As leaders, what strengths and weaknesses do we see in our Soldiers coming out of BCT/AIT?

2014-05-12T15:45:47-04:00

We've all heard that we have a softer Army, and that things aren't done like they used to be. And, I'm not asking whether that's good or bad. But, with the "young" (whether by age or by military experience) Soldiers coming in to our ranks, what strengths do you see being brought, and what challenges are you having to face in training them to be the Soldiers that they you want in your unit? I welcome input from everyone, not just Squad Leader or higher, because even junior Soldiers need to be looking left and right to help their buddy, as well as learn from them. Feel free to speak up and speak out! Thanks for getting involved!

Response by MAJ Steve Sheridan made May 12 at 2014 4:30 PM

2014-05-12T16:30:34-04:00

Been awhile since I've had interaction with our new young Soldiers, so will be interested to hearing what others have to say.

I would think with the downsizing of our Military, that Recruiters get to be more selective with who they let in, so we should see higher quality Soldiers comingout of BCT/AIT.

Response by SFC Stephen Carden made May 12 at 2014 4:42 PM

2014-05-12T16:42:22-04:00

I think young Soldiers these days bring strengths and weaknesses. Let's start with the strengths. I think young Soldiers today are very technically oriented, probably because they all grew up with video games. The Army is getting more technologically advanced, so this is a good thing. They are also way smarter these days than when I came in. A better educated Army is a better all-around Army. Unless, that is, they use their intelligence to troubleshoot the Army or their leaders and pick holes in every order, policy, and regulation. This is where weaknesses come in. Yes, the higher average education of young Soldiers can be a weakness, not necessarily for the Soldier, but for the Army, morale, and unit cohesion. They are less likely to blindly follow orders without questioning them, which causes more time to be used thoroughly explaining why you want a ditch dug instead of just saying, "dig that ditch". Smartass Soldiers challenge NCOs and officers and create dissension and confusion in the ranks. Another weakness in young Soldiers today is resiliency. Most kids are just not mentally or physically strong enough when they first come in. Some persevere and build that strength, others fold in BCT and quit. They are so used to being treated with kid gloves on the outside that they can't take somebody yelling at them. They are couch potato gamers, so they can't do ten pushups. Their bicycle helmeted, knee-padded, politically correct, no child left behind, everyone gets a trophy for participating, never had to work outside, hand sanitized existence has made them weak! Today's Soldiers really do have it easier though. Remember having to order pubs? Now, you just Google the reg. Remember having to fill out every form by hand or by typewriter? Not anymore. Remember SQTs? Shining boots? Pressing BDUs? All gone. Screw it....I am throwing out my stress card!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2014 9:51 AM

2014-05-13T09:51:44-04:00

Sir, I am honestly disappointed with most of our new soldiers. Many of them show up from basic/AIT already tryin to get a med board. Many of the others have absolutely no discipline or respect for NCO's when they first arrive. They also tend to try and go to jag with every little thing they disagree with. Between the increasingly poor family environments and the loosened standards at Basic/AIT soldiers just aren't the same. I remember showing up at my new unit terrified of senior NCO's. Although that may not be ideal I would trade it for what we have now.

Response by CPT Brandon Christensen made May 13 at 2014 11:49 AM

2014-05-13T11:49:43-04:00

Like what MAJ Sheridan mentioned, with the downsizing of the military, I believe recruiters are being more selective of who they try to get on board. I believe we will start to see more educated, obedient (in the sense that they will respect elders/higher ranking members), and will contribute to our organization. Even though we will get these ideal candidates, it's up to TRADOC on setting the standards on how BCT/AIT should be ran. With the downsizing going on, should we revert ourselves back to the harsh/difficult, no stress-card situations at BCT/AIT and toughen our service members up again for an elite force?

For strengths, I do see a lot of compassion to serve from many of the "recruits" coming in to our units (on the NG side). I do see a lot of them wanting to learn and make the most of their time on the weekends. I have even seen many PVT's stepping up to the ball and leading classes or taking that leap of faith and stepping out of their comfort levels to ask questions make those mistakes and learn from them; which in turn teaches their battle buddies what not to do.

For weaknesses, I do see quite a bit of laziness. With smartphones and access to the internet everywhere, I am constantly seeing service members on facebook or what have you between classes, after/before formations, basically any free time they have. Instead of conversing with their fellow service members, bettering themselves physically and mentally they need to post status and check to see how their friends are doing. I am guilty of this as well, but have caught myself quite a bit and put myself in check and put away my phone and only pull it out when needed.