I applaud any individual willing to serve his or her country, especially in times of conflict.  Many service members serve this great country for a myriad of reasons.  I serve this country for numerous reasons as well but three of the key reasons I serve and more importantly continue to serve are following a family example of service, the ability to impact others, and a means for providing for myself and family.  Though this essay will discuss three prominent reasons, I to, have countless reasons for serving this country.

      My childhood was not the greatest and my male role-models were not abundant.  My mother was a single parent and my only father figure was my grandfather.  My mother, older brother, and I lived with my grandparents and my grandfather was definitely the man of the house.  He was a very dedicated worker for the railroad for over 42 years.  His time would have been longer but he died on the job after succumbing to carbon monoxide poisoning.  His 42 years on the railroad was always impressive to me, but I was probably more impressed by his service to the country during WWII.  My grandfather would never discuss his service but my grandmother told me of his feats during the war.  He served in the Pacific theater and his job was to climb the telephone poles under fire to ensure communications were established for his unit.  I never looked at my grandfather as a “macho” guy, but I always had the upmost respect for him.  Soon after his death when I was roughly 12 years old I decided I to should serve my country as my grandfather had served previously.

      After joining the Army in 1990 I became aware of the impact I could make on the lives of others.  I finally found something I was good at, being a Soldier, and I advanced quickly up the enlisted ranks.  After serving a couple of years I became a SGT and had the privilege of leading others as a squad leader.  I took great joy in training and mentoring my Soldiers.  This process continued as I advanced to the different levels of leadership.  I understood that the more rank I obtained the more individuals I could help.  When I reached 11 years time in service and was about to be promoted to the grade of E8 I made the decision to attend Officer Candidate School.  Becoming an officer allowed me the opportunity to teach, coach, and mentor even more great Soldiers.  I have been truly blessed to have superiors mentor me throughout my career and I feel it is not only my duty but a great honor to pass the lessons learned to my peers and subordinates.

      Aforementioned is the fact that I had a difficult childhood.  Not only was my mother a single parent for the first 7 years, but my stepfather was very abusive and a “deadbeat.”  My mother worked hard in factories and childcare but with a poor education she never made a lot of money.  Therefore, we lived in poverty my entire childhood.  I do not have any negative feelings about growing up poor and I actually take pleasure in the experiences and perspective living impoverished has provided me through the years.  One of the main points I take away from living in poverty is that I do not ever want to live that way again.  The Army has provided me a means to support myself and family for 20 years.  I am by no stretch of the imagination rich, but I do feel very fortunate to live the lifestyle that I live.  I hear many civilian counterparts complain about the economy, but serving in the military I have not experienced those hardships because with two wars going on I know that I will not be laid off by my company.  I owe absolutely everything I have to my service in the Army.  If I did not choose to serve in the Army I would very likely still be impoverished.

      Serving our country is a noble cause in itself but it really means much more to me than just another career.   The Army has probably saved my life and I will always be grateful for the opportunities my service has provided.  I have been able to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather, mentor others to become better Soldiers, and live a lifestyle that I could have never imagined growing up.  I feel truly blessed to call myself a Soldier for the greatest country on earth.