Mentorship, or even better wise counsel has led me to be the success I have in my life. Many of my family members and my older brother served in the military which imprinted core values into my very being. They showed me discipline in accountability for my actions, more so if I gave my good word to do something I followed through. Growing up well off in love but not so in wealth, I had to support myself early in life. Summer school following seventh grade I worked the tobacco fields with my cousin. After the first day of nearly dying with nicotine poisoning from the sweet sticky leaves of the plant, I wanted to give up. I wanted to just be like the rest of my peers. Yet a firm talk to by my grandfather a veteran of the Korean War, and my cousin a veteran of the Vietnam conflict, I knew i had to continue and not give in as I gave my word and my handshake to work for Mr. Byrd that summer. I continued to work for him through high school. I had more responsibility at 17 than most adults in their thirties. I oversaw serval thousand acres of crops, learned chemical management of fertilizer, handled immigration services, and education for migrant workers. By not giving up and keeping with the core values the many branches my family has served has instilled in me. I developed oratory skills, business teachings, agriculture, mechanics, engineering, chemistry etc. etc. Those values also gave me the heart to give back to my community. I volunteered for our new fire department to do my duty to the people. I shined my values learned from my military background in the many brush/forest/ and sadly structure fires I had to combat. Honor, courage, and commitment rang through my deeds to my family, my community and ultimately myself. So the role of mentorship and the role it has held in my life from a military family is that of the chief cornerstone in my edifice I present to my community, my nation, and ultimately the world. Every one can gain from the unique lifestyles of a military family upbringing and I hope this message of my early struggles helping to provide for myself, the education I received from it, and how I am now better myself through further education so I can provide for my own family to continue the teachings blessed to me to our future. Our children.