Life in the military is very strict, routine-based, and confidential. Once a person has lived and witnessed this lifestyle, it becomes a part of his or her life. Even after getting out, those past memories still stays with them as they try to live a more civilized life. James, a twenty-eight-year-old former Army soldier had just recently gotten out of the Army six months ago back in April of 2016. Through his story, I was able to find out what an ex military soldier actually felt about his career and how he is coping with a new lifestyle. The past experiences and all the stories he had to share brought him back to a reminiscence. The struggle of transitioning from military to civilian life causes obstacles due to the feeling of nostalgia of one’s past lifestyle. To begin my interview, I asked James about his decision to enter the Army and his backgrounds. His family lived in Chicago, Illinois where his American father was from. His mother, who was from the Philippines, always took him and his brothers to visit, and when he was in middle school, he decided to stay and go to school there, but he went back to the United States for high school. I found out that his grandfather was an Army veteran who had served the country during World War II. “I wanted to follow in his footsteps. It was a way of repaying the country for what it’s done for my family.” Through the interview, I was able to realize how the process to get in the Army was long. During his senior of high school
Twenty-six years ago I a 17-year-old boy joined the United States Army. I served my country faithfully for 22 years, two months and four days; I served in the Transportation Corps. My time in the army was a special period in my life. I gain a lot of life experiences as well as professional ones; the military shaped and molded me into the husband, father son, and brother that I am today. During my service, I grew up and learned several life lessons that would serve me well in and out of the army. To get a real understand on how the military shaped me into the person, I am today; I must first give you some insight into the person I was before I left for basic training. I graduated high school in 1991 just four months’ shy of my 18th birthday;
I feel the biggest challenge facing our Army today is the systemic lack of discipline amongst many ranks and organizations throughout the Army. Imagine an Army where we have leaders who decide to impose their own brand of justice, who create their own standards and have little regard for Soldiers wellbeing. What about being a part of an organization that because of their background creates new social norms for what is acceptable behavior. Is this an Army that you want to be a part of? Unfortunately we know all too well what that Army looks like, yet many choose not to act. My goal as Sergeant Major of the Army would be to find the root cause of these issues and attack them head on. By gathering facts, statistics and trends amongst the Army
Stewardship of the Army Profession is the last of the Five Essential Characteristics of the Army Profession, but in terms of importance, it is just as, if not more important than the other four. The United States Army’s ADRP-1, or Army Doctrinal Reference Publication 1, even defines stewardship as “the responsibility of Army professionals to ensure the profession maintains its five essential characteristics now and into the future”. Such importance is placed on this characteristic because Stewardship of the Army Profession is the one that ensures the other four are maintained. I sought out the definition of stewardship because despite having spent almost three and a half years and West Point, I was not entirely sure what the doctrine behind Stewardship was. In doing this, I felt like I was better prepared for both this paper and ensuring that the corrections I made were stewarding the profession. With this newly acquired knowledge, I set out to make my corrections.
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
He was born during World War I. He herd the old men tell the stories of what happened when they were in World War II. All of his family members went to some war in their life time. His Uncles Guadalcanal, North Africa and the battle of the Bulge, his Cousins stories of Korea. Then finally it was his and his brothers turn, they had joined the marines just in time for the for the Cuban Missile crisis. After that his friends going to Vietnam tasting defeat the only war that America has ever lost. Finally it is his sons turn and he gets the other end of the deal. He doesn’t know if his son will be able to tell him his stories of his war or if he will have to cry at his grave.
