Growing up as a military brat was the best opportunity my parents gave to me. I was able to travel to so many different places, meet all kinds of people, immerse myself into so many different cultures, and so much more. The one downside to being a military brat was having to pick up my stuff and move somewhere new. The first PCS move I remember doing was when I moved from the warm weather of Hawaii to the snowy region of Bavaria, Germany. I was in the fourth grade. Making friends was something that was easy to do at that age, so the move wasn't all that difficult. I had attended two schools in one month, and that's when I started my life in Grafenwoehr, Germany. I remember when I first moved to Graf, I made friends with two girls named Kayla and Lizzie. They introduced me to so many people there, and you can imagine how happy I was to have made friends so quickly. I was in Mrs. Schneider's class for forth, fifth, and sixth grade. I thought this was unusual to have the same teacher, but I guess she liked our class so much she decided to do whatever it took to stay with us. My time in Grafenwoehr Elementary School was filled with "Caught Being Good", hopping my fence during Field Day to get popsicles, and playing that one game where the person who is "it" had to close their eyes to find you. I think it was called Darkness. When I think about it now, if I were to see kids the same age as me back then, now, I would probably have mini cardiac arrests watching them play. The stunts we used to do as kids would send any parent screaming. My house became the center point for everything. Whether it was my friends, my brother's friends, Filipino parties, or car club meetings. Everyone was at my house, and it was always full of laughter. When I went to visit this house, I saw a "Seahawks" flag hanging from the door. I would be lying if I said I didn't cry at the sight of it. I spent almost my entire childhood in this home, and it was nice to see a little reminder of where my family was at now. I actually wanted to go ring the doorbell and introduce myself and ask if I could see the inside, but I thought that it might be too weird. Maybe next time, I'll do that. By then, I'll probably be with my mom. It's a nice feeling being a military brat, and being able to see where I grew up. That doesn't happen very often. When I went back to Hawaii, they tore down the housing area I lived in, and replaced it with newer houses. I can't say that I was too happy about it... But the main reason I went back to Grafenwoehr was to find this bench. Back in 2007, my family left this bench behind. This bench was in the front of our house. My mom had a small tag made dedicating this bench to my brother. "Live Life to the Fullest." I asked Facebook if it were possible to have a full heart, but have it break all at the same time... but I knew the answer to my own question, and it's yes. It's possible. The feeling of seeing this bench still there made my heart soar, but it also made my heart ache. The memory of my brother lives on in Grafenwoehr, and every day I wonder if people sit at this bench and wonder who David was, and why he was so important.
When it's warmer, my mom and I plan to go back and fix the bench up. Wash it off and repaint it maybe. Talk to the pastor and everyone in the church and tell them who this mystery man was, and the impact he had on Grafenwoehr. This was the best day in Germany. Coming full circle to this point, I just wish my brother were here to see me.
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It's been 8 years since I went to my last Christmas market here in Germany. I remember when I first moved to Germany in the 4th grade, it was around this time frame. I was coming from Hawaii, and I felt like I was in the movie Johnny Tsunami, but worse. For those of you who aren't familiar with that movie, a dad makes his son move from Hawaii to Vermont. My situation was worse (at the time) was worse because I moved to a completely foreign land. I couldn't adjust to the weather, I didn't understand the language, I didn't do well with the time zone change; nothing was going right for me. Shortly after me moving there, I had started to like Germany. I made friends that invited me to these types of festivals. I remember going to Christmas markets for field trips as a kid, and all we did was eat, drink hot cocoa, and run around looking for Santa.
Going to my first Weinachsmarkt as an adult was such a nostalgic feeling. When we got there, not too many people were around yet. The best time to go to the Christmas market is when they light up all of the town with Christmas lights and there are Kinder choirs. It's literally the best feeling! We walked around Bernkastel, drank Gluhwein, and ate lots of yummy German food. It was Laura's birthday today, so we made sure we got her to have some fun on her first trip to a Weinachsmarkt. I was really happy that all of us were together to celebrate the day. I can't wait to find more adventures during this holiday season. In the Soldier's Creed, there are two lines that I would like to focus my post on. The third line, "I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values", and the twelfth line, "I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life."
