Simple question. Is the Army going too soft?

SFC Amir Kurdy — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 23:21:59 -0400

My unit getting a lot of new soldiers. And I think they lack discipline and motivation. Is the Army going too soft because we are not taking Alpha soldiers anymore?

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 16 at 2015 3:09 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 03:09:18 -0400

That's where you come in, SFC Amir Kurdy.
It isn't a matter of what the clay looks like when they report for duty, or what shape it is in. It is what you can make out of them.
Being an "Alpha" comes from confidence.
Confidence is born of technical and tactical competence, and achieving goals.
Train them. Most will rise to the occasion, some won't.
I have every confidence that you have what it takes to make these troops into Soldiers.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 16 at 2015 3:21 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 03:21:00 -0400

Hey SSG Kurdy,

Bottom line it is. As NCOs we need to take the army back over like it was long ago. But it will take the NCOs that are in right now to start standing up and lay the ground work. It is important especially for the young NCOs. Once we take it back like before when all the issues was not here. Then we can fix the next generation that comes in soft. I need your help and everyone that have stripes on everyday. We can do this.

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made Oct 16 at 2015 5:28 AM

CSM Michael J. Uhlig — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 05:28:04 -0400

The next Squad Leader will be answer that question as it depends on how you train these individuals....it is up to YOU to be as hard/direct as needed.....so, are you the right leader to take on this challenge? Was the Army too soft promoting you? See, the dynamics of it all changes when we look from a different lens, a different perspective. We are all empowered to develop the future leaders. It is a tremendous responsibility and one that I am sure you hold dearly. Now, the challenge is for you to establish the job book for them, to establish a training strategy to ensure your teams can operate independently and your squad collectively supporting the platoon and company mission. There are a few that are soft within our ranks, willing to sit back and mark time. I dont think my Army is too soft, do you?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 16 at 2015 6:34 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 06:34:55 -0400

They better not be my 35P from DLI. Actually I know is not them. Seriously, if you get a "soft" Soldier, take the opportunity as a leadership challenge and teach that Soldier discipline and motivation.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 16 at 2015 9:06 AM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 09:06:59 -0400

So enters the entitled generation into the Army.

Response by CPT Griff Tatum made Oct 16 at 2015 11:55 AM

CPT Griff Tatum — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 11:55:25 -0400

To people who say or question that it is getting too soft, I often hear them follow that statement with, "when I was in the (blank blank blank) it was much harder. However, I think senior NCOs and officers are just accustomed to the Army lifestyle, and forget what it is like to be a brand new recruit, and even a newly promoted Specialist. Take a minute and think about how much you knew when you were in their shoes, and compare that to what you know now. That usually dictates the speed and direction of which I take my voice as a leader in the Army. Sometimes putting yourself in the shoes you once filled but have forgotten is enough to humble you back to a leader that people can truly feel confident about. It is easy to say that our Army has gotten easier, or needs to be harder, but maybe that's just the way it seems over the years and maybe we're getting better over the years in how we talk to people and perform daily tasks.

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Oct 16 at 2015 11:58 AM

SSG Warren Swan — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 11:58:41 -0400

A Civilian wants to enlist and become a "Soldier". They are moved to random locations where dedicated Drill Sergeants take these outstanding citizens and proceed to break them down to nothing with the intent of brining them back in the mold of a "Soldier". Their time is very limited and every minute counts but they do what they can in that time span. These new Solders graduate and move onto their first units where now it's up to the TM LDR, SQD LDR, and PSG to take that Solder from "soft" clay and harden it into it's final form. So if you think it's going to soft, it's up to you to "harden" it. You're the first line of success or failure with these new troops. Besides they don't need to be "Alpha" per se, YOU'RE the Alpha, and when they are ready to lead, they take the reins from you and then they are the Alpha. There can be only one.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 16 at 2015 12:20 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 12:20:50 -0400

As an E-4 TL I see it every time we get a new guy in, 80% of the time it's like these guys have forgotten any of the military bearing or discipline that they were taught coming out of basic. I look at it this way, I want my squad to be as squared away and disciplined as I feel like I should be so project that imagine to them. The army will only be as soft as we allow it and catching it and molding it at the lowest enlisted soldier possible is key.

