What Things Did You Learn About Yourself That Were Unexpected or Surprising During Your Military Service? Login & Share to Win!

I learned I can be strong and independent. I learned to be a leader and how to stand up to my superiors when I felt they were wrong. It can be very tricky to correct them in a respectful and positive way, but I found my truly surprising talent in mediating between lower enlisted and their supervisor or officers when they feel too intimidated. Once I got the ball rolling I could back out and let them work things out on their own. It was very satisfying helping lower enlisted find their voice and learn to communicate differences in a positive way.

i learned about myself that the discipline I wanted to gain from entering the military is something that can't be taught. It's either in you or its not. I found out that I wanted to always be my best and after 11 years of service my best was yet to come.

As a 17 year old I got to travel, literally, all over the world!! Plus, I learned discipline, and organization for starters!! Another plus, I found out I was a little smarter than I was led to believe, plus, I got to Serve and appreciate how very Blessed we are in this country!!

I learned over time that I had good organization skills. I learned to be outgoing. I was more of am introvert when I first joined the military . I am also a people person.

That I was stronger both physically and mentally than I believed. I also learned to critically think about a situation before acting and to make decisions in a rapid and timely manner. But most of all, I learned to listen to my NCOs. They had the experiences that I was yet to have.

I discovered I was capable of much more than I had believed that I could accomplish. I learned about personal responsibility and integrity. I learned that if you said you'd do something, you did it and accepted the consequences if I failed to do what I said.

you can push your self further than you ever could imagine, do things you always thought were impossible, and over come almost any fear

The entire military experience - boot camp, schools, PT, Vietnam, military police, unexpected duties, bordom, frightening situations, ALL combined, taught me how to not sweat the small stuff. This was especially valuable when I got into the corporate world where co-workers would fret about stupid things. Everything from whehter or not a boss liked them, to petty issues about who got overtime, or not, and what the company's view of the department was. They even felt intimidated if they were in a position to encounter any top level executives. Basically, it was shocking how insecure civilians were (are). It amazed me how even the most basic jub function changes were bothersome, and even terrifying to them. I was always able to maintain a near neutral view of whatever was going on - from petty politics, to actual serious, or dangerous incidents where peers could barely function.
I was often asked, "How come none of this BS bothers you?" My unspoken answer was that having survived the military, encountering Generals, heads of state and other VIP's and combat, THIS stuff is minor.

What is one thing I learned about myself while in service? Ive always looked back and felt it was my chance to learn to be myself, other words, think for myself. For me I also learned to see all men and women as my equal. Not thinking about rank or time in service but that we are all equal. That’s some of what I got.

I was quite surprised how I reacted to Combat. At first, it was kinda scary. but after a while I didn't even think about it. I was on auto pilot, doing what I had to do to help others and myself to see another day.