Persuasive Essay Sample: Military and Professional Bearing are An Imperative Necessity in The Army

The purpose of this essay is to explain why military and professional bearing are an imperative necessity in the Army. The three main fundamentals of military and professional bearing focused on in this essay are confidence, the Army Values, and uniformity. The Army defends America from enemies foreign and domestic. Without the Army, America would be defenseless and no longer known as the most powerful force known to the world. Without military and professional bearing, the Army would collapse.

Confidence is vital for every Soldier to have. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines confidence as “A feeling or consciousness of one’s power or of reliance on one’s circumstances.” Soldiers who lack confidence will not be able to look inside of themselves to find solutions that are too simple or complex. In today’s Current Army climate, Soldiers do more and more every passing day. Micromanagement will never work as a leadership tool. No longer are the days where every Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) does the same field training exercises. Every Solder needs to take charge of a situation or lead with utmost confidence when asked. An Unconfident Soldier is an ineffective Soldier. In recent times, The SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) has caused widespread uncertainty and doubt across the world. A recent Reagan National Defense Survey found that only 56 percent of Americans believe that America has the strongest Army, a drop of 14 points. (Washington Examiner People Losing Trust…) The article continues to state the decline is due to the part of unconfident leaders who spent millions to activate Guard units at the possibility of public unrest. The American people want strong confident leaders who will stand their ground on uncertain problems. The Creed of the Non Commissioned Officer states, “…we are professionals, Noncommissioned Officers, leaders!” Confident leaders are professional leaders who uphold the standard. The Army requires confident leaders who will exercise military and professional bearing to increase the confidence of their Soldiers.

Secondly, the Army Values are not possible to live by without military bearing. Basic Training is the first step for many in their Army career. Soldier’s time in Basic Training teaches recruits military bearing and the Army Values. William Harvey Carney became the first African-American to receive Medal of Honor. Attached to the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment after volunteering in the Civil War, he lived by the Army Values. Tasked with taking Fort Wagner, a Confederate stronghold, the Regiment relentlessly charged. During the charge, the Regiment’s flag bearer fell to his death. William saw the flag in the dirt and picked it up without second thought. The assault failed yet, even with multiple gunshot wounds and through retreat, the flag never hit the ground again thanks to William Harvey Carney. William was quoted to say after the battle, “Boys, I only did my Duty; the old flag never touched the ground!” (Business Insider Medal of Honor Recipients). Such incredible displays of duty are impossible if Soldiers do not have the military bearing to stay focused and act on their sense of duty.

Lastly, uniformity is one of the few great equalizers the Army uses to maintain control over their Soldiers. Various culture backgrounds, differing political stances, and opposing religion pose the threat of destroying the Army from within. Uniformity only works if Soldiers have the bearing to maintain and follow Army regulations. Soldiers all wear the Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP) and the Army Physical Fitness uniforms (APFU). Soldiers all fall into formations with strict regulations. (TC 3-21.5) From small squads, to companies, to whole battalions, they will both march in the same step and spacing. Military bases offer religion services to accommodate to each differing religion. When a Soldier puts on their uniform, the person who they were no longer matters. The great John F. Kennedy once said, “The unity of freedom has never relied on uniformity of opinion.” Soldiers cannot have a personal opinion on divisive topics. There is uniformity all across the Army so that the Army will always be able to achieve its mission. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines bearing as “A person’s way of standing or moving.” Good posture and moving with a sense of purpose creates uniformity for all Soldiers to follow creating a positive, professional culture within the Army. Military and professional bearing ties in directly with uniformity. One cannot be without the other.

In summary, the importance of military and professional bearing, using the three main topics, is vital to the overall health of the Army. The three main fundamentals of military and professional bearing focused on in this paper are the following: confidence, the Army Values, and uniformity. Confident Soldiers are important because the everyday responsibilities of Soldiers are vastly different from previous years. Micromanagement of Soldiers is never effective. Next, the Army Values are a set of core standards each Soldier must follow. With military bearing, the Army Values becomes an easily attainable standard. Lastly, uniformity helps the Army maintain control over their Soldiers and creates a collective cohesive Army. Without uniformity, the pillars upon which the Army stands upon would collapse. Soldiers can uphold the standard of uniformity only by exercising everyday military and professional bearing. Military and professional bearing are an easy yet effective way that keep the cogs turning in the machine known as the Army.