During my childhood, I would watch war films with my father and he would tell me about his military experiences. His stories not only made me curious about the military, but they also instilled in me a sense of patriotism and a desire to make a difference in our country and the world. These stories were not always positive reflections, nor glamorous accounts of military life. What they conveyed to me was his regret at leaving the military and that's what intrigued me even more to join the Air Force. In this article I will talk about why I joined the Air Force, my most important Air Force experiences, duties and responsibilities as an operating room nurse , and how I contribute at the individual level and how that affects the overall Air Force mission at the operational level. Shortly before I graduated high school, I began talking to a recruiter, and from our discussions, I developed other reasons for wanting to join the Air Force. I wanted to have a specific goal, not just a job. I wanted to be part of something bigger. Joining the Air Force gave my life direction, purpose and motivation to achieve my goals. Once in the military, I began working toward my goal and eventually earned my bachelor's degree in nursing. I began working as an operating room nurse and was soon deployed to Iraq. As an operating room nurse, I was responsible for supporting patients throughout the perioperative experience, from initial injury to recovery from surgery. Just two days after I arrived in Iraq, our base was attacked. I will never forget this evening. As I opened the door to leave the hospital, I heard a huge boom and three seconds later there was a cloud of dust and debris at the entrance. I quickly closed the door and we all scratched... middle of paper... just our wounded warriors but also our active duty, National Guard, reserves, dependents, and DOD civilians. Caring for these individuals on a daily basis contributes to the medical readiness of our military community. Without the contribution of the medical force, there would be fewer people readily available for deployment and more lives would be lost due to serious combat injuries. In conclusion, I explained why I chose to join the Air Force and how my values ​​and life experiences influenced my decision. . I have described my duties and responsibilities as an operating room nurse in the Air Force. Finally, I explained how my duties as an individual and as a medical team contribute to the overall Air Force mission at the operational level to achieve medical readiness and accessible, quality health care for the the entire military community and its family..