Personal Narrative: A Letter To Baumholder, Germany

This gave me much more insight as to how to be a pilot, what it takes to live the life of an Army Rotary Wing Aviator. I was enthralled and immediately decided I could not suffer a part time contract to fly, I had to have the lifestyle and the opportunity of active duty. This created a timing problem as I was still fresh in a 6 year contract. I did not waste the time I had left; I focused on becoming the best soldier I could. Fueled by the expertise, dedication and experience of the aviators I have come across, I began requesting training above my level and consistently rising to the challenges of my superiors and performing above average. I surprised myself along the way, surpassing my own high expectations, and after appreciating every success I reset the bar higher than before. The struggles that have caused me to push back my timeline are not seen as regrets. Every struggle was beat. Every hurdle showed me how much more I am capable of. My desire and dedication hasn’t changed because of this but my understanding has; I would compare it to a child’s wild, superfluous dream turning into an adult’s strong, focused

I noticed him right away when the new soldiers entered the room. He looked so small and fragile that I could have easily missed him, but that’s what made him stand out from the crowd. I wondered how he, with his thin frame and boyish face, could possibly have passed the medical exams. He must have been about fourteen years old, no longer than five foot three and definitely not heavier than seven stone. I suppose they must have been desperate at the recruitment offices. His scared face was a stark contrast to the other soldiers. Their proud and confident smiles gave away their ignorance. That’s what I was like when I first joined the army. But now, little over a year later I’ve seen too many mates been blown to pieces to enjoy anything at all.

What this means to me reading up on this is that i need to stop worrying so much about performing physically and expecting it to carry me through my military career and start becoming proficient in all areas and applying myself in areas that might not mean so much to me, or that i don't understand. Also i think i've learned that i need to stop relying on my own knowledge and start becoming a sponge to those who have been in longer than i, and when i am told to do something take it or not to do something to take it to heart and not do it again because it not only comes with punishment but also loss of credibility of those who are in charge of me. Credibility and trust are essential when working with a team of men like we do everyday, so i am going to try my best to be the best and most professional soldier i can be even when no one is looking.

Army leaders must balance the link between the Army’s culture and it’s climate and institutional practices. When there is a proper balance it has a huge impact on the mindset of the Army’s Soldiers. Their actions or inactions impacts the five key attributes of the profession, and the four fields of expertise, and have long term effects on the Army’s culture and climate. These actions influence Soldiers’ perceptions that they are serving professional who have answered the call of service to the republic, it is important that Soldiers understand that their role is a calling and not just a job.

I have chosen to write about my old Battalion Commander, Brigadier General(BG) Peter Jones. The then Lieutenant Colonel(LTC) Jones oversaw my Infantry Battalion when I deployed to Ramadi, Iraq. He displayed numerous attributes that I model my military career from; he had an unwavering presence and strong intellect. His competence was also the highest that I have ever encountered in my military career; he was a lead from the front type of leader and strove to achieve nothing but success whilst keeping the soldiers in his command in the front of his mind. I have set my standards of leadership off BG Jones and that is why he is my personal leader of influence. I will outline some examples of him throughout this paper.

I had learned the art of being a big guy that could be tinier and quieter than a field mouse. I had learned my lesson and now began the practice of listening before speaking and it was worked wonderfully in my favor because I hadn’t received the wrath of any of my drill instructors. I started to realize that the military was teaching me valuable tools that would help me throughout my life, not just a means for me to survive basic training.

When I went on mobilization to Fort Lewis, Washington and left my son in the care of my parents, I thought my parental duties would be set aside until I returned home. Unfortunately, the soldiers of 351st Ordnance Company would prove me wrong with their excessive alcohol consumption, commonly term “binge drinking,” and destructive behaviors. I would then spend the next year sharing the responsibility with four other junior noncommission officers in the task of taking care of soldiers. Despite the efforts of myself and the others we were not fully prepared to handle some of the outrageous events and lack of engagement from the leadership that would challenge us during the tour. My abilities as a junior noncommission officer and the understanding of leadership were redefined and I learned exactly what it meant to ensure soldiers have proper guidance, leadership, positive morale, and well-being.

