Personal Narrative: How A Young Lady Like Me To Join The Military

I have been serving in the Army for 18 years. I did four years in the Marines. I am currently working in Fort Drum as a Sergeant Major. My job is Infantry.

Since the day I was born, I have always lived my life as a military child. My father was in the Navy during the 1990’s, and my mother has been in the Air Force since 1997. Life as a military child has always been my normal format of life, so I am unaware of what it is like to live differently. From roughly 2002 to 2007, I lived in Fairford Air Force Base in England, where my childhood began, though I do not recall a substantial amount of it. However, I do recall that I attended school, albeit a primarily religious one, for the first time, and that experience was unlike any experiences I had with the American educational system from 2007 onward. I also remember being highly adventurous; I often ran out of my house, away from my local Child Development Center, and my school, though I

I went pre-med before getting deployed and as an intern I've seen a lot of horrible things. But when it's your friend... Someone you serve with... It stays with you forever.

Growing up as a military child and living all over the world, I was afforded many

I originally wanted to join the military to defend and protect our country, but realized that it wasn't going to bring the satisfaction I desired. I wanted to fight and defend closer to home, the one that involves Traffic incidents, Drug and DUI enforcement. One Friday afternoon, after getting out of High School, there was a video game tournament being held at a Movie Gallery just a few miles away from where I live. I attended the event and met a cool young man who was 18 years old at the time. I believe I was 16. I talked with him about games and the future tournaments that would be great for the community. It was the beginning of a wonderful new friendship. However, the next day at around 3:00p.m., my dad came into my room and told me he

Coming from humble beginnings in Taylor, Michigan a medium sized town of 60,000 thirty minutes from the heart of Detroit and living just near Detroit Metropolitan International airport. I was came to be fascinated by anything related to the world of aviation hearing the powerful roar as the engines spooled up and seeing such a massive object like a jumbo jet tumbling down the runway it always amazed me to see such a thing take to the sky. Seeing the airplanes coming in and coming out made me think to myself where the people onboard have been the places they’re coming from, where they are going, all the interesting and far off places that I didn’t know if I’d ever see my lifetime. This inspired me when I was 18 years old to join the United States Air Force and get paid to fix and work on these massive machines.

It all started on a dare, I was told to join the armed forces. So I did, but everything changed that day when I saw a petty officer sprinting down the street. Only to stop not 2 feet in front of me and say “urgent telegram for Sergeant Rose!!” Which is when I knew that something was different because I never get anything important from the air force, I had only become sergeant a month ago. The briefing was hard because we knew most wouldn’t come back. Then it was shipping day. The steps toward the plane weren’t any better most of the men were married and yet most of them knew, knew that more likely than not they weren’t making it back. As for the ones that would be able to sleep on their own beds after this, well it would be worse. They would have to live with the fact that they lost their brothers in arms, but hey I'm getting ahead of myself, gotta focus on surviving.

United States Army Recruiting has gone through numerous challenges in war time. Even during the peace time, recruiting command engages on real time mission day after day, month after month. I can clearly say that the command was in war of accomplishing mission of providing strength of all volunteer Army well before the 911. It takes a gut, total commitment, and winner's attitude for accomplishing mission regardless of the situation. I am really glad that I am in the honored profession called Army Recruiting that gave me so much of what I am supposed to be and better person period.

Growing up as an Army brat. We had to learn a lot of values growing up. Even though my father and I didn't have a strong connection. He was still able to provide for his family. Our family showed a different type of morals. Like never show your true emotions. My brother and I had to learn that. I didn't really know what that meant till I was much older. And? It stuck with me till this day. By showing emotion would show people that you were soft. My mother would show comfort to you if you were struggling but she knew the balance of reasoning. Since growing up and moving out of the house and following the family tradition. By joining the service made my father's and myself relationship stronger. One day my father approached me and asked

Being the youngest person in a work environment can be difficult. To many, age dictates a level experience, both professional and personal, that can only be obtained over the duration of many years. For this reason, young professionals are usually relegated to junior positions. Of the adversities that I have faced in my four years as a musician in the United States Army, age was one of the most difficult to overcome.

Growing up as an Army brat had some disadvantages. Constantly moving, going to different schools, living in places that did not even speak English well, and most importantly not a stable support system. I did not really live with my parents until I was ten years old and that was short lived it only lasted four years. My parents were always getting station to a different military base or felt like we needed a bigger house. I was basically raised by my grandmothers, which was nice sometimes but I really wanted to be with my parents. A typical day when I was little went like this: wake up at my grandma’s house or at the local military base daycare, go to school, pick up from school by the daycare or my grandma, have an afternoon filled with all sorts of activities so I would not notice my parents were not there, go to my parent’s house, do my homework and eat dinner with them, pack my suitcase for that night, and return back to my grandma’s house. I moved so much that this college is my eleventh school I attended, which is sad since I never went to pre-kindergarten. Attending school was very much harder for me. I was bullied for being plus size and not

I was born in Birmingham, AL and raised in a Mayberry type town called Ragland. Like Mayberry, everybody knew everybody and gossip spread like wild fire. We had one red light, 2 gas stations, an elementary school and a high school, in which I attended and graduated from with an advanced diploma.

Growing up with my many family members from my mother and father side have help me create and see my future. Having a female cousin join the Army has brought a change as a whole of how originally a female in the Mexican society is being label to only grow up and be a housewife. Being proud of her has taught me to lead in example to the others after me whom I have a lot of younger cousins. I joined clubs to learn new experience and be different. I am the oldest and only girl in my family with a young brother.Being the first generation to finish high school and decide to go to college.

I never really thought about joining the Army when I was younger. I guess I never really knew what i wanted to do either. I've had a few family members that were in the Army and I never really heard them say anything bad about it, so I kind of always thought of it as an option. On the other hand I have had family that told me I shouldn't join because there could be a war, but i just ignored them. Even my dad wanted me to join. He would always tell me about the good benefits that came with it, but after i joined it seemed like he changed his opinion. After I told him I enlisted he tried telling me all of the bad things about basic training, like how hard it would be and how they would try and break you down, but again i just ignored it. I always thought as myself as a pretty strong guy so negative comments didn't ever get to me.

If I was a civilian right now that had no money for college and had no plans for the future, I would seriously look into joining the military. It is the easiest way to gain life experience and well as making money and having job experience. With everything that is happening around the world and in our own country right now is the best time to join the military.