JR. Instructors - Miss April’s Dance
MilVet Project
Interviews With Veterans!
Miss April’s Dance Class has a Jr. Instructor program that teaches youth to become leaders in the community. They get involved in community projects and help create new programs.
MilVet is proud to partner with them and during a presentation, the youth wanted to know what it felt like when men and women enlisted in the military. So they decided to find out! Here are some of the answers from those who served our country:
-How did you feel when you enlisted in the military?
“I was nervous just because I didn’t know what to expect. It was kinda scary.”
-What was the biggest lesson you learned from being in the Marines?
“Teamwork, without your team, you can’t get anything done. You can’t do it by yourself.”
— Tio Martin Arreola
-How did you feel when you enlisted?
"Anxious, Excited, Nervous"
-What does it mean to you to serve our country?
"To support our country and support our American freedom."
-What is the one thing that stands out that you learned from serving?
"The teamwork and you always put service before yourself."
-Master Sergeant Jason Bower, Airforce
Years Served: 20
-How did you feel when you enlisted?
“Excited”
-What does it mean to you to serve our country?
“To protect Americans and keep Americans safe.”
-What is the one thing that stands out that you learned from serving?
“Discipline and learning that things make more sense than other things.”
-Senior Airman Lauren Bower, Airforce
Years Served: 4
-What did it feel like when you enlisted in the military?
"I felt apprehensive, excited and proud"
-What was the biggest lesson you learned from being in the military?
" I Served on 6 attack aircraft carriers and on Admiral staff as a Radioman for 4 years. I learned Morse code and that folded into learning electronics and computer programming"
-Robert Jay Brodkin (Bob), U.S Navy
1957-1961
I interviewed my grandfather who is veteran, he was in the Vietnam War. I enjoyed learning about my grandpa, I never
knew about all that. I knew he was in the Navy but I did not know everything. - Aria Grimaldo
-What did it feel like when you enlisted in the military?
He was scared of the unknown and did not know what was going to happen after training.
-What was the biggest lesson you learned from being in the military?
My grandpa said you have to work together as a team
- Robert Charron, U.S Navy
Aviation Boson’s Mate Handler 3 - 1970 to 1975
This is in memory of my late husband, Fritz. He lost his battle with PTSD on October 2, 2014.
-How do you think he felt enlisting?
”His feelings on enlisting were mixed I think. He was 17 and was given the option by his parents to either enlist or get a job. He chose to follow his fathers footsteps and enlisted in the Marine Corps. He didn’t turn 18 until October 27 after enlisting in June.”
-What did he mention might have been his biggest lesson or something YOU feel was so special ?
”Fritz was a fun loving, super happy individual when I met him. I fell in love with his personality and of course his good looks. Unfortunately, Operation Iraqi Freedom happened and took the spark out of him. Over the years, we still had great moments but his PTSD was creeping in more and more. We loved going to concerts and spending time with our dogs at the dog park. One of my favorite memories of him was from 2013. We had just moved to Missouri for his job and he knew I loved to go ice skating. He found an outdoor rink in Kansas City and we drove up there around 8 pm to go ice skating. It had been snowing and was magical. Those are the memories I cherish.”
-CPL Friedrich John Charles Fisher, USMC
-How did you feel right after enlisting?
“I felt I was doing a great thing going to serve my country a year after a sad day of September 11, 2001. I felt happy and I had great support from family and friends.”
-What was the one thing or lesson that has stuck with you from your service that has stuck with you until today?
“Task/Mission accomplishment, you are not able to plan for everything that may come your way but, you learn to control what you can control in life.”
-Master Sergeant Communication Chief Cochise Fripp, United States Marine Corps
Sept 9th, 2002 - April 30th, 2023
-How did you feel when you first enlisted?
“I watched the mega hit movie TOP GUN and that was a great influence in my decision to join the Navy.
It was pretty scary when I actually signed the papers. But the scariest part was telling my parents. No one had any idea that I was doing this.....But I was so grateful they were supportive.”
-What was the one thing you learned while serving that has stuck with you even today?
