Project 1: Second draft

On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, I am up at 5 AM. Who wants to wake up that early? Trust me, it is not by choice. I am involved with the Air Force ROTC program at FSU, and we are required to attend Physical Training sessions at the Mike Long Track. The Air Force gave me a scholarship, so if I do not feel motivated to get out of bed, I think about how horrible it would be to take out student loans. Despite not wanting to be exercising at 5:45 AM, I have had some memorable experiences at physical training. During one of the physical training sessions last semester, I did relays with my ROTC group, Victor flight.

There are about 150 cadets in Air Force Detachment 145 at FSU. To have better structure, the detachment is split into groups of about 20 people, known as flights. Occasionally, there would be team building activities at physical training to instill a sense of esprit de corps within the flights. On one particular morning in November I participated in relays with Victor flight. All of us were bundled up in our ridiculous blue parachute pants and jackets, wanting physical training to start so we could warm up. For the first relay, we did wheelbarrows around the track. Wheelbarrow relays are performed by having one cadet get into a push up position, while another cadet holds their legs. The cadet in the push up position then has to walk on their hands. However, after about 10 seconds, we switched out the cadets. Every member of the flight contributed to doing a lap around the track, instead of forcing one member to do it themselves.

On this particularly brisk morning, the flights also had to do another relay around the track. For this particular exercise, we had to run around the track, and when our commander yelled “Hit it!” we dropped to the ground and did push ups. Honestly, it is discouraging to see how challenging it is for the majority of the girls in ROTC to do push ups. I am one of those people who can barely do 10 reps before I have to sacrifice proper push up form. Only 33 percent of the Air Force ROTC program consists of females, so we all stick together and try to beat the boys. Even though my push up game is weak, I kick everybody’s ass in running. I would be lying if I said I do not feel proud of myself when I see panic cross across the guys’ faces as I lap them around the track. In high school and middle school, I took running seriously and I always wanted to be the best, regardless of whichever gender I was competing against.

At the end of physical training that morning, the entire detachment and I ran in formation around campus. To keep the detachment motivated, we recited chants, otherwise known as Jodies. The commander of the detachment would yell out different chants that we would respond to. One of my favorite Jodies, which was popular in the detachment as well, went like this:

Detachment: “U” Commander: “I can’t hear you!” Detachment: “S” Commander: “A little bit louder now!” Detachment: “Air, U.S. Air Force, United States Air Force, we like it here, we love it here, we finally found a home.” Commander: “A what?” Detachment: “A home! A home away from home! Hooah!” After we do complete campus runs, it is common for us to do planks. I have been doing planks since the start of school in August, yet I still struggle to not give up and lay on the ground. If other cadets attempt to rest their legs, the commander adds 30 more seconds to our planks. While we plank, we recite the Airman’s creed. The Airman’s creed is as follows:

I am an American Airman. I am a Warrior. I have answered my nation’s call. I am an American Airman. My mission is to fly, fight, and win. I am faithful to a proud heritage, a tradition of honor, and a legacy of valor. I am an American Airman, guardian of freedom and justice, my nation’s sword and shield, its sentry and avenger. I defend my country with my life. I am an American Airman. Wingman, leader, warrior. I will never leave an Airman behind, I will never falter, and I will not fail. After reciting this numerous times, I did not ponder about the meaning behind it. Now I realize that the order of the words was intentional. At the end of the creed, it mentions never leaving an airman behind. This is emphasizing the aspect of selflessness. It is also included as part of the Air Force’s core values. These values are integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. For the second line in the creed, when it states “I will never falter”, I believe it’s specifically addressing how people struggle to make the right decisions. This also connects to the first core value of integrity first. Everyone has experienced moments where they hesitated to do what they know is right, because they do not want to be judged by others. In the Air Force, and the United States military as a whole, they want helping others to become an instinct. The last air force value, excellence in all we do, correlates to “I will not fail.” The United States Air Force is rigorous not only in their physical conditioning, but mental as well. High standards are set in the Air Force, and the officers in the Air Force need to ensure those standards are being maintained. This is why officers yell at airman constantly and make it clear that it is not okay to repeat mistakes. Yelling also puts airman under more pressure, and trains them to adapt to an environment where it is necessary to make decisions under duress. When there is a threat to the American populace, there is no room to make mistakes. I find this concept to be intimidating, yet appealing. In high school, I decided that I wanted a challenging job that was meaningful and would allow me to help others. The Air Force gives me this opportunity, and the chance to get a technical degree without student loans.