Rocky road to Citizen Airman, solid foundation

Published Dec. 4, 2015
By Senior Airman Cesar Zayas
960th Cyberspace Operations Group

Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas -- We all have a road we've traveled to get to where we are in life, and stories about the journey along the way. Mine began with the idea of achieving things I never believed I could. I was born in Puerto Rico, and although it is United States territory, it is not a state, and my first language is Spanish. While those may seem like small challenges to some people, they prevent many people from achieving their goals.

My road to becoming a Citizen Airmen is paved with feelings of being fed up with not growing and not bettering myself, and the desires to be a part of something bigger than myself and do something meaningful that will help me grow both professionally and personally.

At an early age, I developed an interest in sports, and although I tried a few, I found that I was a horrible baseball, basketball and volleyball player! However, one thing that I was good at was fighting...or at least getting in trouble for it! So, my father, in all his wisdom, took me to a boxing gym, where he spoke with the coach and had me beat up. It sounds mean, but it was a lesson I will never forget. I learned that fighting and getting into trouble leads to nothing positive, and I discovered that I loved boxing. Pursuing this love, I was eventually awarded a scholarship to attend a boarding school for athletes in Puerto Rico, and I proudly competed on the Junior Olympic boxing team for Puerto Rico until I graduated from school.

When I graduated I found myself at a crossroads and had to make a decision between boxing and college. Although I wanted to go to college, coming from a humble family, I needed a scholarship in order to go, and boxing scholarships are not offered, so I began running track in hopes of earning a track scholarship. However, being young and naïve, I made some decisions that ruined the opportunities I had created for myself, lost my scholarship, and found myself at another crossroads.

I talked to a couple recruiters and took the ASVAB [Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery]. I scored well, and my first option was to join the Air Force, but the Air Force recruiter said they wouldn't be able to bring me in until six months later. I needed an immediate change, so I went to the Army, who accepted me that day! I enlisted in the Army, and although it wasn't my first choice, I am proud of my service and have nothing ill to say about my enlistment. In fact, not only did I learn a technical skill, I learned respect, discipline and a set of core values that changed my life forever. I also had the opportunity to work and learn from great leaders and soldiers.

As with anything in life, I had good and bad moments - and some funny ones, too - but it's a combination of all those experiences that shaped me into the man I have become. I learned to admire my leaders, not because of their rank, but because of the type of human beings they are. I learned to respect their positions and understand why those positions are there. For example, my Army Command Sargent Major was a man with abundant experience, and we respected him for it. I could see how proud he felt when he was in front us - not because he was in charge, but because he knew he was making an impact in our lives.

After three years in the Army, I was inducted as a non-commission officer, and I came to understand what I had seen in my Sergeant Major. It was not a feeling of power or authority, but of responsibility and obligations...it's a beautiful feeling knowing you can help others overcome obstacles in their way and help them grow as people.

When my Army enlistment ended, I had the opportunity to go back to school, and I set my sights on graduating from college and returning to the Army as a commissioned officer. Life happened, and those plans changed when I was offered the opportunity to work with a company that had contracts with the U.S. government. In this position, I had the opportunity to work on a contract for the U.S. Air Force, and often found myself at the table with chiefs, colonels and generals - and they were actually listening to me! I even had the opportunity to spend some time with Texas Congressman William Hurd. All of these overwhelming experiences, coupled with my previous military experience inspired me.

While chatting with people from the contracts I was working on, I was told that the Air Force Reserve had a cyber-security unit in San Antonio. I did my research, contacted the unit, and was eventually afforded the opportunity to join. Now that I am here, I have learned that every leader in this unit is just as knowledgeable, experienced and dedicated to what they do as my former Army leadership. I have met great officers and enlisted alike, and I am grateful to be part of this team.

You can read about all the benefits military service can provide you, but the real important ones are those that you don't read - it is the experience you gain not only technically, but in life. It is the opportunity to share time and knowledge with people who are dedicated to making our nation a better place to live. I am here today because of the lessons I learned early in my life. Just like in boxing, it's about discipline, overcoming odds and getting back up even when you get knocked down. It may be difficult, and it may be tiring at times, but in the end, you are all the better for it.