My Identity In The Military

The Eternal Question

Who am I? This has been the question almost every person asks of themselves. Philosophers have been trying to solve the great mystery for thousands of years. I am a husband, father and a grandfather. How did I get here? How did I go from being the wildly unpredictable preacher’s son to the respected head of a growing family? Is it my upbringing? Was it my military background? Is it choices made over my lifetime?

Our surroundings and things we are born with are an influence to our identity. I was born November 12, 1965 in Washington D.C. the son of a Catholic Deacon, blessed with health, a stubbornness, and intelligence. This platinum blonde with hazel eyes was born to cause trouble. As a boy, my mother always said that

Religion has been a large influence on my life but not without cost. Living as the good catholic boy had me isolated from others due to spending my time in studies and religion. The culture of the 1980’s changed me, it was a decade of excess, and I fell into the mainstream. One day I realized it is not who I am, I was not living my life the way I wanted to. The military was what I needed. The military has a culture complete with structure, defined roles, consistency, and kindredship. Military culture allowed me to flourish and grow personally. The bonds I share with other veterans are very strong because of the shared set of customs, values, ideas, and beliefs (Latterell 9). Since coming to Kentucky, I have learned that the Mid-Atlantic region and Kentucky have great differences in culture. This regions culture is rich in tradition and family, values that are missing from the suburbs and city that are full of blasé faire attitudes towards others. My experiences in Kentucky have led me to be more involved with friends, keep my family close and encouraged me to go back to school. So has culture shaped my identity? The answer is yes and no. my exposure to religion, military service, and life experience is a part but not the sum of who I

I firmly believe that individuals participate in and make decision regarding their identity (Latterell 11). During my teenage years, I rebelled and got in to loads of trouble. The choices I had made regarding who I had spent my time with and what I did for “recreational” activities were the root cause. What I learned from the trouble is as Christopher Pike said “...You think that you can't make mistakes, but there's going to come a moment when you realize you're wrong about that...” (Star Trek Into Darkness). The greatest decision I made in life was to join the United States Navy. I joined the Navy in 1983 and my experiences shaped me in many ways. I went from being a lowly seaman who swept, swabbed, and painted all day to a senior enlisted man who, for 6 hours a day, was in command of a carrier battle group during wartime. In 1988, I made the decision to make a career out of my military service and that choice that makes me the proud veteran I am. I fell in love and made the decision to marry my wonderful wife in 1985 and in 1986; we decided to start a family. Through thick and thin, we have been together almost 30 years and have found the joy of being parents and the greater joy of being a grandparent. After retirement in 2005, we moved to eastern Kentucky, this was a huge decision to move from our home of 20 years to start over. I wonder how different my life would be if I had not stayed in