Thoughts Of Oneself In A Profession Of Arms

The Thoughts of Oneself in a Profession of Arms

U.S. Army

Abstract
A Profession of Arms is a thought and question of one’s actions put into words so as to help bring perspective and evaluation of oneself in today’s changing Army. The Army of today asks valid questions of its people, being in a Profession of Arms; so as to foster a question and a drive to strive toward being a professional soldier in the purest sense. The Army seeks to foster the values with which the Army as well as The United States of America was founded on so long ago by our for fathers.
The Thoughts of Oneself in a Profession of Arms
A Profession of Arms in a technologically and ruthless time were praise is limited but criticism is a plethora of individuals putting
in their own idea simply to be heard in an egotistical sense. This is what most people think about when the Army becomes a discussion as a profession in life in being a professional soldier. The Army is moving toward a new era of service and in this comes a lot of questions of oneself and as of what it is we are striving for as A Profession of Arms.
What have I gotten myself into?
The question that all new soldiers ask themselves in plenty of different situations but as to a Profession of Arms it is something that fosters a question.
Like what can I chose to do as a soldier to become a professional in this age of change. “An Army professional is a member of the Army Profession who meets the Army’s certification criteria of competence, character, and commitment”.(ADRP-1) This is the basic definition of what the Army thinks an individual is who strives to become a professional soldier. In striving toward this we as a profession hold ourselves as well as those who serve alongside us to the highest standard. The values that we instill in ourselves as well as hold each other to such as: The Army Values, Trust, Military Expertise, Honorable Service, Esprit de Corps, and Stewardship help us evaluate ourselves as well as others. I have on many of an occasion sat down and simply evaluated myself, my peers, my subordinates, and my leaders to the standards with which we hold so high and so dear. It is something that we all must do so as to follow, grow, and teach those we serve with so as to become a group of professionals. Being a professional in my thought means to dedicate oneself to a calling higher than what one simply wants but for the good of many. As we state in the NCO Creed:” No one is more professional than I, I am a Non-commissioned officer, a leader of soldiers” we are saying to all that we hold ourselves to a standard so as to lead the way in being
the Be, Know, and Do of the Army as a professional soldier in a Profession of Arms.
I got you babe...
We as soldiers are taught from day one that we are “a member of a team” in the Soldier’s Creed, a profession; in that we start out with a standard of policing each other by holding to the standard’s set before us. “A profession is a trusted self-policing and relatively autonomous vocation whose members develop and apply expert knowledge as human expertise to render an essential service to society in a particular field”.(ADRP-1) My thoughts in this simple definition are the bases of all profession’s not just with the Army. While reading the Profession of Arms, ADRP-1; I found myself drawn to the simple questions asked of myself as to what I felt it means to be a soldier in a Profession of Arms. Reading and applying critical thinking to the five aspects of a profession helped me look at different aspects of the Army in a new light. These being: providing unique and vital services, applying expert knowledge and practice, effective and ethical application of expertise, self-regulating, and granted autonomy and discretion in their practices. (ADRP-1) All these things are used to gauge a profession in the eyes of society and not just in the Army. They give a baseline of understanding so those within as well as outside of an organization, a group, or in this case a Profession of Arms can be gauged. Things I could do for myself, as well as things I have to do to help my fellow soldier; so as to foster the professionalism in my life and in the people I interact with as well as a member of society. Thou the road in this kind of thinking is a never ending one, it does have its own rewards and fulfillments that are by all standards priceless because they are earned. We must continually reassess ourselves as well as others and assessed by society in our actions, so as to cultivate a group of professionals because if we were ever to stop we could no longer be called a profession let alone a Profession of Arms.
Options vs needs of life make for a unique recipe and flavor...
The nature of the Army Profession is a unique one due to the many factors but none more so than the lethality of our job.
In this we have learned that complacency has no part in the Army and that the only thing to do is strive to excel in all ways as a group for the benefit of the people we serve which by definition makes us a profession. I think this and the shared experiences is what makes us as a profession stand apart because the trust between ourselves and that which the American people place in us. Another unique characteristics of the Army is the dual character of the Army in that on one side we are a profession and on the other we are a department. This unique recipe gives flexibility and allows for change in an ever changing world. “The Army itself was founded on 14th June 1776 but was later adopted as a military department under the constitution in 1789”. (ADRP-1) So the hierarchical bureaucratic foundation was placed into being which is common and understandable because structure is required of any organization to survive time and change. The Army of that time was not a Profession of Arms in the mind set and way as it is today. It took many decades before the Army built itself into a dual character organization which now faces a new and challenging future in developing professional soldiers while catering to the needs of the American people. I think the Army has the right mindset in that we need to build on ourselves as a profession but also not lose to becoming a
bureaucratic Army but an Army that is equally balanced so as to be the tip of the spear for our great nation.
A weathered eye on the horizon is one looking toward the future and change... All great things must come to an end but I say that’s only true if you let it happen. In this I have stated some of the current directions the Army wishes to take and in that also build upon old traditions so as to preserve or history as the common defense of the American people. To become more than what we are as an individual but as a collection of Army Professionals who dedicate themselves to a higher calling as a servant to and for the people of America. We as a Profession of Arms will strive to meet the standards of the Army Ethics and the qualities of a professional soldier. In this we place high standards for ourselves, each other, and by which society evaluates us. This is because in our line of work the stakes are high so we must match them with our standards for we are professional soldiers.
References
ADRP-1, The Army Profession, June 2013, Headquarters Department of the Army