Success through determination
After suffering years of mental and
emotional abuse, he’s spent even longer trying to break down the walls
and negativity that were built up, damaging his self-esteem and
self-worth. He knew he wanted to do something different and important,
and that led him to the Air Force recruiter.
Originally slated to join as an aerial
gunner, the wait time was too long and he decided to go in open
electric. In his sixth week of basic training, he received news that he
would be in ground radar maintenance.
“I did that for a while and even deployed
a couple times,” he said. “When I got to Eielson, they had the unit
deployment manager slot open for the 354th Operations Group and I
volunteered for it. After doing that for a bit, it eventually led to
becoming the noncommissioned officer in charge of group administration
for the OG.”
During his time at the OG, Noland spent
nights and weekends pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree in business
management. After earning his degree, he decided to take the next step.
“I wanted a new challenge,” he said.
“Applying for officer training school to become an officer in the Air
Force was something I never thought I would be able to accomplish, but I
was not going to let that stop me from trying.”
He began the process in November 2016 and
found out he was accepted the following summer. He couldn’t pinpoint a
specific mentor in his career, stating it was more of a collective
effort.
“My last supervisor was one of my biggest
mentors, and he actually got picked up for OTS as well,” Noland
explained. “But once I started working in the OG, Chief Master Sgt.
April Smurda and the officers I was working around started giving me
awesome advice on how to move forward with the process.”
There’s a saying, it takes a village to
raise a child. But taking that mentality and applying it to Airmen is
key in developing future leaders. For Noland, his biggest “why” is his
family.
“I have a wife and two daughters, and it
is my biggest goal to teach them there are no limits as to what they can
accomplish if they put their mind to it,” he said with a smile.
Noland also had a word of advice to provide to other Airmen who may want to pursue OTS.
“Be the best at what you do,” he said.
“Be the best at your job, strive for leadership opportunities and find
the people who will support you and push you along the way.” noblesmind@blogspot.com
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