As an Army Officer, I have been given a great level of responsibility that is not normally awarded to a recent graduate. As a Platoon Leader, I am responsible for everything my unit and my Soldiers do and fail to do. I am responsible for the success of the mission as well as the safety and well-being of my Soldiers and the property that I am held accountable for. My primary role as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) officer is to lead my platoon through successful CBRNE defense and reconnaissance operations to enable the Battalion and Brigade to safely operate in hazardous areas. During training cycles, my role is to prepare Soldiers and equipment for future decisive actions and deployments. This duty involves planning and executing realistic and challenging training to guarantee mission success. I am also responsible for over $1.5 million worth of military equipment. In my previous role as CBRNE Staff Officer for other Battalions, I was responsible for $733,000 worth
My goal within the next five years to achieve Company Command. While Army promotions are mainly on a scheduled track base on time in service, I have paved the way for success with me previous evaluations. By assuming multiple duties and lines of efforts beyond my primary assignment and demonstrating strong mental agility and time management, I was able to earn “most qualified” and “excels” ratings placing my in the top 30% of my peer group with strong recommendations to promote to Captain and attend the Captains Career Course. In order for me to ensure my goal is achieved, I must maintain my attention to detail and pursue leadership development opportunities. I enjoy assuming multiple duties and new assignments as it hones my intellectual capacity and flexibility. I also become more knowledgeable of my organization and gain new
The Army requires its members to adhere to prolonged training and learn specialized skills. From the moment a soldier transitions from the civilian sector into the Army, he is indoctrinated with training. Regardless of rank, the Army demands each soldier to be technically proficient and mentally competent in order to be qualified in a respective Military Occupation Specialty. As a soldier progresses in his military career, he is required to continue his education and training. Army leaders are expected and required to continue developing their skills through academic studies, operational experience, and institutional training. An opposing view argues that anyone can learn these skills; however, statistics show less than 0.5% of the population serves in the armed forces, indicating a soldier is a rare mix of intelligence and character.1 These lessons are necessary qualifications to achieve what General Martin Dempsey describes as “effectiveness rather than efficiency.”2 Much like the profession of medicine which must heal, the media which must provide truth, and law which must provide justice, the profession of arms must provide secur...
Being a military child and wife for 19 years has made me so much more patriotic, than a lot of other I know. It has made me more aware of the freedoms we have, why we have them, and the sacrifices that have been made by others so we could keep them. A world that people seem to forget about if they do not watch the news and one that they do not know much about. Not only do come civilian people not consider what current military families go through on a daily basis, but also we forget about those military families in the past during other wars that helped give our country the freedoms we have today.
When I joined the United States Marine Corps, I knew it would change my life, but I never realized how great those changes would be. I was trained in public affairs as a print and broadcast journalist, and immediately stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Drastic life changes can take a toll both physically and emotionally over time, and it is always important to have a great personal support system to thrive through those times. My senior advisor at the time, Master Gunnery Sgt. (Master Guns) Charles Albrecht, turned out to be one of the best supporters I could ever ask for.
Colonel Mathew Moten once said, “Professions are not professions simply because they say they are. Their clients, society as a whole, have to accept their claims and trust the professions with jurisdiction over important areas of human endeavor”.
Sir, I am honored by the privilege to once again serve in 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT). Over of the last 30 days, I had an opportunity to reconnect, and reflect on the current state of the Brigade. The 4th ABCT has a rich history of success and glory. It is my goal to put in place the systems and practices for this great organization to exceed all past and present accomplishments. As a result of my assessment, I identified three areas of focus that will improve our organization: a unit vision, a change in organizational culture and climate, and building organizational teams. I have no doubt that with the implementation of these three areas of focus, I will be the transformational leader that 4th ABCT needs as we prepare for the upcoming National Training Center (NTC) rotation and tackle the task of the Regionally Aligned Forces (RAF) mission.
As a Non-commissioned Officer you can expect me to be a professional leader dedicated to taking care of soldiers, the mission, and the army way of life. You can expect me to use Army Regulations, Technical Manuals, and direct orders from my superiors as my guidance on what actions to take in each situation faced whether tactical or technical. I will not be afraid to make sound and timely decisions in the absence of my leadership’s orders. When left in charge I will take charge.
