"Hurry up! We gotta go. We are to bypass 3rd ID in Baghdad and take the northern part of Iraq."…
I was not able to actually interview anybody for this project. My grandmother lived through WW2 but she was not old enough to remember any stories, details, or feelings. So, I decided to use Honor Flight Oral Stories website, and I was able to watch five videos. The videos I watched were of Karl and Helen Norton, Clarence “Bud” Schick, Edward Davis, Charlie Smith, and James Gau. I found the stories that these people told very interesting.…
The first week of my Boeing Internship is a busy one. I have attended two of the three Marriot Boeing events. It was an incredible experience. I took fond of the stories of important Boeing employees’ mistakes. I also found interest in the poster session—specifically the augmented reality device.…
Somewhere in the Middle East there is a mom fighting in a foreign war. The gunpowder smoke coagulating in her lungs, hearing the cries for help, and not knowing if she’ll ever see her 2 year old son again. Soldiers everywhere do this every day not knowing if they are going home ever to see their loved ones. They do this because they are selfless and are heroes. That’s why an American I believe in is made possible by the sacrifices of our military.…
Despite non-selection, my pursuit of this prestigious and challenging position will not be deterred. My naval career, I have continually sought positions of greater responsibility and produced exceptional results in each of those positions. While I take great pride in being a Chief Petty Officer, I feel the experience I have acquired as a Chief will benefit any wardroom I am a member of. It is important to note that I did not submit an LDO-CWO package for FY-14 due to the time constraints I experienced while standing up Naval Beach Unit SEVEN with an under staffed office and operational commitment.…
It would be an honor and a privilege to continue my service as a Surface Warfare Officer. I had the pleasure of being assigned to the USS Chung-Hoon during my senior Midshipman cruise. While on the Chung-Hoon, I was tasked with assuming the role of conning officer. I was held to the same expectation as my running mate; I was to have in-depth knowledge of the ship’s navigational capabilities, report for duty fully prepared to assume responsibilities, and, at all times, be diligent when working in unison with the different departments of the ship in order to assure safe navigation. Working with the officers and crew on the Chung-Hoon was the greatest lesson in leadership I experienced, and serves as the point in my life where I knew I was destined to be a warfighter. I know that as a Surface Warfare Officer,…
I grew up in Titusville FL, a small town know for being the perfect viewing spot to watch the space shuttles launch from Cape Canaveral. The town was so small I could walk from one end to the other with in an hour. My favorite thing to do was to walk to a nearby lake and relax with with my friends, we would fish and climbed tree for…
I’m on a trip with my mom to Yellowstone; our first destination is Salt Lake City, Utah’s Capital. As we walking around the city, we went to a place called Temple Square. All the tourists who came here are going there. It talks about some story of Jesus, and it looks like a church. Tomorrow, our destination is going into Yellowstone, the real journey will start tomorrow.…
It was a Thursday morning in November. I woke up, got dressed and got ready to take a taxi to 42nd Street in Manhattan with my mother. I was so upset that I had to leave to upstate somewhere I had never been and the thought of living there? Lord knows I wanted to throw up so badly. When I got to 42nd Street I saw the guy that I had an interview with. He said, “Hello Nikki. Are you excited to go to Job Corps?” I lie and said yes. When it was time to leave I said goodbye to my mother and got on the bus.…
When you are someone’s support system you take on multiple roles that indirectly deteriorate your self preservation. Being a listener or a shoulder to cry on, requires sacrifices that, in the moment, you do not even recognize as imposing. Voluntarily and willingly being there for someone begins with the unwavering doubt that you and your own problems cannot and will not prevail over your person’s immediate crisis. Depending on the duration of your duty, a somewhat selfish thought of inconvenience is bound to surface. But, that wave of retraction is almost always combatted by a riptide of dedication and loyalty that brings you back to sea, where all you can do is tread. In turn, the suppression of self regarding issues regularly comes with a layer of obligation and a sting of bitterness.…
Induction Day at the Naval Academy is the first day for all midshipmen on a sweltering June day in Annapolis. For the class of 2017, Induction day was June 27, 2013. New plebes are mulling around in a single file line pouring out of an ominous building where fresh high school graduates entered and frightened children wearing all white canvas bags dumped into the loading docks. The white stone bare aside from the crest of the academy loomed over me as I stood silently waiting for my costume change. I waited to check in wearing the worst middle-aged woman khakis and nautical striped shirt to ever be produced. My hair was cut and resembled an orange cereal bowl on my head. Seven in the morning was when I said good-bye and stepped inside the building leaving my family at the doors.…
It was about seven in the evening and I got a call from my friend, letting me know she and her grandmother had made it home. Her grandmother is in her 60’s, so there wasn’t much texting going between us. I’d been trying to catch up with her all day to interview her, but I guess she had a very busy weekend. I finally arrived to the house just ready to get the interview over with.…
The date is January 3rd, 2010 and I am on a bus headed for basic training, a four-month long process. I have a million thoughts rolling through my head. I have no idea what to expect. All I know is that I’m not in Texas anymore. I look out my window and see snow everywhere and soldiers walking in formation. The bus starts to take off toward the barracks, which I will call home for the next few months. Out of nowhere, three drill sergeants stand up and start talking to us about what we’re going to be doing. Everyone always thinks drill sergeants are just people who are paid to yell and scream at new soldiers to prepare them for war, but as my drill sergeants were talking to me, they seemed very nice and relaxed. Then it all changed for the worse.…
The first day of high school was soon approaching and I could not stop thinking about how I will be feeling when I step foot onto Arvin High School. Summer vacation seemed too short and I definitely wasn’t ready for the start of freshmen year. Shortly after I was telling myself, “I can’t wait to get out of here!” I knew that my decision to be here today would help me in the long run for my career, but I had no motivation.…
College has been on my mind way before I was even registered. After, I attended my high school graduation ceremony, told my teacher’s and counselors about my appreciation for them, and then my summer began. Most of it was preparing for the upcoming school year at Waubonsee Community College. In my first semester of college I went from feeling in control of my education to; feeling the whole world against to; understanding what college is all about and lastly to realizing I am going in the right path.…