Captain Ziwa Hampshire

United States Air Force

1993-1999
Interviewed by: Ainsley Lang

“It's ok to feel weak. It's ok not to know the answer. It's whether you ask for
help or not” – Captain Ziwa Hampshire

1. Why did you decide to join the military?

I became interested in space and science from a very young age. I grew up when sci-
fi and Star Wars were popular, and my initial goal was to be a doctor on a space
shuttle. Then, my sister found the Air Force ROTC scholarship. When my sister
discovered it, I knew that's what I wanted to do.

2. How did you become an officer?

There are three different ways to become an officer in the Air Force. The first way
is to go to an academy, and you can apply to school like you would to college.
That's what most people are familiar with. The other two ways to get into the
military are coming straight out of high school and enlisting. The difference
between not being enrolled with a college degree is you can't become an officer.
You have to have a college degree for that. The idea is that officers manage people
and projects, and they want officers to have a degree. I did another option: you
can go to college and apply for the ROTC program, which stands for Reserve Officer
Training Corps. It means that I'm not interested in the academy, but I am
interested in getting a degree, and I am interested in the Air Force. Still, I want
to have college experience while learning about the Air Force. So you apply to
college and those colleges you apply to also have to participate in the ROTC
program. I went to UC Berkeley, and they practiced in the program. I was in a
computer science degree program, but part of my studies was participating in an
ROTC class for the Air Force, where I learned something different about the
military each year. And there was another leadership lab class where you learned to
march and wear your uniform. At the end of my four years of college, I had a
computer science degree and was also a commissioned officer.

3. How long and when did you serve for?

I served for 5 years in total as an Air Force officer from 1993 to 1999.

4. What were you doing before you were involved with the military?
Before I joined, I was a regular high school and college student. I was just an
average 17-20 year old.

5. Was joining the military a good choice for you? Why or why not?
I think joining the military was a good choice because the ROTC program was perfect
for me. I needed college; I didn't need the strict environment of the academy. Some
people want that. I grew up in a strict household and my family was Indian. They
had a specific way that everything had to be, and had high academic expectations,
which I appreciate. Still, I could manage myself and didn't need that harsh
environment. I just wanted a fun social experience and to meet people from
everywhere all expecting college but in different ways.

6. Did your family support your decision to enlist?

Yes, definitely. Having had two older siblings who went through the experience of
the ROTC program helped a lot, and both had successful starts to their careers. The
scholarship helped a lot as well and I would not have been able to go to an out-of-
state school if I hadn't gotten it.

7. What did you expect the military to be like?

I expected it to be exciting, primarily because of the career I would be in. I
expected to travel and to meet people. I also expected to be challenged. The ROTC
program prepared me for that leadership piece. I would be asked to do things I
might not have the experience to do. So, I needed to know how to ask questions and
who to rely on while managing a program because that happened regularly. When I had
questions and couldn't answer them myself I had to make multi million dollar
decisions and needed help sometimes too.

8. What did the military help you prepare for in life?

I was in the ROTC program as a manager at 22 years old. There were people double my
age who had been in it for years, and I was the manager. It really prepared me for
responsibility and the ability to ask questions if I needed help. I also tried not
to have too many expectations so I could roll with it. It helped me be a better
leader for my students and a better listener as well.

9. What was your favorite part of the military?

You know the people, it really is about the people. I'm still in touch with so many
people from the different places where we lived. Staying in touch with those people
and seeing how we have grown through our experiences is so special. Some people
were in it for 10-20 years and more. It's a bond that connects us all. They have
always been with me through light and dark, and it's extraordinary.

10. What was the hardest part of the military?

The fact that I had so much responsibility from a young age. I felt like from age
21 to 24, I had to grow up a lot. I had to learn how to fail in a very significant
way. I had to learn how to stand up for myself and know when the best thing to do
is to listen and when to ask for help. I'm a better teacher from all my experience
in the Air Force. There are often times that I have to think on my feet, and I have
to support my students. Something else that was such a painful part of it was the
pressure. My second job was that I was in charge of nuclear weapons. I knew we
needed these weapons of mass destruction because it was a way to keep us safe. But
it was also that horrible knowledge that if I ever got the order to turn the keys,
I would know exactly what was happening. I thankfully never had to do that part of
my job, but if I did get the order, I would have to. When you're sitting on standby
with the key in your hand you have a moment of reflection. I know it's not my
choice nor should it be but you have to trust the system.

