Military

Joining the Military after High School

Joining the Military

I was in my senior year of high school and was scheduled to graduate in 6 months. I had to make some serious decisions as being nurtured by my parents was soon to end. I could go to college, find a well paying job or join the military and help defend my country against all enemies. I had pondered over all the decisions and decided joining the military would be my best option and provide the best for my life. I would begin a life of responsibility, living on my own and focusing on a career.

I enlisted in the Air Force and was given an entry date of July 17, 1987 to leave for basic training. After getting my affairs in order and having a going away party I was off to start my new life as an Airman. The big day came; I gave my parents a hug, boarded an airplane and was off to Lackland AFB, Texas for the biggest change in my life. We boarded busses at the airport then were dropped off at a large cement pad in front of a large dormitory looking building. Everything was quiet and out of nowhere came three people dressed in military uniform, yelling at the top of their lungs, giving various commands such as, pick up our bags, set them down, sit down, stand upThis went on for about 15 minutes, then we were whisked up to the dorms. The next 12 weeks of my life would teach me to be independent, work as a team player and be able to function within constraints.

After 6 long weeks of getting up early before the crack of dawn, learning to shower and get dressed in minimal time, and being taught the basics in financial management I was given several skills that would make me a responsible adult in my future career. I was now going to complete a 6 week technical school for aircraft maintenance and be permanently assigned to a base where I would be allowed to prove myself using all the skills the military had taught me. These skills would allow me to show my trustworthiness in my work abilities, the ability to show my independence and prove I was a professional Airman, which are options that I may not have received if I had gone on to college and continued on as a student.

Upon arrival to my permanent base I was briefed on my responsibilities and how my job performance would affect several people's lives while they were performing duties on the aircraft that I was to be working on. During the first month of work I was assigned to a senior mechanic who would evaluate my performance and maintenance ethics. This is where I was able to show my responsibility and integrity when fixing the aircraft. As I completed each task I was provided with a feedback on how I had completed the task at hand. Upon receiving the positive feedback I was assured that I had made the right choice for my career and would excel as an aircraft mechanic. Now that I was proving myself responsible to my military family I would now have to prove to my parents that I would be successful as an adult and be able to make the right choices to ensure I could survive on my own. I was assigned to a dormitory room, in which I was allowed decorate within guidelines, have a phone installed and cable to help entertain myself on my time off. I immediately had all the services installed in my room and started creating my own bills. I went to the local credit union and opened up my first checking account that would