The dictionary says a veteran is “a person that has served in the military” but I think there is more to being a Veteran than just serving. I would know, my dad is a Veteran. Veterans like my dad risk their lives so we can have our freedom and that is what makes them heroes. They are so dedicated they are willing to leave their homes, families, and hobbies just to secure our freedom and protection.
The military has always been there and we as Americans never question it. Thousands of men and women have dedicated their lives to serving this country. From World War II on to present day our military is constantly growing and evolving. Many people believe our military is nothing but destructive and harmful. To me, the military and people who serve the military are very brave and caring individuals. Our armed forces help change the way that not only America views things, but also the world. We were one of the first armies to accept women and homosexuals into the service. Do not get me wrong, every accomplishment and growth we have made was not obtained with open arms. Before WWII America was just the same as every other
For some time the Army has been using a certain expression to defines what an Army leader actually is. To keep it basic, the three words be, know and do explains it all!
Since time began there has always been conflict. Whether it be religious, race oriented, or conflict over land. Conflicts have lead countries and nations to amass armies. While some armies are small, others may be vast in size. No matter the size of the Army they all have one thing in common… their Soldiers. As Non-Commissioned Officers we would be without a profession if we did not take care of, and retain our Soldiers. Through their mishaps and mistakes it is our job to lead them as they will, hopefully, be taking over our position as they climb the ladder to becoming the next great leader we aspire them to become. However, as in life, there are always trials and tribulations that come with life in the Military. We have all had Soldiers with
As our forefathers before us stated, ‘‘No one is more professional than I. I am a Noncommissioned Officer, a leader of soldiers. As a Noncommissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a time honored corps, which is known as “The Backbone of the Army (“The NCO Creed written by SFC Earle Brigham and Jimmie Jakes Sr”). These words to the Noncommissioned Officer should inspire us to the fullest with pride, honor, and integrity. The NCO creed should mean much more than just words whenever we attend an NCO’s school.
“Why would you want to interview me when there are plenty of people back home that would be easier to interview in person?” asks John Stout. He is about 5’11, has dark black hair and his eyes are a rich chocolaty brown. He is tan and has a strong muscular body. John is currently deployed in Bagram Afghanistan. He departed on July 7th, 2016 and will not return until April of 2017. He grew up in Fort Ripley, MN and graduated from Brainerd High School in 2014. John is very close with his Mother, Father, Brother and Sister. He grew up with a wrench in his hand and always helped his Father work on project cars and fixing things around the house. To John, family is everything. His family always took vacations and every summer, he gets to travel around the United States for Army training. John grew up in a military family. His Father works as a Warrant Officer in the Minnesota National Guard and his Brother, Curtis, is in the Marine Corps and is also deployed right now.John has always wanted to serve his country
Regardless of the career you choose in your life, whether it be an accountant or a Soldier in the United States Army, someone, somewhere most likely had an influence to bring you to that decision. The Army defines leadership as the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization (JP, p. 1). Now imagine you are a young Private, in one of the most dangerous places in Iraq and you have constant leadership changes, and not much support from your direct leadership. I am sure at this point you can imagine, it is not the best scenario to be in. Throughout the duration of this essay you will read about Sergeant First Class Rob Gallagher and Sergeant First Class Jeff Fenlason, their leadership abilities, and the techniques they attempted to use to resolve the issues in this Platoon that was in a downward spiral after losing many leaders to the hell of war.
The “fortress” is a life that may be hard for others to understand. Military communities do not live the life that most do. They have 5am wakeup calls, most instillations come to a halt at 5pm to honor the flag being lowered, and they enjoy the somber sounds of Taps being played at 9pm. That is what I miss most about living near an instillation. I loved taking that dogs out at 9pm and listening to the coyotes howl while Taps was being played. Life on an instillation is structured, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Structure is something that helps hold things together.
As an officer in the United States Army, it has been imperative for me to understand every facet of leadership and why it remains important to be an effective leader. During this course, I have learned some valuable lessons about myself as a leader and how I can improve on my leadership ability in the future. The journal entries along with the understanding of available leadership theories have been an integral part of my learning during this course. For all of the journals and assessments that I completed, I feel it has given me a good understanding of my current leadership status and my future potential as a leader. All of the specific assessments looked at several areas in regards to leadership; these assessments covered several separate focus areas and identified my overall strengths and weaknesses as a leader. Over the course of this paper I will briefly discuss each one of these assessments and journal entries as they pertained to me and my leadership.