For as long as I can remember, I feel as though I have been raised in a military environment. At a very young age my parents taught me to value discipline, manners, and to show and treat people with respect. In addition to these ‘staples’ of my upbringing, excelling in academics and on the athletic fields was where I further grew as a leader and learned to work with others to further distinguish myself from my peers. I knew based on my priorities and values that I was different from others by not only the way I carried myself but how I spoke to my peers and elders and the respect that I commanded. Perhaps those values were aided by both my grandfather’s serving in the military and my uncle attending West Point, a graduate of the class of
Going through and graduating Air Force Basic Training changed me both physically and mentally as a person. First, physically the experience taught me how to push my self in ways that I had never before and accomplish tasks that before seemed impossible. Also, my experience changed me mentally by teaching me how to be strong in stressful situations and how to handle situations in a calm and collected manner. My experience of graduating from basic training did not change my perception on society, but instead it gave me a group of people that have been through the same experience and have the same passions to serve our
My life before enlisting into the military I was very different. I was a gregarious person, always wanting to go out and meeting new people. My childhood, and school memories were those of happy moments. I had many friends, went and had sleep overs, went on school trips, had fun at amusement parks,
Moreover, the military also gave me the opportunity to travel abroad. Living in countries such as Korea, Spain, and Germany and immersing myself in their cultures has given me perspective on the differences between the United States and other countries. Each place I have lived has been unique in some way, from the different languages to the variations in cultural practices. Dealing with individuals with different backgrounds has helped me develop a good rapport with people.
Why did you enter the military? What impact did this decision have upon your family? What military core values/traditions did you identify with most, and why? Did values/belief systems change between entering the military and during their time in service?
Imagine at twelve years old being forced into war and having no way out. Then, quickly being dragged out and pushed back into society. Life was not easy and “normal” did not exist for Ishmael and his friends. In The Making and Unmaking of a Child Solider he shows the readers that he faced mental, physical, and emotional abuse before/after the war. Beah wants the readers to understand that life was not easy in Sierra Leone and not everybody made it out alive or sane.
Little is know about my life until I enlisted into the military. I was well educated, and that helped me a great deal when it came to joining the Continental Army. I had most of my military training there, and was later stationed in Illinois at Fort Kaskaskia under Captain Russell Bissell (virginia.edu). I later was transferred to Camp Dubois in Missouri where I, at the time, was in charge of 8 privates. I was always seeking new opportunities, and in 1804 at age 23, I was given the opportunity
As a result of being a self-starter, I took an oath to the U.S. Army National Guard and the country. I swore to protect and defend it’s people even when it means risking my own life so I could get assistance with furthering my education. Consequently, I have grown as a person
Military children are in a league of their own, and at very young ages are thrown into situations of great stress. Approximately 1.2 million children live in the U.S. Military families (Kelly. 2003) and at least 700,000 of them have had at least one parent deployed (Johnson et al. 2007). Every child handles a deployment differently, some may regress in potty training, and others may become extremely aggressive. Many different things can happen, in most cases when a parent deploys and the child becomes difficult to handle, it can cause a massive amount of stress on the parent that is not deployed as well as added stress on the parent who is deployed. There are three stages of a deployment, pre-deployment, deployment, and reintegration,
With a stroke of his pen Harry S. Truman changed my life, with the integration of the armed forces my grandfather was able to serve as a military officer in one of the few institutions available to Blacks. Consistently some of the finest military officers started their career at a service academy. To operate at the standards of excellence the academies demand is the path for me. Being in a uniform of some kind has always been familiar to me from scouts to a military boarding school I've always had a yearning to be in the ultimate uniform and that is one of a military officer.
Child solider are any children under the age of 18 who are recruited by a state or non-state armed group and used as fighters, cooks, suicide bombers, human shields, messengers, spies, or for sexual purposes.
Ways I see the world by being a military brat has definitely forever change how I view the world. Being able to travel to different countries as a family has made me the person I am. I am able to easily sympathize with foreigners. I’m more open to learning different cultures. I see a world full of unique people with a different experience. I understand how it feels to live in a different country and not understood the languages and have to obey their laws.
Recruitment and use of children in war is one of the six grave violations against children in situations of conflict. Currently, there are over 300,000 child soldiers being exploited in battle, while six million have been gravely injured or are now permanently disabled. Additionally, there are about 20 million boys and girls that have been displaced and are refugees in surrounding countries due to the gross violations of conflict and human rights. The role of children in armed conflict is not restricted to direct participation in warfare, but includes boys and girls in support functions that ultimately are a bigger risk and hardship than combat.
My military service reshaped who I am. My training stripped away any sense of entitlement and I learned more about myself in four months than I’d ever known before. It not only gave me discipline and taught me to perform under pressure, but everything I did wasn’t just for me anymore. I was working hard for the marines next to me in my platoon. The time came when each of us hit a breaking point physically or mentally.
Growing up there was a common theme of service among my family members and their chosen professions. Many were Educators, many served in the Military and many were in the Foreign Service. At the most fundamental level there is a very special core quality in people who decide to dedicate their lives to the greater good of humanity whether that is through educating others or serving their country in an official capacity. Witnessing the sacrifices my family members have made throughout the years to fulfill their individual missions has aroused an immense sense of pride in me and has contributed greatly to my own mission of service. From a young age, I have always known that I too, would choose a career path that would allow me to serve others