veteran
It's imperative to look up to and learn from army veterans; only then can we truly understand the sacrifices made by men and women in uniform.
Last day before Basic training
By this point in the story, I am shaved-balled, shot up with more needles than I remember, and sufficiently sore as crap from the smoke session/breaking in our uniforms. I wish I could say this is where basic training started for me, but it is not. There were a few more days of pre-basic training to get through. Which mainly consisted of waiting around and getting yelled at for… well, about everything. Did you know you could breathe wrong? I Never knew that personally. Lucky for me, Drill Sergeant Culp let me know I was doing it wrong.
Brian PehrsonPublished about a year ago in ServeDeployed Journal
6 Dec I’ve never been this scared in my life- even when I first joined the military. The fear came from something absolutely unexpected though. Out of all things, during a plane ride we hit major turbulence. Now, I’ve hit turbulence multiple times during my million of plane rides, but this one was different. For about 10 seconds, while the heads of all the passengers were bobbing up and down like buoys on a wave and gasps came from multiple people, I felt calm. Feeling calm in a second of panic is always frightening, it’s like feeling silence during a storm, knowing that something is lacking. I couldn’t even help it, and it wasn’t until after it was over that I realized what I was feeling. My mind was completely blank- it's like I blacked out- and when the plane came back into smooth sailing, it was then that I felt scared. Scared that I was completely calm, scared that I accepted whatever would’ve happened and scared that I absolutely accepted a possible final fate. As I was thinking about it, I realized that maybe it was the fact that I visited every family member before I left, and said “goodbye, see ya later” to all of them- because that would’ve been my final wish anyways. Was it because I was on the other side of the world and felt so disconnected and (literally) distant from everyone? Was it because I was in a “fight or flight” mode and only realized it until after? I think all of my emotions about leaving my family were surfacing. I’m not sure, and nor do I ever think that I will ever know, but coming to consciousness after that blank moment was the scariest moment of my life.
Nicole KeefePublished about a year ago in ServeWhen Everything Changed
American history, or really history in general is not always marked with outstanding events, stunning personalities or remarkable speeches. Much of the history of a great nation is slow steady improvement, set backs and then how a people recovers from those set backs. But in the context of American history, there are a number of truly phenomenal moments when everything changed. These are not just one day events, although some are that sudden. But these are events that once they transpired, Americans thought of themselves, the world and their place in the world completely differently. And it’s worth noting what those events were and how they changed Americans forever.
Day One-ish
Remember I said, "I was starting to think that Basic and AIT was not going to be too bad since the Drill Sergeants at the airport were so patient and lovely "…. I was very wrong about that. It turns out there may have been something in those round brown hats that makes these friendly and caring NCOs turn into some earthly spawn of a demon. Keep in mind that this was still coming from the perspective of a civilian kid. I was a kid sheltered in life and had no idea what he was getting himself into. Maybe it was something in the USO at the St. Louis airport; perhaps it was just that life finally gave me an uppercut to the chin trying to hit that knockout blow!
Brian PehrsonPublished about a year ago in ServeHow to Improve Your Serve
Have you ever gotten mad at yourself at some stage in a healthy due to the fact your serve absolutely would just no longer go in? Well there are probable some small errors with your shape and your serving technique, but we can restore that with a few simple steps. Serving is one of the hardest photographs in tennis, but if mastered well, it will turn out to be the trump card of your career and will additionally be a figuring out component of the match.
mukesh jaiswarPublished about a year ago in ServeThe 2011 Carrier Classic
What is a once-in-a-lifetime experience? We often have people tell us that some event was a “once lifetime experience.” However, what does that mean?
Atomic HistorianPublished about a year ago in ServeMark the Sarge's Words
Author's Note: The following is a series of written letters from my 3rd Great Uncle, Stephen H. Herr, to his family, while serving in the United States Army, during the course of World War One. The orginal documents were written by hand and upon my discovery of them, I saw to it that my ancestor's first hand account of his service be translated to an online format, for others to see and learn from. However, because the orignal pieces are over 100 years old, the cursive handwriting was found to be very illegible, at times, and beggining to fade away; along with a plethora of grammatical errors and mispellings. The process of correcting such mistakes and restoring his written words to this medium, was (by no means) easy; however, the deed has been done.
Jacob HerrPublished about a year ago in ServeD20
This particular late June day itself started much as any other. I was deployed with my squadron for Operation Southern Watch. I had risen early, ready for the day’s work. The hairline sun already lighting the stark Persian Gulf coastline promised another hot and humid Saudi Arabian day. I’d already been in country for more than 2 months, with the encroaching summer proving as brutal as any I had encountered. I don’t honestly recall the early day, just another in a litany of unremarkable points in time. I was more than likely checking the self-defense systems of each jet as it launched, as I did many times before and after. I ate an unimpressive lunch, perhaps enjoyed the small terrarium we had at the modular building where avionics troops like myself rested when we had no work. If that had been the course of my day, then I would say it would have been preferable, even if I had no memory to remark on later.
Benjamin R Disher JrPublished about a year ago in ServeHonoring Veterans For Service And Sacrifice
Introduction This article will cover the history of Veterans Day, how you can honor veterans in person and online, and show your support on this special day.
Terry MansfieldPublished about a year ago in ServeBeing a Soldier is one hell of a ride!
Being a Soldier is one hell of a ride. I personally have experienced the extreme highs, lows, the very frequent in-between moments, and the overwhelming amount of time spent waiting for something but you are not sure what. Of course, every ride needs to start somewhere, so let’s take you back to when that ride started for me. Now, most people would say it was the day basic training started, or they graduated from Advanced Individual Training (AIT) and became real Soldiers. But, my ride started the day before I went back to MEPS and shipped out to basic training. It all started in my bedroom with my left foot. Weird, I know.
Brian PehrsonPublished about a year ago in ServeRicardo Khan’s 'Fly' Takes off with the Tuskegee Airmen
Photo by Neon Tommy In 2008, as director Ricardo Khan was co-writing Fly with Trey Ellis, he made sure to be present when the Tuskegee Airmen were being honored at President Barack Obama’s inauguration. His realization was that the moment was set aside to recognize all the doors that these brave Americans opened. But for all the courage and patriotism that propelled these heroes, patience may have been the strength these fighter pilots needed most. Because what they returned to did not match up to their dream of making America a better place.
Rich MonettiPublished about a year ago in ServeMy Service & My Assault
WARNING: This is my personal story, and it might be triggering to anybody who has suffered from sexual assault. I try not to get into too much detail, but still, tread lightly just in case.
K.M. DallasPublished about a year ago in Serve