Need Help with my Personal Statement
Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:01 am
Can someone provide criticism/grammar/suggestions...thanks!!
At 2045 local Iraqi time I was woken by another aircrew member whom I was deployed with to an undisclosed location in the Middle East and was told we had to be at the aircraft in no more than thirty minutes. This was the beginning of another unpredictable night for myself and the rest of the XXX Squadron. I quickly jumped out of bed and hit the showers because I knew that I was in for another long night aboard my EC-130H Compass Call aircraft.
I swiftly moved out to the seemingly ancient Compass Call, a large four propeller aircraft, which was humming on the ramp. Compass Call is an aircraft that is in high demand in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom because of the capabilities we bring to the fight. Our primary mission is to detect and deny enemy communications by jamming their radios thus rendering them useless. While the aircraft is almost fifty years old the risks associated with flying never crossed my mind, I was solely focused on protecting the soldiers' lives on the ground.
My crew and I ran on board and were handed the briefing for our mission that night. Before I knew it we were airborne and enroute to support American Army men and women fighting on the ground in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Tonight would be another demanding night, much like each of the over 80 combat flights I had flown that year in Iraq. As the sole Electronic Warfare Officer aboard the Compass Call, I was responsible for ensuring that the complex electronic equipment was operating at full capability to protect Soldiers conducting counterinsurgency operations below me. I was not conducting raids alongside those soldiers but their lives were in my hands.
While the Air Force’s EC-130H fleet of aircraft are borderline ancient, the technical and sophisticated electronic equipment aboard this aircraft is not. As the sole Electronic Warfare Officer I am an expert in the employment of Compass Call, which includes, but is not limited to, understanding how exactly the electronic equipment works and figuring out how malfunctioning equipment affects the other equipment on board. It is that technical expertise that has allowed countless number of soldiers to return home safely after patrolling the streets of Iraq.
On top of that, I am designated the Mission Crew Commander aboard the Compass Call, which means I am in charge of where, when and how my crew is going to employ our aircraft to best support the mission at hand. I direct our operators where to concentrate and instructing the Pilot and Navigator where we need to go in order to best optimize our effects. Still, my coordination does not stop inside the aircraft as I am responsible for coordinating with the soldiers on the ground figuring out where they are and how we can best support them. The coordination I must conduct inside and outside of the aircraft in order to accomplish the mission forces me to become very adept at dealing with multiple people with various personalities all at the same time. It has certainly allowed me to grow as an individual and learn how to better communicate with people in order to get the mission accomplished as efficiently and effectively as possible.
While flying over Iraq on those many missions, I often found myself thinking about my future. Being an Electronic Warfare Officer and leading the finest young men and women in America has been the greatest privilege of my life. I faced the life and death realities and responsibilities associated with combat. I have a one of a kind perspective and now seek to take the assets I have gained from the flying community of the Air Force and mold them into an Air Force legal career. The Funded Legal Education Program offered by the Air Force is an opportunity for me to not only excel but also to continue to serve the country that I love.
The Air Force and the United States military are institutions that demand you to grow as an individual in order to better serve the missions they support. They have and always will play a major role in my life and the way I conduct myself. The virtues of respect for the rights of others, obedience to rule of law and treaty, patriotism, valor, fidelity, abilities, vigilance, honor and character are expected of military officers and I am the embodiment of each and every one of them. Having zero blemishes against my criminal and civil record I believe shows my commitment to all these virtues. I pride myself on living my life by upholding each virtue. The very morals and guidelines that are drilled into my head constantly by the military will serve me well in the legal profession. The leadership skills and ability to work with a wide variety of people with different backgrounds and nationalities will allow me to excel. .
At 2045 local Iraqi time I was woken by another aircrew member whom I was deployed with to an undisclosed location in the Middle East and was told we had to be at the aircraft in no more than thirty minutes. This was the beginning of another unpredictable night for myself and the rest of the XXX Squadron. I quickly jumped out of bed and hit the showers because I knew that I was in for another long night aboard my EC-130H Compass Call aircraft.
I swiftly moved out to the seemingly ancient Compass Call, a large four propeller aircraft, which was humming on the ramp. Compass Call is an aircraft that is in high demand in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom because of the capabilities we bring to the fight. Our primary mission is to detect and deny enemy communications by jamming their radios thus rendering them useless. While the aircraft is almost fifty years old the risks associated with flying never crossed my mind, I was solely focused on protecting the soldiers' lives on the ground.
My crew and I ran on board and were handed the briefing for our mission that night. Before I knew it we were airborne and enroute to support American Army men and women fighting on the ground in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Tonight would be another demanding night, much like each of the over 80 combat flights I had flown that year in Iraq. As the sole Electronic Warfare Officer aboard the Compass Call, I was responsible for ensuring that the complex electronic equipment was operating at full capability to protect Soldiers conducting counterinsurgency operations below me. I was not conducting raids alongside those soldiers but their lives were in my hands.
While the Air Force’s EC-130H fleet of aircraft are borderline ancient, the technical and sophisticated electronic equipment aboard this aircraft is not. As the sole Electronic Warfare Officer I am an expert in the employment of Compass Call, which includes, but is not limited to, understanding how exactly the electronic equipment works and figuring out how malfunctioning equipment affects the other equipment on board. It is that technical expertise that has allowed countless number of soldiers to return home safely after patrolling the streets of Iraq.
On top of that, I am designated the Mission Crew Commander aboard the Compass Call, which means I am in charge of where, when and how my crew is going to employ our aircraft to best support the mission at hand. I direct our operators where to concentrate and instructing the Pilot and Navigator where we need to go in order to best optimize our effects. Still, my coordination does not stop inside the aircraft as I am responsible for coordinating with the soldiers on the ground figuring out where they are and how we can best support them. The coordination I must conduct inside and outside of the aircraft in order to accomplish the mission forces me to become very adept at dealing with multiple people with various personalities all at the same time. It has certainly allowed me to grow as an individual and learn how to better communicate with people in order to get the mission accomplished as efficiently and effectively as possible.
While flying over Iraq on those many missions, I often found myself thinking about my future. Being an Electronic Warfare Officer and leading the finest young men and women in America has been the greatest privilege of my life. I faced the life and death realities and responsibilities associated with combat. I have a one of a kind perspective and now seek to take the assets I have gained from the flying community of the Air Force and mold them into an Air Force legal career. The Funded Legal Education Program offered by the Air Force is an opportunity for me to not only excel but also to continue to serve the country that I love.
The Air Force and the United States military are institutions that demand you to grow as an individual in order to better serve the missions they support. They have and always will play a major role in my life and the way I conduct myself. The virtues of respect for the rights of others, obedience to rule of law and treaty, patriotism, valor, fidelity, abilities, vigilance, honor and character are expected of military officers and I am the embodiment of each and every one of them. Having zero blemishes against my criminal and civil record I believe shows my commitment to all these virtues. I pride myself on living my life by upholding each virtue. The very morals and guidelines that are drilled into my head constantly by the military will serve me well in the legal profession. The leadership skills and ability to work with a wide variety of people with different backgrounds and nationalities will allow me to excel. .
