Life is a funny thing that takes you on an adventure whether you planned it or not. Along the adventure we grow, we learn and we truly become unique and find ourselves.
In August of 2013 I joined the U.S. Air Force. There's always the simple question "why did you join?" the thing is the question isn't so simple to answer. Now, I have no incredible response or reason that most others have be it for school, for the benefits or just for some discipline. I can't compare myself to any of them because that isn't my story and it never will be. I joined simply because I always wanted to and was always planning on it. The funny thing is that in high school you had to sign a form for recruiters to be able to contact you. I knew I wanted to join but I didn't sign the consent form. I believed that if I really wanted to I would join I would go to them.
4 years later as a senior that's exactly what I did. I found my way to the recruiting center and went through the process. Little did I know the journey I was about to embark on. I did my Basic Training at Lackland AFB, San Antonio, TX and after finishing Basic along with my Tech School for my AFSC as Security Forces I was on my way to my first duty station. The great old, Minot, ND. Now, you won't hear almost anything good about this place and I think that's a fair statement. Unless you're a fan of the frozen tundra, strong winds and long winters then you really are in for a treat. My time in Minot taught me a lot about accountability and work ethic. I didn't enjoy the job in Minot and frankly I don't think anyone does. I spent 6 years there filled with mostly memories of work I'd rather not reminisce on, however I did get make my way to the rank of Staff Sergeant and on a TDY for a Bomber Task Force Mission to Hawaii for a month. Trust me, there's nothing bad about an all paid expense trip to Hawaii where you're in a hotel on Waikiki beach and they valeted your rental.
After finally having an adventure of some degree in Hawaii I found myself in a predicament of "what do I want to do?". My time in the service was almost complete with my first enlistment but I was still just a 24 year old with no real desire nor passion for anything. I decided to try my luck with my first-term Base of Preference. I lucked out, finding my way to Buckley AFB, now Buckley SFB, in Denver, CO. It was an entirely new dimension and environment that I certainly enjoyed a lot more of and had to make huge adjustments to but, it was still the Air Force that I had come to grow apart from. I spent my first years at Buckley working and living through the Covid-19 pandemic. A story that I hope never happens again because that was the most depressing moment in most of our lives. On the bright side though that catastrophic event is what led me to buying my camera and finally getting into photography.
I used that time to hone my craft and learn. I was down to 2 years left in the service and was excited at the opportunity that we all who join the military hope to get. I was able to deploy I got to go to the middle east and meet new people, some who are my best of friends. I got to actually travel and see new worldly things that I might not have ever had the chance to go before. That's when tragedy struck the world once again and we forward deployed to Al Udied, Qatar in support of Operation Allies Refuge to take care of, secure, and help process Afghans to a free new world as they escaped horrors. You can read more about that here: https://www.benkelsey.photography/blog/part-of-history/
Now, I've managed to create and build Air Force Gaming which now is the leading example for all Military esports and gaming communities around the world, deploy, go to Hawaii, see my impact on others lives. I felt accomplished and fulfilled. I was now ready to separate and move on to other endeavors and dreams of mine. It's these events, this growth that made me learn who I am and develop and mature to know what I want to do and be confident.
Onto the next chapter where the opportunities are endless and out there. Where I can pursue my photography and spread my passion capturing the moments and memories of others.
