The Soldier

When I was younger I always played pretend that I was in the military doing heroic deeds to save hundreds of people and those that I loved. I think my interest into the military was sparked when I found out that both my grandfathers had been in the Army during the Vietnam conflict, I always tried to get them to talk about their days in the service but they would never talk to me about it. One of my grandfathers was an interrogations officer and the other was a military police officer. There was…

A professional army, was made up of men who chose to have a career in the military. These men underwent intensive training and their primary role was to be ready to fight, it also taught discipline and loyalty among ranks. Rigorous training was “necessary to control down-and-outers in the ranks.” Usually, a standing army was viewed as impending tyranny or “an obvious indicator as well as agent of corruption.” People also believed that a standing army could affect society from the inside, but…

My decision to return to school was based on life after the military. Although I had no interest to go back to school, it was time to jump back in and receive my Associates Degree. Many of my Soldiers were going through Excelsior, and one of my Non-Commissioned Officers swore by Excelsior, which he provided excellent feedback about the College and the programs it had to offer. Along, with the credits applied toward my military education and the ease of the online portal it was a no brainer. Once…

Exercise Director for the 86th Training Division, I was responsible for training and assessing military units as required by directives and standard operating procedures through assigned large-scale exercises that average over 90 organizations, 4,500 Soldiers, and $3.2 million in expenditures. Safety is a primary concern during training, so I emplaced a strong safety program that prevented major safety incidents. Providing the most realistic and demanding training possible is the major goal…

That was one bus ride that I would never forget. The bus ride to our basic training base. Right after we, newly recruited soldiers sat down, three commanders got on the bus one after the other. Their uniform nice and ironed with a bright green rope hanging from their shoulders to symbolize that they were commanders. All three of them had two bars sewed onto both sleeves to…

“Leaders Eat Last”: A Discussion of Army Leadership Qualities The Army invests a substantial amount of its time and resources into developing leaders. Due to their influence over their soldiers—and the world as a whole—leaders offer purpose and value to the Army profession. Because of their commitment to the development of leaders, the Army established a set of attributes and competencies that define an Army leader. Entitled the “Army Leadership Requirements Model,” these leadership standards…

will start a new path my family and I have yet to experience. As I prepare for retirement from the Army my first step will be to speak to professionals from the Army Career and Alumni Program (ACAP) now known as Soldier for Life-Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP). As a Soldier I will need to have at least 40 hours over a period of two years to take…

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that women had already proved themselves in action on America's battlefields and the move was simply a way of catching up with reality. The University of Sydney expert added: "The next battles for female soldiers will be ensuring that this policy is implemented effectively, stamping out any remaining sexist attitudes, and fighting to ensure that the military addresses its outstanding sexual violence…

PTSD When my brother came back from Afghanistan I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know if he would still be the same person he was when he left or if he would have grown accustom to that life and never be the same. 1 in 8 returning military soldiers suffer from Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder (“Veterans Statistics”). PTSD is an illness that can not only tear the relationship of a family apart, but start bad habits that weren’t there before. The abuse and neglect with increase with every…

“America’s Gift to my Generation” No matter what branch they are in, soldiers deserve all the respect we can possibly give. A few people in my own family have served in the military, like, my brother, my great grandfather, my great uncle, and even I desire to join someday. In my opinion, the best gift we have is that we have valiant soldiers to protect us so that we can have our freedom. To begin with, I believe that our veterans are some of the most courageous people in America. They are the…