Why I want to be an Army Officer

Over eight years ago as a young Private First Class I had the same attitude
as most Soldiers when they enlist into the Army; four years and I’m done.
However, over the past eight years I have come to embrace all that the Army stands
for. I have adopted the Army values and made them my own. The biggest change
came when I was advanced to the rank of Sergeant and I realized that I enjoyed
nothing more than to lead, train and mentor Soldiers. Since the day I pinned on
my first Non-Commissioned Officer stripes I have sought out every leadership
position available, from squad leader to Drill Sergeant. In those leadership
positions I have had the honor of making a difference in each Soldier’s lives.
The time has come in my Army career to take the next step. I have come to a point
in my life that I cannot imagine myself without Officer Rank on my chest. Just as
I dreamt of wearing the “brown round” of a Drill Sergeant, I aspired to be the
best Drill Sergeant I could be. Competing at the Army level as a Drill Sergeant
was not for pride or show, but to strive for excellence in my leadership. I felt
that if I could push myself to strive for excellence then I could set that same
example for my Soldiers. I have the greatest desire to make myself invaluable to
the people I serve for and with. Bottom line, I want to be an Officer to lead. I
want to lead from the front. I want command and set the best environment for my
Soldier’s to learn, grow and excel. I want to improve my family’s life style. I
want to be able to send my son and daughter to the best schools. I want my wife
to be able to continue her education. I believe that I can bring a wealth of
knowledge and experience to the Officer Ranks that only a seasoned Senior Non-
Commissioned Officer can bring. I don’t consider myself a technician, but a
leader. I find myself many times taking the initiative in the lack of guidance.
I find myself many times taking charge in the lack of leadership. It is in my
nature of lead. It is in my nature to mentor, train and set the example for
others to follow. I have excelled at managing large groups of Soldiers, sometimes
more than 200 at a time. I was responsible for developing, resourcing, and
executing multiple Warrior Field Training Exercises consisting of small company
size elements. I want to be a part of the process of decision making. I am a
problem solver. This is my Army, it is my life, it is who I am. When I ask a
Soldier why he joined the Army, his answer is personal to me because I am asking
him why he wanted to be a part of my life, my family. I want the responsibility,
honor and privilege to Command and lead troops into combat.
I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination and I certainly have rough
edges that need to be refined but I am ready to for the change. I recently read a
book that was handed to me by one of my Battalion Commander and it contained 16
traits that a leader must have. Impossible to show every trait all the time, but
out of those traits three stood out to be the most important to me; Selflessness,
I will put my Soldiers, my unit before myself; Decisiveness, I will act quickly
and accurately, even in seeking guidance, never leaving a Soldier to wait on me to
make up my mind. I will stand by my decisions and not falter, and I will take
responsibility when I am wrong; and most importantly Integrity, I will do what is
right even when no one is looking. I will not allow complacency to creep in and
bring down the standards in my unit. I fully accept the responsibility that lies
before me.