11. What was your rank?

As an officer, you start off as a second lieutenant, nicknamed butter bars because
it is a single gold bar. After about 2 years, you are promoted to first lieutenant,
a silver bar. Then, after that, you are promoted to a captain, the highest rank I
got, which is 2 silver bars.

12. What would you say if you could talk to your younger self pre-military?
I would encourage my younger self to keep doing it or see if there was a way to
become an astronaut. I tried getting into a type of medical science, but the Air
Force denied that request because of budget cuts. I would probably tell myself to
study computer science and see if I can do anything to become an astronaut, which I
highly doubt I could have. I'm not sad or regretful because of these decisions, but
I would say to pursue your dreams. Or tell me there was a whole nother career of
teaching waiting for you.

13. Where were you stationed?

On active duty, my first station was in Colorado near Denver. That was where I did
software testing for a missile warning system. My second assignment was in
California near Santa Barbara, and I trained there as a nuclear weapons officer.
Then I moved up to Montana, where I became a nuclear weapons officer and became a
trainer.

14. If you had chosen to be an on ground officer where you were in conflict or
dangerous scenarios would you be able to deal with that?
That's a really powerful question because I knew that when I chose the Air force I
knew that there would be a very low chance that I would have to participate in
combat. Other than managing nuclear weapons I don't know if I could have done it.
Obviously I had signed an oath and if they had asked me to I would have had to.

15. What advice would you give someone who wanted to join the military?
When I started doing these interviews 10 years ago my answer would have been 100%
yes to joining the military. It's a great opportunity for service before self-
leadership is excellent and all of these are amazing life lessons that can carry
you. However now we see the growing crisis of veterans in need, veterans who come
back from war who are widowers or widows who have had spouses who died in conflict.
Now I only say go into the military if you have a solid support system. You have a
good set of friends, you have relatives, you have people who are there for you if
you need them. When you have that support system in place if you come back with
trauma or an injury those people will be the ones who help you help you heal.

Reflection Paragraph
I felt respect and inspiration when I interviewed my veteran and outstanding fourth
grade teacher, Ziwa Hampshire. I've known Ms. Hampshire for four years, and
whenever she would share in class tales from her time in the Air Force, I would
always pay attention and hear what she had to say. At the time, I had a lot of
respect for her, but as I've become older, I've come to appreciate the sacrifices
she made for our nation a lot more. She spoke about missing out on her twenties
because she had to mature and grow up so much faster than everyone else, and I was
moved by her courage to take on the challenge and never give up wanting to learn
and grow even in the face of great difficulty. I don't know if I could have given
up my childhood and freedom that early on and it's truly amazing to hear.
Additionally, it wasn't simply respect for her actions but also for the knowledge
and motivation she had to teach. While I got lost in all the life advice she was
giving me, our interview ended up lasting more than an hour and 20 minutes. How
much more mature I became just from that one conversation astounded me. Something
that she said that really inspired me was her advice that we are all human and
sometimes we don't know the answer to questions. Never be hesitant to seek
assistance if you need it, she advised, as others are willing to help because even
if it might seem like it we are not the only ones that struggle. The reason this
was so inspirational to me was because I have always felt that in the end I will
find an answer on my own. Sometimes there is not enough time to get to the end and
you need to have a moment of weakness because it not only humanizes you but it
helps you learn and grow. You simply can't live your life trying to solve every
problem all by yourself. We need teamwork and multiple perspectives to continue to
grow as human beings. The biggest thing I took away from this project was the
importance of reaching for the stars because wisdom comes from experience and this
project has really opened my eyes to that. Never be afraid to better yourself for
you or for a bigger cause. I also want to thank Ms. H for my passion for speaking
because she has inspired me with her words to inspire others with mine and she will
always hold a special place in my heart for that. dfafdsaffdssdfggsdgsdfgsfdgfd