Why I did what I did...

I figured this post would come up sooner or later. But as I sit here in Philadelphia thinking about how in less than 9 months I will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the finest Army in the world, it occurred to me:


I really don't know why I chose to join the Reserve Officers Training Corps.

If you asked me to give you a reason I really wouldn't be able to come up with one.


I could give you a few reasons why I didn't need to join.

I didn't need the scholarship.
I didn't need the monthly stipend.
I didn't need the leadership experience.
I didn't need to put on a uniform.

But maybe these reasons add up to why I did what I did.

I know why I chose what I chose, yet still people ask, "Why did you do it?".

I can honestly say that first and foremost, I owe a great deal to the United States of America. Here, I have been afforded so many luxuries and opportunities that some take for granted on a daily basis.

The U.S. is a place where I can wake up free from tyranny and oppression and walk out my front door and automatically have liberties and freedoms not found in other countries.

So, maybe I did it to preserve our American way of life.
Maybe I did it to protect & defend America from her enemies, both foreign and domestic.
Maybe I did it to fight for those who can't fight for themselves.


I did it because I owed it.

It was something small I could do to give back and repay my debt. A debt you find on any type of invoice or billing statement brought in the mail.

One day I'll be able to look back and say that I did my part.

....it's why I did what I did, why I chose what I chose.

I'm just trying to do things right, and God I hope I'm doing them right.


Thank you to all of my friends and family, without your support I wouldn't be where I am today.