So why is it the night after the big election, my heart is hurting for America? No, I am not going to go into politics. I am a firm believer that as a Service Member, I serve who ever holds the position of Commander in Chief. I am a firm believer in not speaking of what my political standing is because as the creed says, I serve the people of the United States. I have an appreciation for my friends who have dedicated their time and efforts in standing up for what they believe in. I can give respect to those who "talk politics" in a civilized manner. It's not for everyone. It most certainly isn't my strongest point. I understand enough to have an educated vote, and that's good for me. I digress. What weighs heavily on my heart right now is what I see in the aftermath of this election. I know we have had this happen before where videos have gone viral of people burning or stomping on the American flag. I've seen videos of people tearing up the streets, vehicles, homes, and public buildings. Fights have broken out between the red and blue citizens. It is disheartening. To some, the flags may just be a sheet with stars and stripes on it, but to others it could stand for so much more. I saw on Facebook something that really put it what the flag stands for in a very simple way. "If you think the 'flag is just a flag', try telling that to parents who received one folded up instead of their child coming home." Then it becomes something much bigger than just a bunch of stitches... Yet our youth destroy the one symbol that brought us together. America, this is not what we stand for. This is certainly not the America way of life that I want to fight for. I put on my uniform to serve you, but please make my service mean something more than defending a country that throws a temper tantrum because they didn't take the initiative to be proactive in their community. See, I am an advocate of freedom of speech, but there is a line that cannot be crossed. It is one thing to say your opinion, it is another to start fires. It is one thing to openly talk about your fears and express your emotions toward the election, it is another to start fights and trash the streets. This chaos is not the American way of life that drew my family to the United States. My family moved to this melting pot of a nation because we are supposed to accept everyone for who they are and what they bring to the table. We are a diverse culture. No, I am not naive. I am aware that America has it's own problems, I get that... I do. BUT - We are Americans, first and foremost. We are all in this together. Do you guys remember the Pledge of Allegiance? "One nation, under God, Indivisible, for liberty and justice for ALL." We stand together as a nation. We may have differences in opinions, we may not all agree. But I believe that if we decide to work together toward achieving a better country, instead of pointing fingers at each other, we could make progress. We cannot progress if we are pushing each other back and forth. Do not let my brothers and sisters risking their lives die for a country that stands divided. Give our duty a purpose. America, you are better than this. Please pull yourselves up from those boot straps and keep driving on. I think it's funny how I'm fleeing the country (okay, not really) on the day that America's fate will be decided. I just want to say, everyone better be voting because you guys are deciding who my boss is going to be...
Anyways... So leaving home wasn't as painful as I thought it was going to be. I think the initial move to Texas was harder than this. Now I know my parents are going to be trailing behind me, and I'll be having visitors all the time! I'm pretty excited to go back home to Europe. I'm excited to see all of my family, and hang out with old friends. I remember when I was in 10th grade, and I was leaving Europe, I was extremely mad. I guess I wasn't too mad because I was moving to Japan, but still... Europe is where I learned most of what I know now as a child! I've been given an amazing opportunity to explore Europe as an adult, and I'm not going to let this chance pass me by. I can't believe it's my first station. Hopefully when my parents are there, they are down to travel and stuff. Maybe I can mooch off of their travels and hotel stays! Heheh. I guess there's always an upside to being with your parents! Free stuff! I am going to try and start vlogging my travels. I should have recorded the beginning of my journey. Meh, oh well... Until next time America. I finally have time to sit and write about one of the adversities I faced while here at Basic Officer Leadership Course, or better known as BOLC. Here at BOLC we spend a good amount of time in didactic training in garrison. Then we go and do an FTX, or Field Training Exercise. We went out to the field for three weeks, and I have to admit that it was not as hard as people made it seem. Although in their defense, they were not accustomed to what the Army's expectations were. A lot of those same people told me that I shouldn't volunteer to do any leadership positions while in the field because I wouldn't like it. So of course I signed up to be a Company First Sergeant, my most liked position.
I enjoy serving as a student First Sergeant because it allows me to integrate with all of the Platoons in the Company. I enjoy meeting new people. I enjoy being able to help pass information, make decisions, and I really like to know what's going on. As a Soldier in the Platoon, you never really know what's going on. You kind of just go with the flow and just expect things to happen only when they tell you. So as Company First Sergeant, I took on a lot of responsibility. The Company Commander I was working with had no knowledge of the Army's system. My counterpart in Bravo Company also had no idea what was going on, as well as her own Company Commander. So in all of Company leadership, I was the only one with an idea of how things were supposed to be run. Therefore, I served as a mentor to all three Soldiers. This was a bit amusing to me, because these three Soldiers were much older than I was, they were experienced nurses and physicians! So here I am, at 24 years old, young Lieutenant, teaching these higher ups. I worked hard at my position, regardless if it was a student position or not. I haven't had the time to really blog about my time here in San Antonio during BOLC, so I am just going to do a quick recap on my final thoughts of the entire situation on a personal/half-professional level.
1. Everyone who comes here is not as mature as you think they'd be. There are a lot of people here who I feel had a hard time leaving the college life behind. I am completely okay with going out and having fun, but it's just the attitudes and views on life that got to me. A lot of people made it seem like meeting people here at training wasn't something that could become a permanent part of your life. I feel like a lot of people had looked down on those who weren't afraid to put their life on a hold just because they're in training. Thus hurting a lot of my friends who were single and what not. Also, there's a fine line on what is said to be "humor" and just being downright ignorant and obnoxious. 2. Not everyone wants to be in the Army. This surprised me just a little bit, but you could tell the difference between those who were Active Duty component versus those who were Reserve/Guard component. The difference in motivation to learn the material was huge, especially when it came to field training. A lot of attitudes surfaced during the field, and by the end of it, you knew who you would take a bullet for, and you knew who you would be like, "wow I'd never want to deploy with them, ever." Sad, but true. I mean, I'd fight for my brothers and sisters in arms regardless of their component, but the attitude really took a toll on some working and personal relationships. 3. TRADOC is always going to be a dumpster fire in one way or another. That speaks for itself. If you're military and you've been in TRADOC, then you know how much it sucks. Oh well, we're getting paid to do this. There's nothing really I want to touch up on. BOLC wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. Maybe if I feel like it, I'll post tips and tricks on how to pass AMEDD BOLC, which isn't too hard. When they say fundamentals, that's really what they mean. Last night I had one of the best nights I've had in a long time. I'm not saying that the people that I've recently met (within the past 2 years) aren't fun, but it's different when you're with your own crew. I met up with 4 JUNIOR high school friends, and it's crazy how far we've all come. Who would've thought that we were all going to see each other and have drinks a decade later?
