Personal Values and my Air Force Experience Essay

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 was once the big fish in a small pond, but now I find myself as a worm on a hook in an ocean of big fish. Starting this journey, I can say that I was overcome with all types of emotions all at once: anxiety, fear, excitement, inadequateness, and at the end of it all I was finally calm. Knowing that I had just accomplished something that not even six months ago wasn’t even in my life plans. As a platoon, we performed feats that as individuals or a group you would never attempt let alone think about have accomplished. The slogans during that time of my career were “be all you can be in the Army” or “we do more before 9 am than most people do all day.” Within my first four years I got to travel the world and see places that most people would only dream about from Antarctica to Panama, and even to the pyramids in Egypt, I got to see it all. The military had such a powerful and profound hold on me I couldn’t think of anywhere else I would rather be. I was once told by my 1SG after a very long and trying day he said “Private Williams, where else can grown men and women have this much fun and still get paid. “I thought and pondered on what he had said, and even today 26 years later I still ask myself the same question, and it always goes back to the same answer, wearing the uniform serving my country side by side with my brothers and sisters in

Millions of men and women have served in the armed forces before me and millions more will serve after. Some have paid the ultimate sacrifice; some lost and captured, others received wounds, physically and or emotionally, and that time

My initial interest in the Air Force Academy was sparked when I accompanied my parents to a Military Child Education Coalition conference in the summer of 2004. My father and I, not involved in the conference, decided to spend the week exploring the Colorado Springs area, and after touring for several days, decided to go to what my father called "Zoomie U". We took the typical summer tourist tour, but I was enthralled. The chapel, the mountains, and the campus excited me, despite my youth. I spent the rest of the vacation asking questions on how to go to the Academy, what I could do in the Air Force,

The reason why I want to attend the U.S. Service Academies is not only the goldmine of opportunity I will receive of an educational standpoint including benefits, but also the enrichment of character and self-development, into becoming one of the nation's most exemplary citizens through attending a military academy.

My goal in attending a United States Service Academy and becoming an officer in the military is to provide myself ample opportunities to reach my established life goals. I plan to pursue a career in aerospace engineering, and developing that career through one of the academies will help me to achieve the dreams I had as a child. I have many strengths that will help me stand out in the application process, but at the same time, I have challenges to overcome. However, these obstacles will not hinder me from from pursuing my passion.

As the bus entered the heavily guarded military instillation, I gazed upon the sign that read, "Be All that You Can Be." When the bus stopped, several angry Drill Instructors boarded and began introducing us to a very colorful vocabulary, usually reserved for drunken Sailors. They instructed us to gather our belongings, get off the bus and assemble in a circular formation. As I searched for the strength to get up, I found myself moving, while several Drill Instructors yelled at us for our clumsy attempt to dismount the bus and fall into formation. I wondered if I had made the right choice. However, I have come to realize that my military experiences have tremendously enhanced my self-worth. From those first eight

Mark henan: We have any military veterans in the audience today? At ease all that “rucus”, what do you think this is? college? Greetings to chairman Davis. President Jackson. Members of the board and trustees. Family ,friends, and my fellow graduates. May I share, may I share, my story in an essay format. After high school I went to college for one term and quit. Joined the army and 20 years later I found myself in the final stages to deploy to Iraq. Unfortunately, I was injured. My team with whom I had a bond forged in steel went to Iraq without me, but not everyone retuned. They sacrificed their dream so that we could dream big. And today I speak for those who no longer have a voice. As the story goes my injuries left me immobile and I couldn’t

The newly structured environment had given Wes a platform to succeed in both academics and sports, later receiving scholarships to attend Valley Forge for high school eventually becoming the youngest noncommissioned officer in the entire corps. Looking back the author writes “Three years ago I’d been one of the insubordinate kids first entering the gates of Valley Forge. In an ironic turn, I was now one of the ones in charge of them” (Moore 115). After the weathering journey Wes had in the military school, he began to say things like “‘A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those that do,’ were not simply words we had to memorize but words to live by” (Moore 115).

On September 25, 1978, I was a 16-year-old inspiring young pilot going to high school within 10 miles of San Diego’s Lindbergh International Airport. It was about

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.

It is with the fondest of memories that after 30 years of starting that journey that I would like to dedicate this story to the wonderful people that I served with at, what I am sure we would almost all agree, was the defining point of our lives. This book is dedicated

When we graduate, too many people choose to become a soldier or soldier on in the fields. It is simple to think that there’s no other option, but I am not a soldier. I saw the results of this backbreaking labor, of a life stuck in between these two choices. The broken spirit, the calloused hands forced into a claw, the people too young to have aches plaguing the rest of their lives all drove my

After speaking with SSGT Troxell about what the Air Force had to offer and what types of jobs they had, Nichole had made her mind up. She knew she wanted to have a job that she could use her hands and mechanical abilities, so she chose to become a jet engine mechanic. “It was a great feeling to have a clear vision of my future, and knowing I had set myself up for success the beginning of my senior year.” (Foe, 2009) Nichole planned on spending the summer at home visiting family after graduation, and before embarking on her new future as a member of the United States Air

My first visit to the Naval Academy was on family trip while in grammar school. On this and subsequent visits, the young men and women who chose to devote their lives to country and service greatly impressed me. As a high school student, I had the good fortune to experience Academy life via my acceptance to the competitive Summer STEM program, my invitation to Candidate Visit Weekend, and my participation in the Elite Throws Sports Camp. Through these first-hand experiences, I grew in awareness and commitment to an Academy education as an opportunity to enable me to serve my country. Moreover, I am honored to be a member of a gold star family, via my uncle Senior Master Sergeant Peter Bondi, recently deceased on active duty, and to have had a grandfather who served in the National Guard. Eulogies delivered for my Uncle Peter reflected a life of service and were a source of inspiration that fueled my resolve to serve.