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The past four years in the service were far from easy, but very rewarding and challenging. I had several major challenges that I had to contend with. The first encounter of difficulty was being far from home and not being able to see my family, whom are dear to me. My first duty station was Holloman Air-Force base, New Mexico. Holloman is in the absolute middle of nowhere in a desolate area with nearly nothing to do for fun and 900 miles away from home. Within my first week of being there, I wanted to quit. I wanted to raise the white flag and just go home and be in the comfort of my family. This place broke me down and I felt beaten by the desert, the loneliness, and the military lifestyle. I thought this was going to be how my life would be for the next few years in utter agony. I recall many times calling my father and mother back home and breaking down in tears, explaining I could not take another day there. I felt absolutely hopeless and had a lot of remorse for joining. Luckily, my father was there to give me advice and support. He encouraged me to press on, to move forward, take each day as a gift and to own it. My father always told me that part of becoming a man and a useful citizen in society involves a lot of getting out of your comfort zone and absolutely jumping out of it in order to tackle life head on. I toughed it out and after being there for a few months, I made some very close friends, started lifting weights and took up martial arts with my roommate, which kept me occupied in my free time. I managed to overcome the loneliness and the remoteness of that not-so-fortunate desert location. Fifteen months later, I received transfer orders to Lajes Field Airbase, which was in the Azores, Portugal. I was about to take the same test again to a remote tour on an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean away from home. This time I would pass. Rather than going on this assignment with a foul attitude and remorse, I arrived in Portugal with an eager, positive attitude and excitement.