How do you address any challenges with getting young soldiers involved and having pride in your unit?

I hit my point when rules started to change with respect to fresh meat just starting out I seen where it was headed way back then and it has gone way too GD FAR! I say bring back the old days!!

Esprit decor isn’t something you can teach in a class. You either have it or you don’t

That’s discouraging to hear, indeed, I wonder what the disconnect is among newer enlistees today and their sense of connection with the unit.

If you have to install or promote pride they don’t belong in the military

Poor “leaders” and even worse MANAGERS! Too many officers plotting and planning their careers and making sure sure they don’t step on a turd and derail it. Get in there, where the backbone is and support it. The career will cone. Screw the evals and decorations!

I was 11B we had M113 races there was nobody in the 113. Each team was 3 people and 2 tanker bars. Ready set go. Also got to document other units they had talent shows, family days where single soldiers mingled with the married troops. Got to see a unit have a show and tell, really cool one captain brought his daughter it was very cool. The thing is every one has to get involved from the lowest ranking to the highest ranking. Try an ice cream day or try for a world record making the longest banana split.

Spend some informal time telling the the stories of the “Bridge in the sky”, the “Little Sea Horse Division” or the “Damed Engineers”

Stories the Engineer Regiment should propagate at Leonard Wood.

Pride comes from being very good at your job. For example: if you are an admin unit, no one gives a crap about admin until pay is disturbed. In that case then admin is shitty and little more than a glorified bureaucracy. Hardly the kind of stuff that would motivate anyone let alone young soldiers.

Now, take those young soldiers, tell them they are going overseas to support or actively join in operations with Orange Group then you will see some motivation.

No one likes to do work that goes unappreciated or isnt important. To phrase this in the terms of a clinical psychiatrist:
" we have to have some kind of sense that we are not powerless to effect the world or our circumstances within it".

As the commander of a USAR Engineer Company from 1990-93 I made attendance at the Holiday dinner mandatory. Drill began at noon that day. Annual class A uniform inspection in late afternoon before being released to be back at the American Legion before 1800 for the meal. Free meal for Enlisted. Low cost for any guests and all are free to leave immediately after the meal. Most comments from my soldier's guests were positive. One date a year in nice clothes with their young soldier in uniform. Most stayed a few hours for dancing and socializing. Not too late as formation at 0730 tommorow.

I began my career at 17 and it was never an issue for me