What it means to be in the Air Force
Silent Guardians
What does it mean to you to be in the Air Force? At first I had thought that I knew that answer. I thought I was doing it just to escape the jail that my hometown had established for me. That it was my ticket out, to see the world. It wasn't until this assignment that I know realize the true answer behind that question. An answer that not only defines who I am as an airman but also a person.
I would like to take you back on a cold December night during 1990. I was born to a mid-class family in the bay area. The first born son of Fabian Palafox and Ophelia. Cunningham (if you're wondering why I’m telling you my life story right you just have to trust me. I assure you it will start to tie in at 8th page) A coupling that defined every odd but someone how there I was born by a rare contradiction. I was a child who was afraid of it’s own shadow. My imagination would always get the better of me and I would always find ways to either hide or run away from my problems.
Years would go by and it wasn't until I was around the 3rd grade that I soon begin to notice that schoolmates began to grow taller than I, becoming more athletic in the process spawning a new form of obstacles in my life...bullying. For years I was at the end of every short, small or fat joke which threw me in a spiraling depression. As cheesy as it may be it wasn't until I submerged myself in movies that I soon realized that I was going about things all wrong. I didn't have to out-muscle or out-grow anyone I had to simply out smart them.
The more I emulated the comedic relief found in my movies the more talkative and charismatic I became. My depression was over, I had a close group of friends and I felt like I was king of the world. It's now my sophomore year in high school and I know find myself associating with a much older crowd boosting my ego turning me from a charismatic talkative kid to an egotistical, self-righteous, condescending socialite. Which in turn meant that
What does it mean to you to be in the Air Force? At first I had thought that I knew that answer. I thought I was doing it just to escape the jail that my hometown had established for me. That it was my ticket out, to see the world. It wasn't until this assignment that I know realize the true answer behind that question. An answer that not only defines who I am as an airman but also a person.
I would like to take you back on a cold December night during 1990. I was born to a mid-class family in the bay area. The first born son of Fabian Palafox and Ophelia. Cunningham (if you're wondering why I’m telling you my life story right you just have to trust me. I assure you it will start to tie in at 8th page) A coupling that defined every odd but someone how there I was born by a rare contradiction. I was a child who was afraid of it’s own shadow. My imagination would always get the better of me and I would always find ways to either hide or run away from my problems.
Years would go by and it wasn't until I was around the 3rd grade that I soon begin to notice that schoolmates began to grow taller than I, becoming more athletic in the process spawning a new form of obstacles in my life...bullying. For years I was at the end of every short, small or fat joke which threw me in a spiraling depression. As cheesy as it may be it wasn't until I submerged myself in movies that I soon realized that I was going about things all wrong. I didn't have to out-muscle or out-grow anyone I had to simply out smart them.
The more I emulated the comedic relief found in my movies the more talkative and charismatic I became. My depression was over, I had a close group of friends and I felt like I was king of the world. It's now my sophomore year in high school and I know find myself associating with a much older crowd boosting my ego turning me from a charismatic talkative kid to an egotistical, self-righteous, condescending socialite. Which in turn meant that