The study concluded that each soldier response to re-adjustment differed from the fellow service member. When addressing the deployed and injured soldier, it was that while in the military, the service member experienced a positive life outlook and a sense of been part of a team. Once released from the duty, the same individual experienced no sense of belonging partially due to the sudden departure from the service. In another case, the authors found that a 30 year old veteran while still struggling the transitional phase seek out assistance with the transition process as he
In the speech “How to Talk to Veterans About War”, Wes Moore is trying to convey the message that “thank you for your service” is only a start to the conversation a person should have with a veteran. To do this, Moore tells the audience his story and what it feels like to return from a war. Moore starts off by saying he got into trouble as a child, and his mother sent him to military school. After he graduated, he gave her the papers to sign up to become an army officer, which she signed (Moore). Moore explains how he didn’t sign up to go to war, and how he thought he might serve on a weekend or a few weeks out of the year. However, when 9/11 happened the thought process changed, and three weeks after 9/11 Moore headed overseas to go to college
Mocha Baldwin, 21 years old, tall, muscular Puerto Rican and African American man who lives in Reading, PA had a dream. It was to become a soldier for the Army. He finally became a soldier in 2013 and is still continuing his dream. At first, he wanted to become a doctor but in 7th grade, is when he decided he wanted to be in the Army. He decided to go into the Army because he wanted to join a great team behind a great country. Also, he got inspired by his uncles and older cousins. He also got into wanting to be a soldier because he talked to a local recruiter and when he graduated high school his teachers thought he was making a great decision. He had to go through a lot of training but the physical training wasn’t that hard for him. But the
Write an argumentative essay that addresses whether the Army is a profession of arms, what the criteria is, and what it means to be a member of that profession. Refresh and renew our understanding
He dropped out of high school to go to the marine corps, he was 17 years old. Participating in the marine corps was extremely difficult. There was persistent, training for war, but he never had to go fight. This was boot camp and it was super scary because the sergeants screamed and, hit them. If he had had to go to war, he would have been a basic rifleman, they try to shoot and kill. That experience changed his life because it made him appreciate America and freedom.
“Men joined the Marine Corps for many reasons . . . I’d joined up to dodge the draft and ended up being sent to war” (Brady 8-9). This brief yet poignant statement begins the story of how James Brady ended up serving in the Korean War. As a young adult the draft was being reinstated and Brady did not feel the desire to fight in a war. He and a few of his friends decided instead to join the Platoon Leaders Class with the Marines, which had students spend two summers at the marine Corps Schools in Quantico, Virginia. After these two summers, graduates would become Lieutenants, but they could not be drafted. Shortly after Brady graduated, the war began in Korea and his class learned they
Who do you think is the most important in a play, the lead role, or the stage hands? Like how a play is, it’s just the same in the military. There are the soldiers that go out and fight, and there are ones that make, test, and fix their equipment. My grandfather, Glen Sauerbry, was a technician in the air force, and played the most important role in the air force and was and still is, a hero for doing it.
On July 12, 2016, I interviewed Robert Milton Bartley, who happens to be my grandfather on my mother’s side. I asked him a number of questions about his life and some of the events that had an impact on him growing up. One event in particular that we spoke about was the American Excursion in Vietnam in 1954. Robert, was exempted from the fighting due to his involvement with a labor union. Like every interview I began by asking Robert the basic set of questions like his age, where and when he born, and basics about his family. I informed him that it was at his discretion to answer or reject any questions, but he complied happily. He is 66 years of age, and was born in Dalton, Georgia, on October 23, 1949. When questioned about his life growing up his immediate response was that he was disciplined as a child, and respect was instilled into him from an early age.
With a specific end goal to distinguish the progressions that have occurred in my life, I needed to reflect back finished my life to see the distinction in my state of mind, my feelings, and my conduct. From the past, I understood that I have changed from numerous points of view. In any case, some things I have overlooked and declined to change. As time cruises by, I have contemplated over how my identity has changed towards the way I feel about companions and other individuals. Over much idea and reflection, I now get it. During that time in the military, I have lived in with a wide range of individuals and situations. I managed a
As I approached them, conversation and laughter began. The time was moving fast, for 3 o’clock was almost here; the time scheduled for me to leave. I left them for a brief moment while I packed all my essentials. I then came back outside where my family was gathered. We took pictures and recalled a few funny stories. Right on time, my army recruiter arrived in a grey SUV, ready to take me away. Tears began to fall from everyone’s eyes. Looking back when I was first sworn into the United States Army, I felt like time flew. It seemed as if this day snuck up on me. I held back my overwhelming emotions, trying not to cry. I took a seat inside the grey SUV to leave the Chicago area and to get shipped off to my training site far away. Out the grey SUV windows I could see my family waving at me with sad looks on their faces. That was a day to remember. I was undoubtedly the only person in my entire family to join the United States Army. Even though I wasn’t the only one in the grey SUV, on the way to Missouri to train, and leaving family behind, I still felt alone. Why did I feel so alone? In the movies, there is always a happy ending; however, at that moment, I felt as though my happy ending would never come.