Army Character Essay

Developing the character of the Army Professional is a big concern for anyone in the Army. Over the years the topic of character has come up many times in the Profession of the Army. Character is a defining trait to have, especially in a business where we fight and win our nations wars. Character is central to building trust, not just in our fellow Soldiers but the citizens we protect. Character development must be integrated with our unit training and operations. Only by making time to develop character, will the concept be given a chance to grow.
The topic of character and the Army Professional has been the subject of many conversations over the years. The subject of character is very important to the Army. How else do you build an
Character is “one’s true nature, including identity, sense of purpose, values, virtues, morals and conscience. Character, in an operational sense, is an Army professional’s dedication and adherence to the Army Ethic, including Army Values, as consistently and faithfully demonstrated in decisions and actions” (ADRP 1, 5-14). The Army has the building blocks for character. From day one in the Army, an individual is introduced to the seven Army Values and Warrior Ethos. This concept is drilled into each individual recruit daily and they are expected to know these by heart within a few short days. The recruits quickly learn what these are and can say them in his or her sleep. But here is the issue, the short nine weeks a recruit is in basic training, he or she is given a shotgun blast of information without a real understanding of what it means to them and how to apply it in their daily lives as soldiers. This is the reason why there are Drill Sergeants at basic training. Drill Sergeants are the steward of the Profession, they represent and provide a first real look of what