Essay on Personal Narrative: My Experience in the Air Force

Four or Five years ago if you were to tell me that I would be confidently applying to the University of Miami I would have laughed. Through high school I did not give much effort and like most of my peers, thought that furthering my education was my only option. Nearing the end of my senior year I started realizing that no noteworthy university would even consider accepting someone like me. As the days ticked away, I applied to a nearby college with an incredibly high acceptance rate and found myself opening an acceptance letter a few weeks later.

One of these individuals is my dad. My dad graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and has served in the Air Force for over 20 years. I have a sense of the challenges from his experiences that I will face at a service academy. People often ask why I want to go to a service academy, knowing what I am going to be facing and my answer is always the same; I want to protect the freedom that others have protected for me. I want to join the Americans, living and deceased, who have fought to protect our

It was September 30th 2015 and I was coming off Active Duty Orders working for the Indiana Army National Guard Military Funeral Honors Team. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. When I went to Joint Forces Headquarters to pick up my DD Form 214, I ran into the Sergeant Major that was in charge of Recruiting and Retention for Indiana. I talked to him a little bit and he asked me if I had ever thought about becoming a recruiter. I told him that I have thought about it, but everyone I knew, told me that I couldn’t handle the stress of being a recruiter. Sergeant Major told me that the excuse I gave him should motivate me even more to be a recruiter. I told him that I would sleep on it and call him in the morning. The next morning, I called Sergeant Major and told him that I was ready to accept the challenge and be a RRNCO (Recruiting and Retention Non-Commissioned Officer).

One of civil air patrol's motto's in the cadet program is "rise to the challenge". When I first joined shortly after my 12th birthday I had NO idea what that meant. BUT over time I've learned SO much about myself and my abilities despite my age. Like most cadets...I want to use MY TIME in civil air patrol to inspire and lead...BUT--most of all I want to offer my service....to my friends , my family and my community....

Since I was young, it wasn’t a firefighter or an astronaut that I dreamed of becoming, it was a member of the United States military. As I matured, only one branch held my attention: the Army. I’ve wanted to give back to this country that has given so much to me with just three words - life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the inalienable rights. I want to give back and do so as a representative of the most highly acclaimed service academy, to be a part of the tradition of excellence that has shaped our country.

how I approach situations. My father is a retired US Air Force Security Forces member

I remember reporting to Ft Hood Texas in the middle of June 2011. I and my family had just completed the rigorous drive from Ft Campbell KY, which included a three-day layover in St. Louis MO to say hello to family and friends and to once again leave as swiftly as we had come. I reported to the 36th Engineer Brigade (Stay Rugged) headquarters were I was greeted by a tall and stout older gentleman, SGM (Sergeant’s Major) Lewis. I was due to report to the 8th Engineer Battalion as they were in need dire need of experienced 12B’s (Combat Engineers) but upon looking over my credentials he decided to keep me at HQ, and to complete this backdoor transaction by effectively swapping me for Specialist (SPC) Parker. I instantly felt dread crawl upon my skin as I was now committed to the S3 section of soldiers. This couldn’t be, I felt as though my talents were completely wasted performing administrative tasks and too make matters worse I had 1SG (First Sergeant) Sparger, I thought I had officially had front row seats on the bad luck train and I was the sole passenger, little did I know that this would catapult my military career further than I had hoped for

After recovering from an ischemic stroke just six months prior for reasons unknown and the only reason that I did not deploy with 3-509 Airborne. I was serving as the Battalion S-1 Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) when an Individual Augmented (IA) tasking for SOJTF-A / NSOCC-A came from higher headquarters to our Brigade. I decided that I would apply for the tasking, not only because I met the qualifications at the time, but for reasons that I would probably never have a shot at an assignment like this in the future. After going head to head with my peers, I was hand selected by the 4th Brigade 25th Infantry Commander for the assignment. I packed my gear and headed down to Ft Benning CONUS replacement Center (CRC) to

In the summer of 2010, I was a Staff Sergeant and had been serving in my unit for seven years which included multiple

I, Marshall Tollie Weldon, am originally from Franklinton, North Carolina. Prior to graduating from Franklinton High School during 2012, I swore into the United States Navy in 2011. My goal was to become a corpsman for the four years of my contract, but due to the overdemand for that occupation I was reassigned the job of an Aviation Electrician’s Mate. During my first year in the military, I underwent training at Naval Air Station Pensacola from 2012 to 2013, and was given orders to Naval Station Norfolk for the remainder of my enlistment. While at the command VAW-120, I quickly acquired all the qualifications for my job and became a shift supervisor from August 2013 to June 2016. After three years of working at this command, I received the

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.

Currently I am the acting Section Sergeant in Bravo Troop 1-73 Cav, 2nd BCT, 82nd ABN DIV. I began my career October 2009 and was stationed at Ft Richardson AK, with 3rd Battalion 509th Infantry. In my tenure there I served in positions spanning from the assistant gunner to squad leader, and also the Fire Direction Center (FDC) check and chief. While serving as a gunner/ team leader we deployed to Eastern Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. I was attached to Chosen Company 3-509 and in December 2011 we landed in Bagram, the following week I was slowly pushed out to Combat Outpost (COP) Herrera. COP Herrera was a small outpost located in the Jaji District, East Paktia, and the surrounding villages were known Taliban strongholds.

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

After spending 8 years as a medic in the Army with a combat tour under my belt, I left the Army to chase down my dream of being a Firefighter. My drive to become a Firefighter so strong that I was about to overcome the odds and fulfil my dream job. Unfortunately, complications from an injury I sustained during my military career prevented me from continuing past my year probationary period. To be honest, while the job was everything I imagined: exciting, fulfilling, and a bit dangerous. The comradery and brotherhood wasn’t all I had expected it to be. I was expecting people to be more like the people that serve in the

The Army has given me a great life thus far with many outstanding opportunities over the