Hi everyone, I'm Cadet Dinnel, aka Kevin Dinnel. SFC Suzy Elwell asked me to share my story about my life.
Before I joined GYA I was a total screw up.. couldn't get nothing done right if I tried. I finally gave up because nothing was good for me anymore. I was always getting into arguments with my mom... fights... and it spread to the school and elsewhere. I started doing drugs, only a little big at first, but then it got bad, especially when I moved to California.
For most of my life I have been in and out of juvenile halls and didn't live much of a childhood, but when I went to California things got a little better. But then I went back in the dumps, started skipping school again and doing drugs. I really didn't care. I figured that if there was something I wanted to do it would have come to me already. My parents always suggested the army and my first thought was hell no!!! When they first mentioned GYA I turned around and walked away! Then I talked to my mom about it and I decided to go... and yes the first few days I regretted going especially with the "shark attack". Boy was that a killer!!! But then I started to talk with some of the other guys there.... all from different backgrounds...and I learned a lot. At GYA, they kind of drilled it into my head that school was important, and I later graduated at top of the class....CLASS 14 valedictorian... oh yeah! But that wasn't all...they helped get me into physical shape as well. Before I joined I was probably 230 pounds. When I left I was around 195 or so.
GYA also helped me realize that the structured life isn't all that bad! Now I'm in the army as a 25B (Information specialist/maintainer) and I just finished my 23 week long AIT! I'm about to be deployed to KOREA for a year then when I get back I'm going straight to Warrant Officer Training and then to flight school to fly helicopters!!! It's always been my life long dream to fly.. but I never really found it in my grasp to get there. GYA taught me how to set goals (realistic goals) and how to accomplish them. If it wasn't for GYA I would still be sitting at home working at McDonald's but now I'm going overseas, and I get to see the world... which is a lot more than I would have been doing! I don't think I've ever been happier in my life as I am right now... And that I have to thank GYA for. They were there when I needed them most of all... they changed my life around. They made me a man... a productive man that is... and now I get to live my life long dream and fly. What more can you ask for? Not much I would say. When I went home for exodus, I was at a store wearing my grizzly t-shirt and a older man about 40 or 50 came up and asked me about the program. His first question was this "If you had to do it all over again would you?" I replied "yes" but not only do it over again, but do it better! For all of you who are skeptical about joining, you shouldn't be I loved that place more than any other place, and the cadre there are awesome. I remember all of mine so well. They took me to the ocean for the very first time in my life, and they taught me how to live... I would like to thank all of GYA members and staff for all of this because I would be nowhere near this goal of mine without you! THANK YOU KEVIN DINNEL "CADET DINNEL"
1ST PLT RUFFRYDERS