Reflective Essay: Growing Up In The United States

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, I was exposed to several different types of cultures and different foods from all around the world. On my city block in Bensonhurst we had the likes of Turkish, Japanize, Croatian and Russian people to name a few. Before joining the Army I had little idea that I had merely scratched the surface of the different types of people that there was in the world, at least in the first world countries. After some time in the service what I discovered was that some people eat the strangest things. What I would consider a roadside weed, some would consider a treat. About 99.9 percent of the time you spend in the Army is preparing and training for combat, and then there is the time you deploy and put your training to the test. You drill constantly so that your actions are automatic, smooth, and without hesitation. From training to jumping out of an aircraft to assaulting an enemy’s position, a high price is put on muscle memory. Another discipline drilled into you as a soldier is guard duty. You learn how to spend hours upon hours scanning for the enemy, drawing sector sketches, and keeping radio communications established with your …show more content…
It was 0100 hours and I was only awake because the missiles and mortar shells that were attacking my base that night was heavier than usual. They flashed a bright yellow light and smelled like sulfur. I went to the door to find my Platoon Sergeant standing in full gear. He commanded, “Gear up, Griff you pulled the short straw and have to guard the northwest corner of the FOB” I knew that meant our forward operation base. Without hesitation I grabbed my gear and headed with my leader to the truck that would take me to my guard post. While he driving, I was issued my special instructions. To my dismay I was told that I would be pulling a 12-hour shift, and what was worse than that was my battle buddy was a Kurdish