Hello, my name is TSgt Harvey Ross

I’m here to answer three questions for you today:

What’s my job in the Air Force? Why did I join the Air Force? And, Why I remain an active member

What’s my Air Force job??? I am a Cyber System Operations specialist…my duties in the military are to design, install and support United States Air Force networking systems to ensure they operate properly and are secure from outside intrusion.

As a member of the Special Operations community, I perform a secondary duty as a Tactical Communications Planner. My position as a planner allows me to interact with foreign allies and ensure movement of Special Operations personnel and equipment. I work closely with our foreign allies to rehearse simulated wartime scenarios, for the purpose of execution if the need arises. I’ve visited many different places: Australia, the Philippines and Malaysia.

Sounds like a lot of responsibility right? The longing for responsibility is one of the main reasons I joined.

Let’s rewind time back to the year 2000…I was not thinking about serving my country at all! I wanted some rims on my 1987 Lincoln Continental. The streets of Detroit are not paved with gold or filled with opportunity. After witnessing many of my friends’ death in the inner city, I decided to talk to someone who had made it out. My friend Eric, who had the Sprewell rims on his vehicle, convinced me to give the Air Force a try. I committed to getting some Sprewell’s and joining the Air Force at that moment.

Back to present…why did I stay in the Air Force? Time’s passed and I’ve gained many skills and met many wonderful people. I’ve been able to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Network Security and make my family proud by growing as an individual and as a professional while serving my country. My drive to help the wonderful people I meet has kept me around thus far and hopefully many…many years to come.

To sum things up, I’ve discussed my positions in the Air Force and the role I play as an ambassador to foreign allies. Then we move to why I joined…to get out of Detroit. Finally, we covered why I’m still an active member of the world’s greatest Air Force…to further grow as an individual and assist future Air Force members. Though I never got those Sprewell’s, I’m glad I joined. Thanks for allowing me to share my Air Force story with you all.