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By the time you read this, I will have been working on Hill Air Force Base as a Public Affairs Specialist for three months. Joining the military at 32 years old was not on my vision board.
My hometown of Brooklyn taught me the importance of earning respect, which was hard when I didn’t fit in with the crowd. Working a year in South Korea taught me adaptability, as the culture was vastly different from anything I’d known. Colombia, where I spent three months trying to figure out my next move after concurrent failures, taught me the importance of slowing down and finding my pace.
Each place tested me in different ways, quietly shaping the path I was carving before enlisting.
My career has included a range of professional roles and titles. I earned both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees and traveled frequently for leisure.
During the pandemic, I used my time to launch my own small firm counseling adults concerning financial literacy. I taught and mentored students on the same topic and even published my own financial counseling journal.
It is safe to say that I had been cultivating and acquiring life experience for a long time. Still, something was missing.
I was not searching for purpose, per se — I had already explored that. But I did crave a new kind of growth, one that demanded more of me in more ways than one. I knew the military would challenge me in ways no career had before, and I was ready for that kind of stretch. At first, I made the jump for the plot — a new twist in my story.
What I found was more than a storyline shift; it was a new chapter entirely. Transitioning from a seasoned civilian to an Airman in training was humbling; enlightening too. I used to define success by what I could achieve; degrees, titles, ventures. However, since putting on the uniform, I’ve learned that success is in direct proportion to your ability to lean on and collaborate with others. It is interdependent, not individual.
The reality of starting over? It’s stretching, also sharpening. Every awkward moment has been an opportunity to learn, grow, and reframe what strength looks like. And yet, the rewards have come quickly.
Mentoring younger trainees has been a privilege, as I was able to offer guidance when it mattered most during Basic Training. Strengthening my finances has brought a welcome sense of peace after years marked by uncertainty. Returning to a space of my own feels like reclaiming stability.
I have always believed I am my best investment. I have long understood the value of building a future for myself, but now I have the capacity to invest in something greater — the mission.
At the 2nd Audiovisual Squadron, that mission is rooted in innovation and storytelling. Serving at Hill Air Force Base is teaching me that humility and collaboration are strengths — not just in personal growth, but in how we approach the mission. In sharing my journey from accomplished civilian to committed Airman, I have come to see that stories — especially our own — are how we lead, how we serve, how we partner, and how we build what is next. This is mine. What will yours be?
| Date Taken: | 05.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.04.2025 13:29 |
| Story ID: | 499186 |
| Location: | HILL AFB, UTAH, US |
| Hometown: | BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The Mission is the Message, by A1C Chauncey Glenn, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
