What was your proudest "military moment?"

My moment was when I earned my E.I.B. Expert Infantryman Badge. It was 2002 we had deployed to kuwait from Ft. Benning. It was hot as all hell out there. I had tried to earn my E.I.B in Korea once before but fell short due to a few stations that i had missed. But this time i was determined to get it. I had actually considered re-enlisting in the army for ranger school and all when i was doing the E.I.B training. It came down to the two last 2 stations which was call for fire and I.m.t. I did call for fire first and barely made it through there, When i came up to IMT i knew there was no way possible for me to mess it up... i dug my kevlar into the ground as i was low crawling, made sure my butt wasnt in the air as i was high crawling and made sure i hit the ground and rolled when i was up he saw me and i was down...i didnt leave room for error...when i stood up from the last movement i screamed as loud as i could...E.I.B to let everyone know i made it

Annual Training with 301st MI Bn in Hawaii.&nbsp; I was fresh out of AIT, and this was my first chance to attend AT in Hawaii with the unit.&nbsp; I got there a couple days late due to having just signed up for a GOVCC and waiting for the orders to get cut.&nbsp; When I arrived, it was Memorial Day weekend.&nbsp; We went to the Punchbowl Memorial to help the Boy Scouts of America plant flowers and flags on the graves of 33,000 veterans killed in WWII, the Korean War, and Vietnam.&nbsp; It was one of those moments that really made me think of the legacy of the Armed Forces and the sacrifices those before us made to better the US and other parts of the world.&nbsp; <br><br>There was one grave I remember fixing.&nbsp; There was a semi-decent wind that day, and this grave had an American flag that&nbsp;split at the shaft and half of the flag was no longer stapled to the shaft.&nbsp; Looking closer, the grave read "UNKNOWN."&nbsp; I replaced the flag and left a nice bouquet on it; that poor soul deserved at least a proper flag on his memorial.&nbsp; I kep the broken one; I have it displayed in my home office.&nbsp; It always reminds me that someone gave his life in a previous conflict, and we don't even know his name.

One base I have been to deploys and redeploys Marine units. One day while I was on orders there had been 2 fallen soldiers within the same week pass away in a unclose location. The great wing king himself sent out an email letting us know what time our fallen brothers were coming home with a flag drapped over them. Every individual military and civilian were outside either saluting or had their hand over their heart for the whole funneral procession. I felt it was the least I could have done to show my respects. I found out that both individuals were younger than myself. Being so moved by that day I volunteered for a deployment. I figured I'd&nbsp;help the cause and bring back those that are still down range. Until everyone comes home.....

<p>Hello Major! I'd like to share my story as well. Thanks for putting this up here! I was serving at what is now Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. I was there when they officially changed the name from National Naval Medical Center, which is another argument for a different day/thread... :)</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>My proudest military moment happened when I was working in the Anesthesia Dept at Bethesda. A MEDEVAC had just arrived and&nbsp;one patient was wheeled directly into the OR for a late night surgery, I was on Night Shift that night and assisted his Anesthesia Care Team. Maybe this is why I remember this patient so specifically but regardless I was happy with the turnout. He was a double amputee and lost his legs, and also had multiple other injuries. Over the next month or two, he slowly came to, realizing what had happened and where he was&nbsp;and I saw him at least a few times weekly being wheeled into surgery. All of a sudden, it hit me one day that I had not seen him in a long time at least a few weeks, I feared the worst and said a prayer for the family. About a month later I had gone down to Main Street to get a sub for lunch. When I was walking back to the lunch room upstairs I ran into a really nice older lady. I apologized and was about to go on my way when I saw who she began talking to. It was this soldier! He was with his whole family and I felt convicted to walk over and say hello. When I approached he asked if he knew me, which he probably saw me in the OR when he was looking around, so I responded with a "Yes, you do." I explained to him and his family that I was a member of the original receiving team in Anesthesia and assisted with many of his surgeries helping my providers as their Corpsman. I told them about how the doctors were confident about getting him able to walk again with prosthetics. I told them about the many surgeries that he went through that got him to where he was today. I told them about how he was constantly on my mind because of the night he came in, that he was the only one and so he somehow stuck to my memory.&nbsp;I told them about how I realized I hadn't seen him in so long and was afraid of what had happened and then I told them about the prayer I said.&nbsp;After I had finished his mom and sister were in tears and gave me a huge hug and told me thank you over and over again for helping him. I gave him a hug as well and said that I was happy to see him walking. We sat down to have lunch instead of me going back upstairs and they told me about how they discharged him from the hospital and he was staying in the Wounded Warrior Barracks they had just built, and about how he was fitted for the prosthetics and how they had just discharged him from his outpatient care and that they were finally going home soon. As an E3 being so low on the "totem pole," it was extremely rewarding to be able to experience such a thing. Later that night when I finally got home I thought back on what we had talked about and I am proud to say that I started to cry. They were tears of joy, and in a place where I had heard of many passing away, and of many people standing in the hallways crying on their cell phones talking to loved ones back home about the latest news they had just received, this cry relieved me of all those times knowing that while for some it was just time to go and that they would be forever in the memory of the American People for their ultimate sacrifice, there were still many more others who would be able to go home to their families and tell the stories of those brave people who gave their lives to protect what we have. And while some families go home sometimes to a feeling of an empty home, some will be able to reconnect with those who knew their loved one in the field&nbsp;and be able to share funny and amazing stories of heroism and bravery in the face of danger and slowly, but surely mending a broken heart. I am a man of faith in God, and while I may not pray everyday, as a Corpsman I do think everyday of those who were in the places I wasn't and those who have passed away and that I am proud to say that they were my brothers and sisters in arms. Even though I may not know all of them, I would gladly defend their honor and memory to those who choose to disrespect their character. Thank you for all you do.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Respectfully,</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>HM3 Brenton Holbrook</p>

<p>I told a bit about this event once before here,&nbsp; but while I was at Ramstein, AB, Germany a friend was sexually assaulted and had become pregnant.&nbsp;&nbsp; Tired of all the opinionated voices telling her what to do,&nbsp; she turned to me.&nbsp;&nbsp; She asked me what I thought she should do.&nbsp; Abort or not?&nbsp; I said that is not up to me,&nbsp; but whatever you choose,&nbsp; I will be supportive.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She started crying,&nbsp; telling me that I was the only one who left it up to her.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She decided to keep the baby,&nbsp; who she give to a couple who could not have kids.</p><p><br></p><p>I am proud of that because she trusted me to confide things that she would not tell others.&nbsp; Proud as an NCO and Supervisor and proud as a man to try and understand a female and a friend.</p>

My proudest military moment was the day I pinned SGT. I set a goal when I came in as a PFC to make SGT in 3 years. Although I fell short of my goal, it taught me that nobody was giving me anything in this ARMY. I had to work very hard. I was wearing CPL stripes for a year after that chasing points. When I finally saw my name on the by name list it was an unbelievable feeling. I could not wait to create the Daffin legacy and be one of the best NCO's this ARMY has ever seen. That is my proudest moment.

Successfully leading a squad downrange and bringing them all back.  

Selection to Sergeant Major...solidifies that hard work and taking care of Soldiers pays off.