things he had done in three wars. When I became a senior in High School I couldn’t wait to talk to the recruiters. I talked to them all and bucked the family trend (My Grandfather and cousins were all in the Navy) and joined the Army. The day I swore in my life was to be forever changed and for the better.

I recall the very day I decided to join the military. As I sat in keyboard class, the teacher turn on the television. The news was on with a live broadcast of the Twin towers located in New York. Smoke was coming from one of the towers. Seeing this major event happen caused everyone in my class to talk. Some of my classmates started screaming and crying when the plane hit the other tower. School was released early because of the amount of students who had relatives that worked in the twin towers. Seeing all of my classmates and the other kids at my school crying caused something inside me to want to make a difference and fight for my country. Without doing any research of my own about the different branches of the military, I chose to join the Army. On the way home, I went to the nearest recruiting office and that became the beginning of my military career.

Each cultural group has unique needs that cannot be met within the bounds of the dominant culture. Just because a culturally defined practice differs from another’s does not make it wrong. Just as instructors respect differences in how people learn with varied teaching styles, differences in cultural needs must be acknowledged and respected in the same manner. Make room for several paths leading to the same

There are all kind of feeling that are transpiring throughout my mind when think of the term cultural analysis. In executing the communication concepts of African American cultural, I found that the Chinese and African American cultural are strongly tied to their beliefs and family concepts. I define myself through my culture as being an African American male, thought out religions, education, and family is very essential in my culture. Also, being limited to making lifestyle changes, and the different ways we communicated with each other are how I define myself through my culture. Being African American my perception of my culture is that we as a community are high in health, crime, education, and public housing, which implies welfare, government assists, black on black crime, and drug abuse. Being an African American, other cultures have a better chance at getting better jobs, education, and opportunities in life.

The military has always been a part of my family’s life. My grandfather was in the army along with his son and my grandmothers other son’s. I also have many cousins who are still in and one who worked at the Pentagon. My uncles use to always tell us stories about their military service and how much they learned. Most of my cousins that joined only joined because of these stories and the lavish lifestyles they have seen my uncles live. Unlike them, I wasn’t drawn in by the stories my uncles told me, or the war letters from my deceased grandfather. For some reason it was my mothers dream for me; probably because its always something she wanted to do but was afraid, a fantasy I wasn’t quite ready to live in for her or them.

During his twenty-five years serving in the Navy my father had his fair share of deployment. As a child I did not understand why he was gone for so long so often. I did not understand why at times of tension and crisis (9/11 in particular) he was headed in to work while my sister and I were taken home. It was not until I grew older that I truly understood the importance and weight of his duty- that there are always individuals that are called upon to protect and serve this nation. I was able to recognize the deep sense of pride and honor that came from his time in the Navy. Never once in my life did he suggest that I pursue a career in the military. A life of service to this nation is not something to be taken lightly. It is something that requires the entirety of one’s passion and dedication. I want to become an officer in the United States Army because I am compelled by my desire to serve this great nation and my aspiration to fully realize my leadership potential and put it to the best use

I have wanted to go into the military since i was very young. Most children say that they want to be a firefighter or a doctor, but i said that i wanted to be in the military. I remeber looking at pictures and learning about military officers and i felt called to be one of those men. My decision and dreams never changed, as most childrens do when they realize the work required. But for reasons beyond my comprehension, my desire of a miltary life never wavered. Both of my parents' fathers served in the military, one n the Air Force and one in the Army. They told me stories of their days in the military, bragging of their different branhes and I took what they said and choose a school that woud lead to a career in neither of their branches.

For as long I can remember, I have always wanted to be a soldier of the US Army. As I grew up, I heard stories from my family members about their life in the military. I had completely idolized my cousin while growing up, and when she enlisted it only strengthened my resolve to do the same. You could say serving in the military is in my blood, family, and future.

The cultural assignment allowed me to gain a new perspective on the differences of others. I have grown up in a household of dissimilar belief systems. My mom is a dedicated Christian while my dad is unassociated with any religious beliefs. Though, he grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness. There differing belief systems have been the cause of various conflicts within their relationship. I often wondered if people with contradicting beliefs could effectively and peacefully discuss their belief systems. This cultural experience showed me that a peaceful discussion is possible between individuals of dissimilar beliefs.

(Origin) When thinking about my family and our roots I identify my family’s places or origin as Germany and Ireland. A majority of my family is of German ancestry and the one exception is my grandmother and she is Irish. I identify these too places as where my family came from due to stories that I have hear from family members and to the traits that each member of my family carries. A majority of my family are all blonde hair, with blue or brown eyes which have a lot of similarities to people from Germany. My family as very few of the traits from the Irish side but the only ones the I have been told are that some people in our family freckle a lot

In elementary school, middle school and in high school, I found myself questioning a lot of the material that was being taught. There were many instances, where I felt like I did not belong and I did not find myself engaged in the material being taught. In my primary years, most of the lessons that were taught to me were not multicultural, but Eurocentric. I found myself not learning a lot of the material that was taught. However, there is one positive experience that I had when I was in grade three.

Serving your country should be an obligation upon every citizen. Many people devote themselves to become a part of the U.S. Military. Unfortunately, many will not become part of the U.S. Military because they believe the military is not an easy job and is not for lazy people. There are different types of tests to become enlisted in the U.S. Military. There are many opportunities to take advantage upon joining the military. Each branch of the military has its own benefit. Many people do not have good things to say about serving in the military because often they only hear the negative side. Media portrayal and familial interactions may sway a recruit one way or the other based on biases. There are a number of reasons for both joining and deciding not to join the military. However, this crucial decision is one that needs to and has to be made in order to strengthen national security. People serve for different reasons. Some include finding a good job, patriotism, some people are just bored, and some do it because of their family. Everyone should join the U.S. Military because of the salary, benefits, full medical coverage for you and your family, leadership opportunities, skills and training, and most importantly defending your nation.

I grew up in a military family. My father was an air force officer who trained others in piloting helicopters. As a young boy, I found this to be very fascinating and I thought I was going to follow in his footsteps. Sadly, he died in a helicopter crash in 1998. He was a very important person in my life that I considered as a mentor. Consequently, I gradually started losing interest in serving in the army. It was a major setback.