Of Pups and Men

The world changed for me the morning of September 11, 2001. I was grading papers as a teacher’s assistant in High School. I remember the class going over a chapter out of the text when the teacher next door burst into the room. “The World Trade Center has been hit by an airplane!” I didn’t know what to think. From then on he continued to give us the play by play as the horror unfolded. From that day on everything changed.

Fast forward 8 years. I find myself on the brink of commissioning in the United States Army. When I take the oath in May, the world will change for me yet again. I have worked hard to make it to this point. I remember coming into ROTC and not understanding anything of the way it works or even if I had what it takes to make it.

Being a cadet as well as a college student has a number of responsibilities both seen and unseen. Not only must one be able to successfully complete their degree program but must also meet the Army’s standards as well. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday I have Physical Training. Every Thursday during the semester I have to show proficiency in warrior tasks such as First Aid and being able to lead my peers. My weekends are committed to the field training exercises, marksmanship training and fundraising. I remember jumping in the middle of it all and having to make a quick adjustment to a new lifestyle.

In the summer of 2007 I received indoctrination into the Army at Ft. Knox, KY. There I learned discipline and performing to the Army standard, not to mention being under the direct care of a drill sergeant was a real eye opener. I learned more about myself in the weeks there than any other time in my life. I came back to campus changed for the better. I understood what I was involved in and what it means to commit to the greater good, to be part of something greater than yourself. This past summer I was at the Leadership Development and Assessment Course in Ft. Lewis, WA. Here I hade to prove that I could lead others when morale was low and every conceivable thing went wrong. I have had to face my fears and take on challenges outside my comfort zone. Jumping off a high dive blindfolded in uniform with a rifle in to water, finding my way alone through the dark in the woods, and repelling from ridiculous heights. These real world situations force you to understand how your choices can mean the difference between life and death for others. Being a college student, I was never required to take such things into account before. Outside of being accountable for grades and staying out of trouble, I never had any other responsibilities. Now I carry the weight of college along with making these kinds of decisions soon. Not only will I have my own life, I will have the lives of others in my care as well. I have been through everything the Army has thrown at me and been deemed good enough to be an officer. This goal has been a long time in the making.

My father always told me: “Son, I want you to take the success I have had in this world and do better.” I knew there was only one way I could be the kind of man my father was. I had planned on enlisting after high school like he did and then going to college later. However, my father strongly encouraged me to go to college first before making any such commitments. I am glad I had listened to him. I feel as though I found a loophole with ROTC. The Army had offered a means of not just inculcating me with values and change but I knew it also offered a way to do better than my father had done. I choose to branch Medical Service Corps because I knew that with the right career choices it could carry me for the rest of my days and I would not have to worry about finding a job if I ever decided to retire from the Army. I also know that ultimately I can look back on my life when I am old and feel good about having committed it to saving lives.