Bumping this thread because I would love to get anyone's opinion on my statement. I was unsure of exactly what points to hit, so I tried to give a general overview of my motivations and the road up to this point. Would also love some guidance on how long these are supposed to be - I've heard anywhere from 500-1000 words. (Mine is 604 words as it is below).
Thanks,
J
"You're so lucky" my father told me. As we watched the 4th of July fireworks burst over the National Mall, he paused for a moment before adding "there has never been a better time to be an American ". Even then, something about his words struck me – that they were not a guarantee, but a statement of purpose. I firmly believe that it is for each generation to renew that ever fragile promise to the next, and to make it real in their own way. Ever since I watched Navy aircraft wheel and dart through the skies over the Chesapeake Bay as a boy, I have felt an inclination that my way of renewing the promise might come through service in our armed forces. My family has a long tradition of honorable service in every major conflict the United States has participated in since at least the Philippines. And though that history is proud, I also have deep motivation, experience, and skills that I predict would serve me well in the United States Navy.
I have been fascinated with aviation for as long as I can remember and am an avid reader of any aircraft-related materials I can get my hands on, including technical and operator's manuals. As I progressed through college and my leadership skills and knowledge grew, I watched many classmates prepare to go on to law school, illustrious postgrad programs and prominent companies. I also watched close friends join our campus ROTC program or even leave school to enlist and began to consider my own future in a new way. The desire to become the best candidate for service that I could be drove me to work harder on reading, studying, and writing than ever before and turned me into an honors student. I also broadened my knowledge of global issues and critical thinking through extracurriculars, helping to lead my Model UN team to award winning performances at national conferences. All the while, I was honing the organizational and interpersonal skills that I knew would be essential to continued success. Through it all, I never lost the sense that I was preparing for something important, even if I was not yet sure what it was.
Today, I know what that something is. At a time when many seek to upset the position of the United States and subvert the rules-based international order which is responsible for the peace and prosperity that I grew up in, I recognize that my country needs skilled, motivated officers more than ever. I am pursuing a career with Navy, and in Naval Aviation specifically, primarily for this reason – because I see the Navy as our nation's foremost tool to resist threats to our way of life. Wherever unfriendly actors are attempting to call the role of the United States into question, the Navy seems to be present. Whether that means countering Russian aggression in the skies over the Black Sea or guaranteeing the right to pass freely through the international waters of the Taiwan Strait, I understand the important implications of the Navy's mission and am prepared to devote myself fully to it. If selected, I pledge bring all of my determination, character, and detail oriented nature to bear on the tasks at hand each day. It is not just belief in the promise of our nation that motivates me to seek a commission in the United States Navy. It is the assertion that there has never been a better time to be an American, and a desire to make that assertion true for the next generation and beyond.
I deeply appreciate your time and consideration.
