Case Study: Technical Sergeant Van E. Ripley

The actual flight was even more difficult. Lindbergh did not have a radio or any of the things that a pilot attempting such a flight would want, so instead he had to check his heading and change it every hour. His ability as a navigator was amazing, flying 3,600 miles and still landing precisely where he wanted. Lindbergh would keep demonstrating his skill as an aviator in WW2 and while he was an aviation consultant. Charles Lindbergh was an iconic figure in past years, and remains a role model for many.

Where did it go and yet why did it take so long? However, as we look back, we realize that Konner has been there with us each day. When we see a truck (especially a diesel), when I think of CDL requirements for my employees at work, when I see a ski boat or watch a Seahawks game, he is there. When we root on the Cougars and celebrate each win, we think of him and of you. When we see a heart or spend time with each of you, he is there and he is with you…we see him, when we see you.

Feng Ru spent long hours just to pursue his dream. Hearing of the Wright brother’s success, inspired Feng to become the first Chinese aviator. Feng never gave up , even when the San Francisco earthquake and fire forced him to relocate to a much smaller workshop. Or when his plane crashed. Feng never gave up he just started all over again even if it took all day.

Clark also writes about a veteran man’s experience with V.R treatment, “When Merkle first came to ICT they asked him to describe a scenario from his time in combat. He chose a day he thought would be easy to handle -- not his worst day, but one of his most exhausting, during the initial push into Iraq in 2003. ICT used software to create a basic game-like representation of those events, and then he sat through the finished product nine times over a few months. Little of the detail he described above was in ICT's simulation; virtual reality helped his mind fill in the blanks, and memories returned. “"As you walk through, you talk it through,"” he says.

Leadership is defined as the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization. It is my personal opinion that regretfully, in the past 10 years, this has been either forgotten, ignored or made extremely hard to accomplish. The newer generations of soldiers that are being added to our ranks, are completely different from the ones before me and the ones that came up in the ranks with me. I will share my personal experience. On 26th of Dec 2001, I joined the Army and was shipped to BCT (basic combat training) the following January.

How Being a Military Dependent Affected My Life Goals Being a military dependent is something I have known my whole life. My dad joined the Air Force in 1988 at the age of twenty-four. He initially joined the military to help people, but wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, this led him to fighting fires until 2010. I was born in the year 1999; I grew up with him working twenty-four hour shifts and then being home for twenty-four hours. My father’s time in the military shaped who I was by his instilling in me responsibility, love for people, and the core values of the United States Air Force.

The drilling company I was working for was putting out a new rig, and was going to be one of the top drillers placed on that rig. I was so excited, it was unbearable on some days. One day on one of my days off, I was walking outside going down the steps to finish my yardwork around the house. I tripped on the steps, landing hard on my right knee. The pain was there, and I thought it would work itself out in a few days.

This lesson was taught the very first day. I was put on a crew with Roberto, who had a reputation as being the “best” worker in the yard. Within the first twenty minutes of our first shift, I became aware that his reputation was spot on. He did his job with an amount of speed and precision that it was tough for me to keep up. During our break, he told me about his personal life, and childhood.

Going to college is probably one of the most important things that I have done in my life so far. Thinking back to everything I have done in the past ten years or so, I can see that taking to leap of faith to join college and further my education was such a huge step for me and I am glad that I did. Before I joined Southern New Hampshire University, I knew I would need some motivation to enroll. I remember a story my father told me about how he had gone to Technical College and became a licensed Master Mechanic and that really motivated me to want to further my education. Also, my brother had talked to me about two months ago and had told me his experience with going to college to earn his English degree and me, being the competitive brother I am, didn’t want him to be the only sibling to earn a degree.

My dad served in the United States Navy for 24 years. In the spring of 2009, my dad was deployed to Afghanistan. To be specific, he left on Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 5:00 in the morning. I woke up that morning, dreading what was about to happen. My dad had been with me all my life, to think that in a few short hours that my dad would be on a bus to the airport was heartbreaking.