 In terms of the the American dream with my father growing up in the Jim Crow South and serving a segregated army and a generation later, I stand here as an aviator and a senior warrant. That really is the American dream. I'm CW-4 Steven Boyd, USRAF Aviation and Ground Safety Officer. My father, Arthur Boyd, Staff Sergeant Arthur Boyd, served with Charlie Company 385th engineers during the Second World War, which at that time was we were still in segregated service so it was an all-black engineer unit and he served in France and I believe also in Germany. Well my father always encouraged us to serve even though he had served during a time when the army was not particularly friendly to people of color, but he and his generation believed in the dream that the country held and that's what he encouraged us to chase. I joined the army to pursue my interests in aviation and become a military aviator. I started out in the infantry in the Mass National Guard and then after about five years I was an NCO and reclassed as a UH-1 crew chief mechanic and then from there I went on a year later to attend flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama. My message to veterans would just be thank you, you know, for those of you who've gone before us, those of you who served with us, for young soldiers who are coming in or who are currently pursuing a career in the military, moving up in the ranks, I would just say stick to it. You've definitely made the right choice in life for those who are willing to serve. It's without a doubt the most rewarding opportunities that you'll encounter in your life. Whether you stay for 20 years or whether you stay for four years it would be something that you should always be able to look back on with pride.