DID YOU KNOW THAT...

Two weeks ago I shared the story about my battle buddy going in front of a promotion board and being asked a strange question. According to Army tradition, at least how it's been passed to me, there's some significance not just to what the truck is, but what's inside it. I've never actually seen what's inside, mind you. And there's a reason for that, which we'll get to later.

Let's see if you can name what three things can be found inside the truck, and why...

A TEAM...

No, not the A-Team, B.A.

"I am a Warrior and a member of a team." It's the second part of the first line of defining the American Soldier.

A team, according to dictionary.com, is a number of persons forming one of the sides in a game or contest. In sports we often times think of teams as an elite group of individuals, combined to yield the best results, to win. In the civilian world, in an office perhaps, a team might be put together to work on a particular project, to bring the company more profit. But when you think of the US Army, of soldiers, is the image of winning and 'being the best' the only thing that comes to mind? 

No. Because, to the American Soldier, "team" is just another word for...

A WARRIOR...

How do we define a warrior? Is he brave? Is he strong? Is he cunning? Does he fight side-by-side with a thousand other men, or does he lay alone and fire his weapon from afar? Is he a super-ripped cage fighter? Is he the driver of a M1A1? What values make someone a "warrior?"

The second line of the Soldier's Creed begins the process of defining the American Soldier: "I am a Warrior..."

QUOTED...

When war does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the
scabbard.
 - General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

THE CREED...

"The Soldier's Creed!"

Yelling this out in any place crowded with soldiers and you hear loud voices yelling out, in one voice, the words they have decided to live by. Although relatively new to the Army, the Creed echoes what it has meant to be a soldier since before the birth of our great nation. Each soldier finds a different part of the creed to resound within him. But the core, the essence, the... heart of the Creed is the same.

I would like to attempt to analyze the lines of this creed.

Military Athlete...

A great site that I came across about a year back is Military Athlete. The man behind the curtain, Rob Shaul is a 1990 US Coast Guard Academy graduate and also a certified strength and conditioning coach through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. The philosophy of his site is very apparent from the get-go:

"Your body is your primary weapon. If you are unfit or injured, you are a liability to your unit, not an asset. You are a professional athlete. Professional athletes use their bodies to earn a living. Soldiers are professional athletes. Your paycheck not only depends upon your fitness, but so too does your combat performance and survivability."

ITS Tactical...

I was doing a little bit of web-recon this morning, and came across this nifty website. Most of the authors have something of a military background. Although sometimes crass, the articles (from what little I've read) are good, and the equipment reviews are solid. Plus, I kinda dig their logo.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

My battle-buddy went before a board a while ago. They asked him a lot of standard questions (i.e. the General Orders, Unit History), but found himself stumped when a board member asked this question:

"How many trucks are there on an Army installation?"

This is one of my favorite board questions. A 'truck,' as many of us think of it, is a four-wheeled vehicle, usually with an open-bed rear used for hauling. How many of those you'll find on an installation would depend upon several factors, such as personnel, time of day, and the type of unit stationed there. So, how many trucks are there on an Army installation?

QUOTED...

Always do everything you ask of those you command.
-George S. Patton

THE BEGINNING...

Being that it is my first post, I figure it'd be fitting to tell you guys what this blog is going to be about. I decided to start this blog as a helper, or guide if you will, to enlisted soldiers. Most of these things will come straight out of US Army regulations, but put into simplified terms. Other things will come from real-life experience, words of wisdom and trivia from within my military career.