Why_I_Serve

There are many reasons why Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guard members decide to join the military and serve their country. Some volunteer for financial reasons. Others choose to serve for the love of their country. As a young boy, I have always had a high respect for the military. My father served in the U.S. Army as both enlisted and an officer. While living at home, I was fortunate to have a father who led by example as a retired military officer and civil public servant. I observed my father’s successful life path that he paved for himself and decided to choose a similar course. Since the age of six, my dream in life was to graduate from the United States Military Academy and become an Army officer. The main reasons why I decided to serve my country were to maintain our country’s freedom and to pursue a career that I would enjoy. In order for the United States of America to maintain her strength, power and high quality of life, we need people who are willing to protect our citizens and defend our country’s freedom. For instance, how many people from other countries can say that they have never had enemy soldiers come into their homes and take over' How many people from other countries can say that they have never had enemy tanks rolling in their city streets' There are very few people from other countries that can answer “yes” to both of these questions. In order to preserve our freedom and way of life, our country needs its citizens to volunteer and serve both in the government and in the military. Without freedom, it is very difficult for anyone to pursue an education, achieve personal goals and live a high quality of life. I am extremely blessed to be an American and able to have the freedom to choose my life path. Without freedom, my life would not be the same. Furthermore, I feel that it is my obligation to educate and encourage other citizens to serve their country in order to maintain our freedom and way of life. Serving in the U.S. Army has been challenging, yet rewarding. For example, as a Company Commander, I was responsible for over 400 U.S. and Afghan military and civilians on two company-sized forward operating bases in the Western-half of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. It was a significant challenge to lead and manage all of these people while conducting counter-insurgency operations in an enemy-rich environment. However, during my command, I accomplished this feat, killed and captured many combatants and suffered no casualties from the enemy or other incidents. In addition, we successfully partnered, trained and conducted combined operations with two Afghan National Army maneuver companies that are now capable of executing missions independently. Likewise, we gained the trust of the local populace, strengthened our relationship with them and decreased their desirability to harvest the enemy in this area. Serving humbly and honorably in this admirable profession is a great opportunity. As a military officer, I am expected to lead by example. I enjoy being a caring leader who looks out for what is best in a unit and not for my own personal desires. I take pleasure in tackling the challenges of establishing a winning tone in a unit as well as setting the example for supervisors, peers and subordinates to emulate. By having a winning tone, most units have less disciplinary issues and can accomplish many tasks successfully. Soldiers vie to be in a winning unit. If they see that their leaders are looking out for their well-being, they will work hard to keep their unit’s cohesion and esprit de corps. On the contrary, there are many civilians working outside the military who cannot say the same about their organization. In order to have a successful team, it takes leaders who care for their organization and the welfare of its members. I am proud of my profession and enjoy molding teams into winning organizations. Overall, I am pleased with my decision to join the military and serve my country. I am happy with how my life is turning out. I feel a sense of significance knowing that I am serving a greater good than myself. I am proud to serve and protect the citizens of the United States of America as well as people throughout the world who do not have the same privileges and quality of life as Americans. I enjoy serving humbly and honorably in such a revered profession. I am also grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have had by serving in the military. It has been challenging, rewarding and has molded me into who I am.