How can I help my Soldiers' morale?

As a junior enlisted that was also at a morale sucking unit, i can say your attitude has a direct impact on the soldiers you lead. My first line always had a level head and rarely let us see his frustration

Get a bag of straws for your boys and one for yourself and suck it up then PT them.

Focus on what you can affect. And look down at finding solutions rather than up.

I do know that morale is needed to get motivation. Try sharing your life stories with local nonprofits that want to help soldiers.

If you believe you know the cause I recommend speaking to the next person in the COC. Ask if they feel as if there are issues and what they can do to guid you.

My favorite analogy for thinking about false motivation and how to use it is: Waking up at zero dark thirty to go on a PT run and yelling at everyone to get a move on it. Sure no one wants to do this, except for that one guy, but it is effective.

How are they sucking the life out of them?

If you can infuse some fun it will go a long way.

The biggest thing is identifying what specifically is reducing motivation and morale. If it is something that can be changed and overcome, morale will improve. If it isn't something that can be changed, the best recommendation is the "fake it, till you make it" mindset. If you set a positive mindset, your junior troops will follow. I personally don't like using the false motivation because I would rather the troops in my charge be genuinely enthusiastic about something.

Just for a couple examples: A group of my junior Marines weren't so enthusiastic about getting up every morning and PTing with me. They'd rather go to the gym by themselves and do their own thing. So I instituted a "PT fun day" once a week. We still got a workout in, but made it more competitive and fun so they were now looking forward to PT a bit more.

I also had one of my former Marines get into a bit of trouble when they were young and stupid. He was getting pretty down on himself. I told him that he needed to present a positive outward appearance even if he was getting the book thrown at him because it demonstrates that he can bounce back and recover. Sure enough, he kept a positive mindset and his performance improved and eventually recovered.

I don't know what is sucking the motivation from your troops, most things I've dealt with are a case by case basis. But when in doubt, Lead By Example.

The best advice I can give you is learn to coast or "ride the wave". During your career you are going to come across outstanding leadership and examples of what not to be. Not everything is a fight sometimes it's okay as a leader to put aside the fight mentality and to coast especially if the wave stands to crush you. Take a step back and change your perspective so you can better react to the situation. If that means getting your ducks in a row and taking it higher then do not hesitate.