“I learned so many things while I was in the Navy because I traveled all over the country and the world. The biggest lesson is probably learning that we have a BEAUTIFUL country. The song, America the Beautiful is so true. I grew up in Los Angeles and I always wondered why people wanted to live any where else - the weather is great year round, and we have beaches, mountains, etc. Well, traveling from coast to coast, especially during the 1992 Presidential campaign, I saw the beauty and vastness of our great nation. Truly, truly, truly, America is beautiful.
I also learned that as an American, I have a voice. I covered literally thousands of Presidential events, many were rallies. There was an area designated for the protestors with signs that disagreed with the president's policies. Freedom of speech was alive and well.
One last thing. I traveled aboard Air Force One on several trips. It took a while for me to believe that I deserved to be there. I didn't come from a military or political family, but there I was... a passenger on the presidential aircraft. Only in America does this happen. Truly, anything is possible.”
-What was your favorite part about serving ?
“My favorite part about serving - that's easy. It's the people with whom I served. They are people with integrity and a sense of service to a cause greater than themselves.
I made lifelong friends who live throughout the country. And learning about different genres of music (I never listened to country music until I joined the Navy) and learning and trying new foods (red velvet cake, hush puppies, black eyed peas, etc). "Serving in our military has greatly enriched.”
-Lieutenant Commander Brenda Garcia, US Navy (retired)
-How did it feel when you enlisted in the military?
“I had decided early on that I’d be joining the Marine Corps, so when it came time to enlist it just felt like I was entering the next stage of life after high school.”
-What's the biggest lesson you learned in the military?
“Personal responsibility and dependability. That my actions affect those around me, from minor impacts to life-or-death situations.”
-SSgt Preston D. Helsel, USMC Ret.
-How did it feel when you enlisted in the military?
“Proud and nervous all at once.”
-What's the biggest lesson you learned in the military?
“Discipline and respect.”
-Cpl Michael T. Hester Jr., USMC
-What did it feel like when you enlisted in the military?
“I did it because it was a very patriotic thing to do. It felt like a lot of paperwork, poking and prodding.”
-What was the biggest lesson you learned from being in the military?
“Every day is a holiday, every meal is a feast.”
-Mike Hilden, USMC
Enlisted in delayed entry program in High School in 1991
-How did you feel when you enlisted in the military?
“I felt like it was a new journey. Like there was a lot more in the world that I needed to explore.”
-What was the biggest lesson you learned from being in the military?
“That you will always be a student and will always be training so you will be successful in life/military.”
-Tio Alexander Islas
-How did you feel when you enlisted?
“My personal life was crazy when I enlisted. I had dropped out of high school and gotten my GED, just so I could join the Navy and have a good job. The Navy was my way to get off the Indian Reservation where I grew up, and away from the abuse and negativity that filled my life. I was excited and proud to join the military, like my Grandfather Cliff Mathews who served in WWII.”
-What was the one most important thing you learned from your time in the Military?
“Honor, Courage, and Commitment…the motto of the Navy. But also, it taught me about accountability and helped me mature. The Navy opened my eyes to an entirely different world than what I knew and it helped me become a better person.”
-What advice would you share with anyone enlisting?
“Four years is not an eternity and your service experience is what you make of it…and get everything in writing, because recruiters aren’t always the most trustworthy people on the planet…haha.”
-Joseph A. Mathews, U.S. Navy
E5, 4 years
-How did you feel when you were first enlisting?
“Anxious.”
-What was the most important lesson you learned in the military?
“That you can fight through anything.”
-SGT Hilliard Joshua Meeks, Marine Corps
Enlisted 2004, Active
-What years were you in the military?
"I have served in the Navy for 31 years (1990-present)."
-What was your rank or title while you were serving?
"I am a Navy Public Affairs Officer, which is a Commander in the Navy. My job is to help tell the story of the Navy to the public."
-How did you feel when you enlisted in the military?
"When I first joined the Navy, our nation was going through Operation Desert Storm with Iraq. I believed that everyone had to do their part. I felt an enormous amount of pride and felt so lucky that I could wear the uniform for such an awesome country."