Throughout my military career I have had the distinguished opportunity to work with some of the Army's finest officers. My last platoon leader in particular, LT Adams, was a major influence in my decision to pursue a career as an officer. There was always something about the way he carried himself. He was the symbol of integrity and confidence and truly lived the Army Values. With the help of his impeccable leadership I was able to achieve feats not many have. I was able to attend and graduate the United States Army Sniper School, an honor not bestowed upon many. I truly contribute my successes at that school, and others like it, to the guidance given to me by LT Adams. In coming to this realization, I now am confident and motivated to give

SFC (Ret.) Mark C. Daw is the subject of this Leader’s Legacy paper. SFC Daw served for over twenty years in the United States Army Signal Corps. SFC Daw served during the Cold War in the Berlin Brigade, in Operation Desert Storm, in Bosnia during Implementation Force (I-FOR), and in Operation Iraqi Freedom 04-06. A career paratrooper, SFC Daw’s leadership style involved leading from the front at all times, superior tactical and technical proficiency, a hand of discipline tempered by wisdom, and developing his Soldiers professionally and personally. SFC Daw’s example serves as one worthy of emulation by all Soldiers, regardless of expertise or field. I am the Soldier I am today because of SFC Daw.

I rush into my home and run up the stairs to my room. I jump on my bed and roll over to my laptop and open it quickly. I log onto the One Direction site and see that I made it in time to see the bid. I scroll and try and find my name and I see I'm in third place for the tickets and the time is running out. I've already bid $7000 for three tickets and backstage passes. The reason it's so expensive is because these passes are the last set of passes for their concert. 5sos is also playing so we would be meeting two bands and hearing both of them play.

The purpose of this document is to explain how Sargent First Class (SFC) Kietsayam Krueree is my leader of influence and directly impacts the legacy I want to leave as a soldier. He was the first individual I met in the Army who mentored me and displayed leadership core competences. I have had many leaders in the Army, few have left a lasting impression that had a positive effect on my leadership style. He volunteered me for every open position that was challenging and essential for my professional growth. He found a way to make every task a developmental point for all of the soldiers. Several leadership traits to include my adaptability and calm demeanor, I owe to SFC Krueree’s mentorship. He is a leader who smiled and made every

SGT Galindo also taught me to not fear inexperience, but treat it as an opportunity for growth. He had just arrived from Ft. Huachuca, after reclassifying to 33W (later 35T). He readily admitted that while he had much more Army and tactical experience than I did, he knew that my peers and I had more technical experience in electronic maintenance. He wasn’t afraid to learn from his subordinates. This reinforced an earlier lesson: arrogance has no place in the Army. The only things that matter are mission accomplishment, taking care of Soldiers, and improving the

My experienced in the academy is a memorable one. It is a unique experienced that I will cherish for the rest of my military career. There are many valuable lessons that I learned in the course that I intend on using both professionally and personally. In particular, the Leadership Practice Inventory (LPI) survey, the Physical Fitness Training, and the camaraderie that

One of the most influential people in my life thus far has taught me an immeasurable amount about values, morals, and positive character traits. When I first had the privilege to meet this person, I knew him as Drill Sergeant Oakes. Hence the title he had earned, this was not an enjoyable moment of my life. However, I could already assume that he was going to be a great mentor for me. He was my Drill Sergeant throughout Army Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training. He then took me and a few of my peers with him to his next duty station, my first, Germany. There, we trained for six months for a deployment. Our unit was deployed to Iraq for the duration of one year. During this time, my mentor became the First Sergeant of our company.

During these tours, I demonstrated the ability to solve complex Joint and Service challenges and while in combat, navigate complex leadership challenges to include overcoming the impacts of two “killed in action” deaths. Although I have established a modicum level of relevance within my service and across the Joint community up to this point of my career, I recognize the mistakes that I made along the way, were in large part, because of my weaknesses and underdeveloped skill sets.