Photo By Senior Airman Nathan LeVang | U.S. Air Force Airman Marcus Wilson, a 1st Special Operations Communications Squadron...... read more read more
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Hurlburt Field, Fla. — “The sky's the limit for me.”
U.S. Air Force Airman Marcus Wilson, a 1st Special Operations Communications Squadron radio frequency transmission systems apprentice, spends his days setting up satellite communications and studying for his Security+ (Plus) certification. He shines just as bright off the clock, spending hours a day making sure he is fit to fight.
“Our job can command situations that require intense physical activity,” said Wilson. “You could be rucking up mountains to set up antennas. You never know what you’ll need to accomplish to finish a mission.”
Air Force physical fitness standards keep Airmen ready for a variety of scenarios, wherever their career field may take them, and ensure they can excel in special operations missions worldwide.
Wilson’s physical fitness journey began around the time he was interested in joining the Air Force. He was underweight for his height and knew he needed to make lifestyle changes in order to succeed in the military. However, his fitness was not the only lifestyle change he needed to make.
“I joined because I needed boundaries and discipline in my life,” said Wilson. “That’s why the Air Force is good for me. I was working graveyards in the brutal Wisconsin winter. My car didn’t even have a working heater.”
Senior Airman Anthony Kielyurich, a 1st SOCS airborne mission systems technician, explains the kinds of personal commitment it takes to be a communications troop, especially within the ever-evolving world of information technology.
“If you want to succeed, you have the tools available to you, so long as you’re willing to step back and be humble,” said Kielyurich. “You need to have humility to admit that what you know today might not apply tomorrow.”
Airman Wilson uses that same humility to make personal progress, on and off the clock. He taught himself how to keep focused on his goals.
“Once I started gaining mass, I just learned how to keep myself accountable,” said Wilson. “Those lessons apply to my work too. I know I can depend on myself.”
Communications have come a long way in the last century. Horns and flags have been replaced by ones and zeroes, radios and satellites. However, hard work and personal commitment remain a constant in the communications career field. In his short time in the Air Force, Wilson has embodied those values, and will continue to pass those lessons on to his peers, cohorts, friends and family.
“I look forward to the path ahead of me,” said Wilson. “I just want to be the best I can be.”
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 10.01.2021 16:17 |
| Story ID: | 406552 |
| Location: | HURLBURT FIELD, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | CLOVER, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 300 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 1st SOCS Airman exceeds Air Force standards every day, by SrA Nathan LeVang, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
Hurlburt Field
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1st SOW
1st SOCS