This past month has taught me so much about myself as a person. I've been kickin' it with a bunch of new people, met up with old friends, and I get my moments to myself too. I feel like it's a different sense of independence when you move away for good. I'm kickin' back and I'm vibin', I'm chillin', I'm good. 1. The top priorities for my leadership philosophy include the following:
a. Overall Mission Readiness; b. Fostering a positive environment in which Soldiers and Families can work together as a team; and c. Continuity of training using evidence based practice to provide optimal patient care. 2. The simplicity of my top priorities are not to be taken lightly. I believe in our organization being one of great honor and respect, and we must uphold ourselves to exceed the standards the American people have set before us. We are a team of not only healthcare professionals, but American Soldiers. We have a duty to ourselves and to our Families to provide the most optimum care on and off of the battlefield. In order to do so, we must do our best by: a. Remaining fiercely loyal to the blending of our duty and our passion. We must understand that our duty of being a Soldier to the United States of America reciprocates our duty as healthcare providers to our patients. We must be physically, mentally, and emotionally fit for the fight. There are times where we will be put in difficult situations and may feel disheartened, but we must remember why we wear our uniforms and why we have a sworn duty to serve our great nation. We will not shy from fear of the unknown; we will run towards it full force to tackle these obstacles as a team. b. Working as a team to incorporate our Families for the support we need to complete the mission. Family readiness is important in our Army because I understand that when a Soldier knows that their Family is taken care of, that Soldier will be able to focus on the mission. Our missions will be challenging, stressful, and time-consuming. Our Families must be well informed of what we do as a team and realize that they are also a part of that team. Our Soldiers should also have the time to continue to bond with their Families at home to maintain strong relationships, and be at ease from life on duty. c. Caring about the well-being of the Soldier. We need to ensure that our Soldiers are given the time and tools necessary to learn and perform their duties to a high standard. We must provide our Soldiers the guidance that they need to maintain professionalism in their work. Outstanding leadership is one of the highest priorities we have to our subordinates, and we owe them nothing less. We must work hard to support each other so that we as a team thrive in high morale directly increasing our mission readiness. We will work together to create a safe environment for everyone around us. d. Constantly seeking dynamic learning opportunities to expand our knowledge in our area of practice. We are experts and we are professionals. We must strive hard to continue to learn as more and more knowledge is discovered through evidence based practice. We will use the Army’s Patient CaringTouch System as our framework to provide the best care. We must know how to solve problems when we are short-handed in equipment or personnel. This will give us our fighting edge of innovation to allow us to do the best we can with what or who we have got. 3. Our country depends on us to be at our peak performance. As a team, we will do our best to support and complete the mission. We will train hard, care about each other, and do what needs to be done. JACLYN N. FERRER 2LT, AN Around this time last week, I was getting ready to come to Texas, and here I am. I have officially finished my first week as a Lieutenant. We didn't really do much except paperwork, but it was definitely a tiring week. I'm super thankful that the hotel they have me staying at serves coffee all day long. I am also pleased to say that our dining facility's food is actually pretty decent. I don't think I'll have any trouble maintaining my weight here.
We pretty much went over all of the paperwork to get us into the system, and I think the only brief I really paid a lot of attention to was the Finance briefing from USAA. I learned a lot from it, and having my first CC, it was very useful to me. I met a lot of people already, and I'm still trying to figure out how "military intense" everyone is, and it seems like some of them are pretty laid back. I did meet the 3 people I'm going to be moving with and they seem like such a fun crew to have around! I already envision us traveling all over together and having a bunch of fun. We've had a bunch of fun exploring Texas, and I'm excited to see one of my friends from high school here in the states. That doesn't happen too often for us military brats that moved here from overseas, so it's a nice feeling. Adulting is easy so far. I guess I won't feel like an adult until I fly out after school, and I'm really on my own. Not much to write about just yet. So I was blessed to do a photo shoot with the infamous Jennifer McIntyre who does a blog for Military Women. She captures the careers of women who have served in the ranks of our Armed Forces, and I am the first newly commissioned 2LT to be featured in her blog. It was a great honor to collaborate with such an outstanding photographer, and an Army Officer at that! I cannot wait to come back to do another photo shoot after I've gotten some experience as an Army Officer.
Makeup by: Linda Phan (Instagram: phancy_me) |
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