I’ve started ILE, and we’ve just completed the writing assessment test. I got done with it a little early, and since we have a requirement to blog while attending this course, I figure this will make a good first introduction to me. I will post more as the course continues. The assignment was as follows:

I didn’t have very lofty goals when I first joined the Army. I wanted to get away from home as quickly as I could. And since the Army was willing to give me a decent paycheck to leave Florida, it seemed like the best way to go. As the years have gone by I’ve learned a great many things, both about myself and the Army. And as I am asked to define what being a member of the profession of arms means to me I can only say that to me it means that I am educated, successful, and respected.

First, being a member of the profession of arms means that I am educated. I did not have the money, the grades, nor the drive and discipline it requires to be successful in college when I graduated high school. I am glad I didn’t enroll in college right away as I most likely would have partied out by the second term. Once I found the motivation to go to school, I had the GI Bill to help fund my endeavor. I enjoy that the Army has had professional development schools for each stage of my advancement, both on the enlisted side and as an officer. During my civilian experiences, the most a civilian employer ever invested in my education was usually a half day of on the job training for the task I had to learn, and very limited opportunities to be reimbursed for my civilian education. Whereas with the Army, I used the GI Bill to earn my Bachelor’s degree, I use Tuition Assistance to pursue my Master’s, and there have always been benchmarks of professional education I must achieve if I wished to advance. I like that the Army is willing to invest in me, and that motivates me to make sure the Army’s invest is going to pay off.
 

Second, being a member of the profession of arms means that I am successful. I have been a member of the US Army for twenty-two years this September. I came in right out of high school with no jobs skills to speak of other than making pizzas, bagging groceries, and mowing lawns. I have gotten trained in many jobs skills since then, I’m the only member of my family with a college degree, I’ve gotten to work with some great people, and I’ve gotten to have many experiences that I never would have gone through if I had taken another path. I didn’t plan on making this a career when I first signed up, but things worked out that way. Now I can look back on where I started, and can say with that confidence that I have achieved more than I ever thought I would that first day at the Miami MEPS. Therefore, I can confidently say that my military career has been successful.
Lastly, being a member of the profession of arms means that I am respected. These days, it’s a nice gesture when a complete stranger buys my coffee because they see me in uniform. And it’s nice when I run into people from my past and there’s a mix of awe and wonder in their voice after they hear I’m still in the Army after so long and I’ve been deployed more than once. But these moments make me feel awkward and shy. Most of these people are strangers and truthfully I couldn’t care less about what they think. But on my last deployment, I learned that my peers respect me.
 

My Border Transition Team chief was someone I had a great deal of conflict with during the deployment. This stemmed from me being the procurement and contracting officer for our team and I refused to authorize and pay for many of the things he wanted me to spend money on. My refusal was based upon his wants and desires being illegal. If I had authorized those purchases then I would have paid the consequences, not him. Since I refused to budge on my stance, he rode me pretty hard. But the members of the team knew what was going on and they backed me up when it came time to air everything out with the higher chain of command. The Major had worn me down pretty good and I was beginning to wonder if it was worth the effort fighting him every day. The other guys didn’t have to speak out as they did. But the fact that they chose to validated that I had made the right decision and had earned their respect for standing my ground.
 

I’m pretty sure that not everyone sees these things in me. For the most part, when I someone asks me about why I’m here I tell them it’s because I’ve got bills to pay. It’s a simple answer and let’s them draw their own conclusions. But for me being a member of the profession of arms means that I am educated, successful, and respected by my peers.

I’ll post more as I continue through the course.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.