-What was the biggest lesson you learned from serving in the military?
"I have learned a lot of lessons throughout the years but the biggest lesson that I learned was that no matter where someone comes from or what their life was like, when they put on the Navy uniform, we are all on the same team."
-Nico Melendez, U.S. Navy
-What is the one thing that that stands out that you learned from serving?
“Freedom is not free. And a lot of people are risking their lives for our freedom.”
-What does it mean to you to serve our country?
“To serve the country means to have given some of your time and effort to support democracy and the beliefs in our constitution, Life, Liberty, And the Pursuit Of Happiness.”
-How did you feel when you enlisted?
“Nervous... And scared.”
-Ian Mueller, U.S. Navy
Hospital Corpsman HM3, 1993-1997
-How did you feel when you enlisted in the military?
“I was excited, nervous, and scared. I wanted to know everything about the Marines so I read a lot of books, and watched a lot of movies.”
-What was the biggest lesson you learned from being in the military?
“One team, one fight. Doing more with less. Adapting and overcoming.”
-GySgt Dustin Nigg, USMC
Former Mayor of Wildomar
-How did you feel when you enlisted?
“Nervous”
-What does it mean to you to serve our country?
“To preserve the freedom that is constantly being fought over and sought after by so many.”
-What is the one thing that stands out that you learned from serving?
“Great people come from all walks of life.“
-Sergeant Chad Pugh, Army
Years Served: 6
How did I feel when I first enlisted?
“Well, the best way I can put it, is it was very scary when I enlisted. I was 18 years old and had just graduated High school. It was going to be my first time away from family and I had signed up for a job I had no idea how to do. The first few weeks they keep you so busy you don't really have time to think about things. As scary as it sounds it really helped that we had great technical instructors that taught us how to conform to military standards and be our best as a team.”
What is the most important lesson I learned in the military?
“It is very important to live your values like honesty, respect, and excellence. Any one can be a leader and everyone is looking for guidance and leadership. Doing things like setting high standards, achieving goals, building relationships all comes down to your attitude and actions. If your attitude and actions align with your values, you can never go wrong. Even if you make mistakes, we all do, it's ok. You can always bounce back if you live your values.”
-Jesus "Jesse" Reyes, United States Air Force, Master Sergent "retired", Air Traffic Controller, enlisted 1999, retired 2020.
-How did you feel when you enlisted in the military?
”At first, I was a little nervous but after I said the last of my oath, I was proud. The last words were, “So help me God.”
-What was the biggest lesson you learned from being in the military?
”The biggest lesson I learned was that the woman to the left and the man to the right were my family and family means everything.”
-SSG Christina Ross (Army)
IN MEMORY OF ROMAN F. VIDAL
Roman F. Vidal enlisted into the United States Navy at Subic Bay Naval Station 1952 after being selected with a few other persons out of over 200 other applicants. Initially, Roman served as a Steward’s Mate, the only rating available for blacks and filipinos. After 1954, he applied for the rating of Machinery Repairman and in 1971 was promoted to the highest enlisted rank of Machinery Repairman Master Chief (E-9).
Entry submitted by his son, Vinci Vidal HTC (SW) (ret.)
-How did you feel when you enlisted in the military?
”I was very unsure of what’s going to happen next. I had only decided to join the Navy because I really had nothing going for me, and my Dad sat me down and gave me two choices. Either go back to junior college or join the military.”
-What was the biggest lesson you learned from being in the military?
”Probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned was that you need to put all of your effort into what you want. Even if you don’t succeed you know that you tried your best.”
-Vinci Vidal HTC (SW) (ret.) - Navy
1980-2004
-How did you feel when you enlisted in the military?
"I was apprehensive and I didn’t know what to expect. The first two weeks were miserable and we had to wake up at 5:00 am every morning and do a lot of exercise."
-What was the biggest lesson you learned from being in the military?
“There are things in this world that are bigger than you are and they teach you to be a team, not an individual."
Lt. Chuck Washington (Navy)
Riverside County Supervisor