Serving as Part of the Green Berets

The Army White Paper, The Profession of Arms, provides an insight into what it means for the Army to be a Profession of Arms, what it means to be a professional Soldier, and how Soldiers individually and as a profession meet these aspirations after a decade of war. The Army is made up of numerous jobs that have multiple roles. One in particular is the Human Resource Sergeant. HR Sergeants are a profession of its own; they provide a broader framework for the Profession of Arms, balance the role of the Profession’s leaders, and are greatly influenced by the Army’s professional culture.

Since freshman year, the Junior Reserves Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program has been an invisible hand of guidance that strived to bring out the best in me. This longstanding program has an impact on me in ways so innovative, it is impossible to find another program filled with diverse exhibitions of life lessons, discipline, and teamwork. JROTC has given me a lifelong readiness to combat the harsh realities of the real world that exist, which in return has helped me better myself and my community in contributions to being a citizen in the United States of America.

As the Army transitions from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, the organization is well served to take a long look in the mirror. After ten plus years of deployments, our combat tested warriors are sure to possess more than enough valuable knowledge to reinforce and improve upon our status as a profession. A TRADOC published paper explains “to be a professional is to understand, embrace, and competently practice the expertise of the profession.” I believe the profession of arms exists and there are many components that reinforce this argument. Among these components, initial entry training and institutional learning, shared values, and a monopoly on our mission are three of the most important tenants. All Soldiers must graduate

Army leaders must balance the link between the Army’s culture and it’s climate and institutional practices. When there is a proper balance it has a huge impact on the mindset of the Army’s Soldiers. Their actions or inactions impacts the five key attributes of the profession, and the four fields of expertise, and have long term effects on the Army’s culture and climate. These actions influence Soldiers’ perceptions that they are serving professional who have answered the call of service to the republic, it is important that Soldiers understand that their role is a calling and not just a job.

I seek to enhance my leadership abilities as a future officer in the armed forces, as well as dedicating time tailored to serving my country as a future officer via a military academy graduate. I want to be more than just a dot on a statistical demographic for the future; I want to genuinely innovate and make a difference – regardless of which academy I receive an acceptance letter from or branch I enlist to serve.

Becoming an Air Force Reserve MSC Officer has been a long standing professional goal that I have had since I began my matriculation toward my Baccalaureate Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Healthcare Administration. I take immense pride each time that I wear my uniform and report for duty to my unit. The source of my pride comes from the traditions of honor and the legacy of the greatest Air Forces which was made possible through the accomplishments of the airmen who wore this uniform before me. Moreover, becoming an Air Force Reserve MSC Officer will allow me the opportunity to implement the leadership skills I have acquired throughout my military service and combine them with the academic knowledge I acquired while

I have served as a Special Forces soldier for almost 8 years now, as a Communications Sergeant and Intelligence Sergeant. During my time in the regiment, I have conducted three combat deployments and multiple Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) events throughout the Pacific Command (PACOM) area of responsibility. These experiences, along with the schools I have attended during my Special Forces career, have given me a wide understanding of the full spectrum of Special Operations. I feel that I am an intelligent and hard working individual. These traits have helped me excel as a Special Forces

For more than three decades, Army Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) were part of an era of fast promotions through the NCO ranks, with some Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) seeing Soldiers make the rank of Sergeant First Class (SFC) with six to seven years time in service (TIS). Since the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, the United States military was facing a challenge that produced two separate operations simultaneously in the same region of the world which called for thousands of additional service members, especially in the ranks of NCOs. While “fast tracking” was great for the individual, it left many enlisted Soldiers, as well as Officers angry and frustrated with the lack of knowledge these young NCOs were demonstrating when it came to basic Soldiering tactics and techniques. This stems from the decades old Sergeant and Staff Sergeant promotion boards, lack of leadership time, as well as lack of diversity within major Army Component Commands (COCOMS).

In 1973, the Army (and the noncommissioned officer corps) was in turmoil. Of the post-Vietnam developments in American military policy, the most influential in shaping the Army was the advent of the Modern Volunteer Army. With the inception of the Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course, many young sergeants were not the skilled trainers of the past and were only trained to perform a specific job; squad leaders in

You have to be able to swim 50 meters wearing your battle dress uniform (BDU) and boots. The Army Physical Fitness Test used to be 240, an average of 80 points in each event such as push-ups, sit-ups and the two-mile run, but it is down to 206 with no less than 60 points in any event. Individuals need a Special Forces Medical Fitness Standard, or physical. Secret Clearances are needed but can be waived for certain periods of time, and once you have all this then you can start training to become a green beret. Special Forces Assessment (SFAS) is 24 days of intense training in which your intelligence, agility and resourcefulness will be tested. After passing the SFAS you will go into the SF Qualification Course. In this course you will go through five different phases (II-VI). Individual skills, phase II, consists of life fire, small unit tactics, land navigation, and survival skills. This phase is 13 weeks of pure intensity with minimal sleep or time to eat. Phase III is the MOS qualification in which you will receive training on the Special Forces MOS you will have, and it is about another 15 weeks. The phase IV is your collective training in which you will be evaluated on your unconventional warfare operations, air and mobile infiltrations, direct action operations, methods of instruction, common skills, your specialist, and whatever else they can think about at the moment. Phase V is your language phase and is basically picked for you

As stewards of our profession, commanders ensure that military expertise continues to develop and be passed on to aspiring professionals through operational development. It is during this developmental phase that Professional Soldiers put their knowledge and skills to the test. Operational Army units certify and recertify their Professional Soldiers through repetitive and realistic training events including the Combat Life Saver Course, platoon live fires, and exercises at the National Training Center. In the course of these challenging and realistic experiences, the Army’s operational units develop Soldiers and leaders prepared to maintain high standards, discipline, and operational readiness. Operational development and adaptability will continue to drive changes in Army doctrine, organization, leadership, and education as we enter the post-war era. Without this kind of development, the Army could not maintain a well-disciplined professional fighting force.

Any member of a military force are taken as someone ready to serve at any moment, with all his/her skills, intelligence, strength and presence of mind; much like someone readily set on the starting track, totally geared up to run from the moment 'go'. This explains how much preparation it takes to condition one's body and mind to attain that level of ability and agility. It requires a continuous, disciplined practice of skills as well as lifestyle conducive to retain and augment those skills.

The Army is a profession because it requires a collaboration of highly training Soldiers who possess specialized skills that combine to operate in complex situations in more complex environments. General Martin Dempsey stated that “The Profession of Arms requires expert knowledge, and that expertise is manifested as unique skills in the individual professional and by Army units.” For the purpose of this paper the operational definition of the term profession is: a type of job that requires special education training, or skill. In order to meet and maintain the demands of this definition, The Army has established the Army Development Model which consists of institutions, operational training, and self-development to create highly skilled service members.

To fully prepare soldiers for what they might have to endure, the Army puts them through extensive training. The first step for this training is a

First of all, I will give you a brief overview of who they are as a group. Created June 19, 1952, the Special Forces is said to be the most highly trained versatile special operations group in the world and are known as the green berets by their distinctive service headgear. They travel by land and air to places all over the world completing dangerous missions. As stated previously, the purpose is fairly simple; to serve the and protect our nation and carry out special missions. Protection is the utmost importance not only for America but for the world. The special Forces purpose and goals go hand in hand. They work extremely hard to maintain piece anywhere that there may be unrest. The key part of importance in peacekeeping is counterterrorism. Maintaining high levels of