Response by SGT William Howell made Oct 16 at 2015 1:06 PM

SGT William Howell — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 13:06:42 -0400

SFC Amir Kurdy It is not the fault of your new soldiers. It is the Army's fault. When we needed bodies they lowered the standard so more troops were were able to deploy. We never raised the bar back up.

I remember a paper I had to read in college for a sociology class I had. (It was a long time ago so I have forgot a lot of it so I may have some of it not exactly correct.) Any who, After 'Nam nobody was joining the military. No recruiters in any branch were making their goals. The Marines were some of the hardest hit. This Sargent Major in the Corps comes up with this wacky idea. Basically, he says that the Marines are the toughest, meanest, best disciplined branch of the services. They are going to tell the men they are trying to recruit just that. That they are looking for "A Few Good Men". If you become a Marine, you will earned it. They adjusted their training to encompass just that. They made basic longer so they could teach history, pride, discipline, and establish a fraternal system of the Marine Corps. They had the recruiters tell potential recruits that boot camp was going to be tough and if they did not think they were cut out for it, the other branches were just a couple doors down they could go see them. Instead of lowering the standards to allow more people through basic, they raised the bar. It worked. The Marine Corps has never missed a recruiting goal since they started this.

My point is this, in the Army you take what you get. You have two options, settle for the standards set or you raise the bar. It is human nature that people want to please those over them. So if you tell them that they are going to be better than those in the next squad and you set the standards to achieve that goal they should rise to the occasion. It is the road less traveled, but you make the difference in how a young soldier becomes a senior NCO.

A wise man told me once, " You know how to eat an entire elephant? One bite at a time."

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 16 at 2015 4:24 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 16:24:30 -0400

That's up to you, Big Sarge! Be the best NCO and leader that you can be.

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Oct 17 at 2015 11:20 PM

LTC Bink Romanick — Sat, 17 Oct 2015 23:20:52 -0400

SFC Amir Kurdy You should have been in the old army. We used to have 25 mi ruck marches uphill both ways carrying 75 lb rucks and mortar baseplates in minus 30 deg weather.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 18 at 2015 1:20 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sun, 18 Oct 2015 13:20:33 -0400

I think they continue on the trajectory of their youth growing up.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 18 at 2015 4:56 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 18 Oct 2015 16:56:00 -0400

SFC Amir Kurdy I was just discussing this issue the other day and the conclusion I can come to is that it isn't only the army that's having issues, but a nation as a whole.

Let me explain.

Our primary new soldiers are fresh faced 17-20ish year olds. These new soldiers are a differant generation than you and I. They are also the fruition of a growing problem our nation has of coddling children and teens
You see we have effectively extended the adolescent period longer in our nation than what is healthy. This period being extended, psychologically, prevents youngsters from developing as the should. Into functioning/functional adults.

This is evident by a large number of our young now being unable to handle simple issues. Being easily overwhelmed/stressed/having problems dealing with minor issues and having a tendency to pass the blame to others or an inability to accept personal responsibility for their actions.
They don't consider themselves adults and consequently don't act as such.

I'd say this trend is only going to continue and worsen until someone "forces" them to grow up.

This isn't just applicable to the army but to all branches of service and all universities are encountering the issue as well.

That said we certainly don't help the issue as it seems with some recent changes only feed into the problem of "being babied"

CSM Michael J. Uhlig would love to hear your opinion on this thought.

Response by CPL Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2015 11:56 PM

CPL Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 23:56:52 -0500

I don't think they army is getting soft, it's a unit type of deal if the unit is soft most of the soldiers will be soft as well, and vice versa, it also comes down on NCOs as they play a big role of shaping up the soldiers, bottom line in my opinion WE need to go to war because garrison life is unbearable and I think it the reason that contributed to the issue that you expressed.

Response by SFC Kenneth Hunnell made Oct 17 at 2017 1:27 PM

SFC Kenneth Hunnell — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 13:27:17 -0400

Already there