USAF Firefighter

“Fifty push ups right now, Young!,” yells my fire trainer. While I do my push ups I think how I got here. Then I remember my father was a firefighter and I’ve always wanted to be like him and impress him. I’ve wanted to be here ever since I was in eighth grade. I finally have made it. I walk to our barracks to lay down for awhile until I have to do the BMT test. To pass the BMT test I will to do fifty push ups, fifty sit ups in a minute, and a mile and a half under eleven minutes. After my nap I make my way to where I have to do the test. The chief goes over what we have to do. I start my mile and a half. I beat the time I needed, in ten minutes and fifteen seconds. I now have to go do my push ups; I start them and barely make it, I’ve never really been good at push ups. I move on to my last test if I make this test I will have reached my dream. I crush the sit up test. I got them done in thirty-five seconds.

I walk towards the center of the base where I can meet up with my family and head back home for awhile, until I get deployed again. I first see my mom, I run over to her she yells Ryder! and then embrasses me with a huge hug. Then I look over to my dad; he was almost crying, he tells me good job. Then we head to the car so I can go back home.

Six weeks later.. I yell at my television, Seven field goals but not one touchdown! How do you score seven field goals but not one touchdown!  My mom tells me to calm down, then the phone starts to ring I walk over to it and pick it up. I turn and lay down on the couch. Dakota, my girlfriend, sits next to me and ask what's wrong. I tell her that I'm getting deployed. Dakota asked where I'm getting deployed, I told her I don't know. I tell her I'm going to bed, she ends up going to bed with me. I walk out to my car where I will go to the nearest airport to go to the base, where I'll be deployed somewhere around the world. When I get to the airport I give my family and friends my last goodbyes till my deployment ends. Then I head to my plane.

When I get to the base they will have to check my luggage then cut my hair straight away. After that they will tell me where I'm getting deployed to. I finally get done getting my hair cut. I head towards a huge hall where there's desk in rows where I'm going to find out where I'm getting deployed. I find out where I'm getting deployed too. I’m heading to Italy, to a base named Aviano. I head to the next plane ride where I will get dropped off at the base. Once I get to the base I will be deployed there for three to six months. I get on the huge Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, where I will meet my new brothers and family.

Once I get to the base they place me at my station where I get a locker with some equipment and gear. I then went straight up a floor to fall asleep before my first call. As I lay down and take off my boots I pass out. I get rudely interrupted when I hear a bell going off. I then notice it's my first call. I throw on my gear and run to the trucks. A plan engine started smoking in hanger two. We rushed to the sight where there was a small engine fire. I grab the hose off the truck and run to the side of the pumper truck. I hook it up to the nozzle. Then I press up on the lever which lets the water go through the hose, where my friend Braxton shoots water on the fire. We put the small fire out quickly and put all the hoses away. I hop in the truck and tell our chief we can head back to the station. Once I get to the station I call back home, I tell them that I’m doing just fine and I’m safe at a base in Italy. I head to my bed right after the call. I sleep again for about a hour or two, then I wake up to the bell again. It’s a fire in hostile territory, which means we have to bring some M4A1’s just in case. We grab the guns then put them in the trucks, while we get our equipment on. We head out, when we get about two miles away we see a huge smoke cloud. I told my buddy Braxton to drive as close as we can get then stop and we would go on foot. As we got to the courtyard, someone opened fire we needed to get to cover. I ran over to a house and breached it. I go house to house taking prisoners, then stopping and putting the fires out. I ran to the last house we had to breach, I feel a sharp pain in my stomach and leg. I’ve been shot. I kept going trying not to think of the pain. I keep on pushing through the small village. My squad gets to a big hut. We decided to breach it too, my friend Braxton kicks it open he gets an explosive to the chest then falls to the floor. We instally shoot the isis member. I stop and pick him up. We run him back to through the streets where we put him in the fire truck, I head back into battle. After countless hours, back up arrives. We get pulled out of the hostile territory and get sent either back to the station, or to the hospital. I get sent to the hospital because of the wounds I had. When I got to the hospital they looked at the bullet wounds and surgically removed them. Then afterwards stitched me up. When I got back to the station the chief said Braxton past away in combat. He said sorry for your lost, then said I can go home now and rest. I went straight to my barracks and grabbed my bags and headed to the airfield. I rode in the back of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, where Braxton’s coffin sits. When I got home, the president requested that I go get a medal for the work I did in the battlefield. I got back from my deployment on Christmas Day, 2022.