Personal Experience : My Experience In The Military

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

Joining the military was astonishing in very many aspects in my life and it truly molded me into who I am today. I will genuinely say that the most important people in my life are my mother and father. I am not a parent myself but I have had years to only imagine how tough parenting can be; especially when raising three stubborn boys. My mother and father are very open minded and kind hearted to everyone regardless of who they are. I will be honest here and say that I may not have been as grateful as I should have been when I was a younger kid, but that’s just life. When you are younger, everything is very simple and do not realize the little things in life. I had no other worries except for, “What’s for dinner?”. The military made me realize how much I appreciated and very much needed my loved ones. Travelling far away to Marine Corps Recruiting Depot, San Diego California and starting my very own journey was one of the toughest decisions at that time to make for myself.

I am proud to say that both my grandma and grandpa served in the military. The experiences that they have had are invaluable to learn about. Their stories keep the service they have done alive and helps to enrich others about what serving the country is like. They do not glout about their service, but are humbled to have been able to make a contribution to the nation’s security. If not for my grandpa’s service, I would not be here today as he met my grandma through it. I respect his service and sacrifice for the country of today.

Although my military service was brief, it was impactful and changed the trajectory of my life for the better. It enlightened me to a multitude of issues affecting people across the globe and in our nation. I witnessed the caliber of

My initial interest in naval service came from the death of my grandfather. I never truly understood his service to my country because I was too young comprehend, but as I learned of his heroic contributions, I got a burning desire to want to serve as well. My grandfather had fought in WWII as an anti-aircraft gunner in the Philippines alongside the US Navy. He just barely took down an enemy ZERO before it came in on a strafing run on his base. When I became aware of his military history I was astounded and my grandfather instantly became one of the greatest influences in my desire to serve. He stood out to me as someone with honor, duty, and loyalty and never backed down from a challenge. He loved his country and risked everything for it and

Being a military kid always made me different to the other kids in my school. Even I were to talk to another military child, our experiences would be different. Different states, different time periods without our parents, all of us have a different story to tell. I always felt like I couldn’t talk about my life because no one would understand. And most didn’t. It was hard to move across country. It was hard to move to different schools, sometimes in between the year. It was also hard on my family, with my dad being gone for long periods of time.

The moment I enlisted in the Marine Corps 14 October 2013, furthering my undergraduate education was put on hold for sometime. I have serve 2 years and 3 months active duty, recent opportunities have arisen allowing me to enroll at Cal State University, San Marcos for Spring 2016 semester. Yes, I am United States Marines, but I care for more than just my fellow marine; I am involve with the community. My current duty station is Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA. Every weekend, I volunteer my time at the PegasusRising Project and take care of 14 arabian horses as part of helping Veterans and their families reintegrate back into society. I would like to use this scholarship to help further my education and continue not only serving my country

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.

Joining the United States Army was the most profound decision of my lifetime. Experiencing life, the world, and combat through the mind and eyes of a soldier has influenced me in ways that I had never conceived. These transformations, before, during, and after my military service have ultimately shaped me into the man I am today. I do believe that if I had chosen not to join the Army, today I would be a totally different person with completely different views and opinions. Joining the United States Fighting forces is a decision that no one should take lightly.

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 darkest hour was also the moment I became a man. When all my years of training, all the blood, sweat, and tears of running, aiming, skills training, and hand to hand combat had finally been put to the test. My first kill. It wasn’t a proud moment but it was one on necessity and choice that I’ve played over and over again and I still get the same result. It would have gone exactly the same.

My connection to the Marine Corps is through my father, TerCraig Edwards and his service in the military has influenced my life in more ways than I could have possibly imagined. Some of these influences have been positive, while others have been negative. Prior to my senior year of high school, I viewed my father and his decision to join the United States Marine Corps as selfish. Growing up as a child, I witnessed my younger brother, Rashaad, cry himself to sleep on numerous occasions because he thought our dad would never return home from deployment. He kept a picture and a letter from our dad in his closet, on the wall and that's where he spent a lot of his free time: wondering if we would ever see our dad again. I would watch the news regularly

“The soldier is the Army. No Army is better than its soldiers. The soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country” by George S. Patton Jr. There are some people who are brave enough to put their lives on the line for their family and also their country. What happens after the battle that needed to be fought is over though? Do they just go back to their family and live happily ever after? From the outside looking in, one may only see just a man in uniform who fights for our country. They do not see the amount of time these soldiers spend away from their loved ones. They do not see the effects war has on not only them but

There are many experiences that have contributed to my talents, interests, and commitments, but one of the most significant experiences in my life was being a dependent of someone in the U.S. Army. When I was three years old my mom decided to join the Army because she concluded it was the best way at the time that she could earn enough money to take care of me. She gave birth to me at the age of seventeen and she had only strived for a high school diploma. My father was incarcerated and minimum wage was not enough to pay our bills and keep a stable home as a single parent, so I support her decision. Initially, she only enlisted for two years and was immediately sent to Iraq. She had to give guardianship to my grandmother in Pennsylvania who

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.