Airman 1st Class Czyrelle Hitosis, a 55th Cyberspace Squadron datacenter technician, decided at a very young age that she was interested in joining the Air Force. This was after seeing her brother, Norman Hitosis, graduate basic training at Lackland AFB, Texas. He had enlisted to serve the country and to further his education. Seeing him graduate basic training motivated her to take a closer look at what serving in the military meant.
“When it came time for us to see him graduate basic training, I was pretty amazed to see him march in the graduation ceremony and to see the coining ceremony,” said A1C Hitosis. “I didn't understand much about the military yet, but I figured this was something very important.”
A1C Hitosis looked up to her brother as a role model. He taught her about the importance of morality, integrity and having good character. Unknowingly, he was showing her the core values of the Air Force.
Soon after enlisting, her brother was accepted into the Air Force Academy. Her interest was renewed when she and her family flew to watch him graduate from the academy in Colorado and receive his commission as a second lieutenant. She was proud of her brother’s accomplishment. He was an Air Force officer and she thought that was very impressive. President Barack Obama was on hand for the graduation ceremony too.
“When my family and I saw him being commissioned, I thought to myself, what if that could be me up there as well? I would want my brother to be my first salute.” said A1C Hitosis.
Her brother knew that she was proud of his accomplishments, but he also knew she wanted to blaze her own trail.
“Although she was familiar with the path I chose, it was very clear to me during her visit to the academy, that she had aspirations to make her own positive impact by joining the Air Force,” said Capt. Norman Hitosis, 340th Weapons Squadron B-52 instructor pilot.
At the beginning of her senior year in high school, A1C Hitosis applied to the Air Force Academy. Unfortunately, she was not accepted. She could have walked away, but she decided to find the nearest recruiter and begin the process of enlisting. It was not her original plan, but she was proud to be following in her brother’s footsteps by joining the Air Force.
Upon first arriving at basic training, she was excited and nervous at the same time as she knew that many challenges would come upon her arrival. Throughout her time there, some of her colleagues washed out of basic training. Instead of this deterring her, she remembered what her mother said, and that was, “If there is a will, there is always a way.” This encouraged her to push on. In the end, she became an honor graduate of the Basic Military Training program.
During her technical training at Keesler AFB, she completed the Information Technology Fundamentals course and what is called a “pipeline” course with job specific training. She also completed the Security+ course that was designed for airmen who didn’t test prior to graduating their “pipeline” course. In addition to her training, A1C Hitosis was also very active in extracurricular activities. She was a member of the Chaplain Corps, the Airman Leader Corps and the drill team.
Following technical training, A1C Hitosis was assigned to Offutt AFB. She has been here for less than two months and has already volunteered for a leadership role as the resident advisor for her dormitory. She is also working with her unit's Booster Club for a holiday event.
“Typically, anytime there is an opportunity to learn or volunteer she will be one of the first to raise her hand, despite the many challenges of in-processing at her first duty station and contributing to the success of her organization,” said SrA Ethan Sawyer, A1C Hitosis’ supervisor.
“To me, joining the Air Force meant taking on a challenge to become better each day,” said A1C Hitosis. “I want to be able to grow from a strong foundation that I have created for myself, which is why I do my best to work hard every day. If an opportunity ever rises where I can be able to further advance myself and my career, I would be more than happy to take it!”