My Personal Experience : My Experience In The Military

Without a doubt the single most influential experience in my life has been graduating from Marine Corps boot camp at MCRD San Diego. They say less than one percent of United States Citizens serve in the military and a small fraction of them serve as United States Marines. I take great pride in the fact that standing on those famous yellow footprints separates me from more than 99% of people I will meet. Some people claim boot camp was easy for them, that they didn’t struggle or second guess themselves; unfortunately I am not one of those people. I greatly struggled, not physically as that was easy but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Initially I wasn’t sure if I had made the right decision in enlisting right out of high school. But then

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’m a military child. Change was instilled in me since my birth in Spain. My childhood was spent briefly in Europe, the east coast of the U.S, and eventually the Midwest. This change of scenery, schools, friends, and just about everything else in my life led me to be the person I am today. Travelling was amusing and I enjoyed change of pace every couple of years, but it wasn’t easy. I learned early on that getting attached to people wasn’t a good idea and should be avoided in preparation for the next move. This led me to being an incredibly shy child who couldn’t open up to people. The world I come from is an adventurous but problematic one. When I concluded making friends would assist with each transition I found myself too terrified to attempt

I had to leave around two a.m., so I could make my plane from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. I had a layover in North Carolina, then I had to take a second plane till I arrived in Jacksonville, Mississippi. Where I was greeted as an official AmeriCorps member. I remember being worried not only because of leaving to an unknown place not knowing anyone, but I had left and would not be returning for ten months. I was very anxious over everything, but I was hopeful and had faith I had made the right decision in joining. It was strange when I had gotten off the plane to see two support Team Leaders in their uniforms, waiting to show where to pick up the luggage from. It was both terrifying and exciting knowing that this was it, I was here and really doing this. Although I was sorely tempted to just not get on that plane and just to go home where I knew what I was getting into and

experiences that most people dream they could have. Being a military child and now a

my ASU’s and stood in front of Drill Sergeant Himes for the last time. He handed me the

I, Cpl Nathaniel K. Bouffard was born on June 15, 1996 in Burlington, Vermont. Where I then went to Flynn Elementary School from kindergarten to 5th grade. After that I went to City Middle school. Then for high school I went to Bellows Free Academy, where I graduate from. I decided to join the Marine Corps half way through my senior year in high school. I decided I was not ready for college, I figured I would be focusing more on social life then schooling. So I thought the military was the best option. I chose the Marine Corps over all the other branches because in my eyes and to this day the Corps is the elite fighting force of the world. I also am a fourth generation Marine in my family my great grandfather was a Sergeant in the Marine corps in WWII. My grandfather was a Sergeant during the Korean War, he later changed branches into the Airforce and retired as a Chief Master Sergeant. His brother my great uncle was a Marine Sergeant during the Korean War as

My Father is an Air Traffic Controller in the military and he had been given word that he had been given orders to move from Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, Alaska to Eglin AFB in Niceville, Florida in two months. I remember when my parents told me that we were moving. I was sitting in the living room with my sister when my Dad and Mom came and joined us to break the news. Once they sat down I could tell something was wrong, I could feel my heart racing and the temperature rising. Once they said the words, “we are moving to Florida” I could feel my heart sink because that meant going to a new school, new friends and no more spending time with my family. Alaska was my home and I never thought we would leave. I was scared for what the future held, but I had no idea that it would make such an impact on my life and shape me into the person I am today.

I have told everyone growing up that I knew wanted to be a soldier in the Army one day. They all said that I wanted to be just like my dad but I have always felt it was something I just wanted to do for myself. Going on tours of training sites as a kid only fueled my passion for becoming a soldier, and serving in the Army. When I was17 years old I went to basic training on a split option program

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.

Welcome, in the following paragraphs the strengths, weaknesses, and available avenues of improvement for my first essay will be discussed. The rubric remained vague in the tone for this document so I chose to peruse a more personal approach. In the military after Action Reviews (AARs) are highly valued and carry the connotation of honest, and blunt, reflections of the affiliated action. My MLA formatting was weakest amidst strong overall writing capabilities.

On the early morning of April 19th, my husband left to gather with the militia. I being worried could not go back to sleep and awaited by the window from time to time. The children were still asleep and out of the corner of my eyes, I see at least a couple hundred of lobsterbacks. I was frightened and crouched making sure I wasn’t seen. Oh how my heart beated, and I am ashamed to remind myself that the militia fired. Perhaps out of fear, but they fired. Immediately there was movement until my eyes could see, running, shooting, bloodshed. As soon as I saw the Regulars marching, and the house being so near to all the commotion I ran to the children and hoped they wouldn’t burn the house down. I was prepared, nervous for the life of my husband

ANSWER- “Three major deployments and one short term deployment. My first was Operation Desert Storm. It started off in Kuwait and then we moved to Iraq. I was gone about eight months and that was in 1990-1991. My second one was my short term deployment to Africa and we were gone about forty-five days. We were there to support a local population because their water was contaminated. The third deployment which was my second major deployment was in 2005-2006 to Iraq. I was there just under a year. I was supposed to be there a year but I had an injury and they sent me home a month and a half early. Then the last one before I retired was to Afghanistan and that was for thirteen months. I left December 2007 and I came home in January 2009.”

“Camping fifty miles from Death Valley has its benefits,” I said into my radio as I stared straight up at what felt like my own personal light show. The sand still radiated from the blistering daytime heat of the Mojave Desert. The outpost slept with the exception of my platoon. I rested at a remote checkpoint during an otherwise vigilant patrol, silently taking in my surroundings before studying the cosmic chaos above. For what felt like a few short seconds I had lain undisturbed on the bank of a sand dune. A meteor shower is the kind of small pleasure you learn to appreciate in the Marine Corps. I let my eyes and mind wander through the infinite sky. “How did I get here? Where am I going?” These are the two questions I always ask myself. My radio crackled to life, bringing me back to the present. After pulling myself to my feet I radioed in, “En route to checkpoint Bravo.” I tightened my helmet strap and tapped the bottom of my magazine mostly out of habit before moving toward my next stop.

I joined the Marine Corps looking for a challenge. I wanted to open doors for a new career and longed to have a positive impact on the world around me. Looking back five years later, I realize I found all that I originally sought, but I’ve also found something profoundly satisfying and meaningful that I never knew I was missing.