Down to the wire. I reworked my last SoP into this to transmit Monday. Any feedback would be appreciated. This is the final draft. I'm at the limit so can't add anymore lines, should I subtract? VFRonly: great statement!
I feel it is my patriotic duty to join the U.S. Navy and give back to my country for the opportunities afforded me. The freedom I enjoy, the education I received, and the American standard of living would not have been possible if my family did not risk life and limb to escape Vietnam and come here. After my senior year at U.C. Berkeley I accepted a two year teaching assignment at the University of Hue through a Stanford program. Whatever doubts I had about the diaspora were dispelled after living in Vietnam. The wisdom of my parent's choice to flee to the United States was confirmed when I saw the daily struggle of the people around me, and the basic things I had previously taken for granted were not even an option for them. This gross disparity inspired me to want to become an officer in the Navy, give my contribution to help protect and extend the institutions enshrined in our Constitution, and be a part of something greater than myself.
I first started taking on various leadership roles in high school while holding office in student government, extracurricular clubs, as well as founding and launching a team in the regional Academic Decathlon -- winning medals in our first year of competition. I was proud of our medals because we were a ragtag team of immigrants competing against schools with long established programs. There were times I felt like quitting because I got tired of trying to rally a freshman team, help people overcome their differences, and motivate apathetic members into performing their best. However, during the assembly after our return from the competition, I saw the school pride on the students’ faces, and felt vindicated that all the hard work was worthwhile. This continued in college as I learned more team-building skills as a NCAA coxswain for the U.C. Berkeley Men's Crew team in both heavyweight and lightweight divisions, and later on in master's club rowing. The coaches drilled into my head that I was responsible first and foremost for the oarsmen’s safety, the equipment second, the game plan third, and coxing fourth, but never forgetting to steer the boat and winning at the finish line! We all played a crucial part in the shell’s operation, and in a winning team, there was no place for conceit. Despite the daily grueling 5 A.M. and 5 P.M. practices, regatta schedules, morale building events, full class loads and short tempers, I have yet to feel that sense of camaraderie again with a group of guys. It was pure teamwork in action and we bonded over shared hardship. Not everybody became friends, but we respected each other’s contributions and put our distractions aside when we hit the water to get the job done.
After college, I lectured at the University of Hue and was responsible for all my lesson plans, materials, and mentoring 250 students. I taught language pedagogy and was proficient in public speaking. My classes averaged between forty to eighty students. It was a difficult time for me, not because I had not lived abroad before, but because of all the inequity and hardship I witnessed before me. The worst part was yet to come in my classrooms. Hue was struck by a massive deluge that flooded the whole central region of Vietnam for weeks. When classes resumed, seven of my students were missing because they had died in the disaster. I was not prepared or qualified to be a grief counselor, but I had to present a strong façade to my students and help them weather the remainder of the term -- but in private I felt numb and cried for their loss. There was also massive corruption in the system and most of the international aid never made it to the needy. I hated feeling powerless, so I managed to convince my parents and other relatives in California to send me several hundred dollars to help. Many grade school kids could not return to school because they lost all their school supplies in the flood. I used that money to purchase two hundred cases of notebooks and pens, and anonymously donated to the university to distribute to the elementary schools.
In conclusion, I chose the Navy over the other branches because the ocean has always been a transfigurative force in my life. I also want to make a new start by breaking from the past. The last five years I have dedicated my life to helping my mother recover from my brother’s untimely death. I interrupted my M.A. program, and gave her all my strength because that was what she needed. I have also taken out the time to mourn, and now that both of us are back on our feet, I have returned to school and will complete my degree by August. After some soul searching, I look forward to a new sensible career path in the armed forces. If living, Alan would have turned 18 this year and graduated from his military academy near Oceanside; he dreamed about attending Westpoint or Annapolis. I hope to honor his memory by the quality of my service if accepted into the Navy, and I hope the examples above provide an adequate glimpse of my character. Below is a bulleted list of skills I bring to the table and can offer the military:
• In my corporate jobs I have practice being a team leader, project manager, and supervisor.
• An accomplished background in international experience; trilingual fluency; over fifteen years living abroad in 26 countries; an education from the top universities in America and Germany; industry training and hands on knowledge of information technology; a professional demeanor and strong work ethic; as well as the mental flexibility and maturity to quickly make balanced decisions and pursue a steady course of action.
• My international education also allows me to adapt and work well in foreign locations or control centers easily and efficiently with minimal downtime or culture shock.
• I have a strong interest in the Navy's intelligence community, particularly in the areas of information warfare and network security. I plan on learning Mandarin Chinese because of its similarity to Vietnamese and its importance in our global economy; which coupled with my present foundation in information technology, might be useful to the military.
• I have comprehensive training and expertise in critical thinking and analytical analysis from my ten + years in academia studying geography and literature. I excel at discerning the various nuances of complex systems and situations and am skilled at contextualizing their importance within a larger framework.
• I am a focused, grounded individual who enjoys being a team player, and strive to be cooperative, consistent, communicative, and easy to be around. The military's strong work ethos and family values are characteristics I find admirable, and integrate well with my advertence towards integrity, decorum, and optimism.
Thank you for considering my application to become an Officer Candidate in the United States Navy.
