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I read this quote in a response posted to another thread: "The Army is a job while the Marine Corps is an identity."
Let me first state that I don't have a problem with my Marine comrades because the Corps is an identity and since 1775 the USMC has done an excellent job building their brand.
Is the Army just a job? This question isn't about the Marine Corps; it's about the Army and how we, as Soldiers, perceive ourselves and the profession of arms.
"Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier". I never considered the Army a "job". I earned the right to be called a Soldier and hanging up my uniform did not mean giving that up.
"Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier". What do you think?
Let me first state that I don't have a problem with my Marine comrades because the Corps is an identity and since 1775 the USMC has done an excellent job building their brand.
Is the Army just a job? This question isn't about the Marine Corps; it's about the Army and how we, as Soldiers, perceive ourselves and the profession of arms.
"Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier". I never considered the Army a "job". I earned the right to be called a Soldier and hanging up my uniform did not mean giving that up.
"Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier". What do you think?
Pride
Professionalism
Esprit de Corps
Values
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 12
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Whoever would say such a thing is blind.
We place ourselves in just as much danger, have just as much comraderie, and have long and storied history which shows the dedication of our Soldiers.
It is just the same as any other service member. This has to be much more than a job. This has to be something you are 100% dedicated to. You can not half-ass something as important as this, and for someone to call it a job is a farce at best.
We place ourselves in just as much danger, have just as much comraderie, and have long and storied history which shows the dedication of our Soldiers.
It is just the same as any other service member. This has to be much more than a job. This has to be something you are 100% dedicated to. You can not half-ass something as important as this, and for someone to call it a job is a farce at best.
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Its not just a job, its an adventure! Oh, wait, that's not the Army...that is very different...never mind
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Totally agree with you Stephen! Although I am more privy to the term: "Once Cav, Always Cav"......
And the 32 year old tattoo on the my bicep still says Cav Scout. Maybe faded these days, but I am still true to it in heart!!!!!!!!!
And the 32 year old tattoo on the my bicep still says Cav Scout. Maybe faded these days, but I am still true to it in heart!!!!!!!!!
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Short answer no, its not a job. You quit a job, you leave a job and you change jobs. The Army and military service is also more than a life style because you can change a life style.
The service is more than that. Its staff duty on Christmas, its deployments, it's pt 5 days a week, its knowing your a continuation of a tradition dating back 200+ years.
The Army has its own language, law and regulations and for 20+ years I didn't have a first name, just a rank. The service is that lump in your throat at 2300 when taps is played on post or the pride in a salute at retreat.
A job? no its not a job, you and the Army are one in the same, without soldiers there is no Army, without the Army there is no purpose.
You experience things that years later come back as a flood of memories, smells and sounds. I walk past a WWII billets and remember reception at Ft Knox, I smell the wax and remember fire watch. The M113 in front of the VFW is not a antique to me, I can still start and drive it, I remember the smell of diesel and track grease.
When you stand in formation for a promotion, award or a memorial to a fallen comrade no civilian can understand the emotions you feel or how these moments can change you.
I think that is what the real difference is here, your service in the Army or any military service changes you as a person. The experiences stay with you always.
Now if you don't feel the same because you never bought in to the whole total soldier concept that's ok, but you have missed something.
The service is more than that. Its staff duty on Christmas, its deployments, it's pt 5 days a week, its knowing your a continuation of a tradition dating back 200+ years.
The Army has its own language, law and regulations and for 20+ years I didn't have a first name, just a rank. The service is that lump in your throat at 2300 when taps is played on post or the pride in a salute at retreat.
A job? no its not a job, you and the Army are one in the same, without soldiers there is no Army, without the Army there is no purpose.
You experience things that years later come back as a flood of memories, smells and sounds. I walk past a WWII billets and remember reception at Ft Knox, I smell the wax and remember fire watch. The M113 in front of the VFW is not a antique to me, I can still start and drive it, I remember the smell of diesel and track grease.
When you stand in formation for a promotion, award or a memorial to a fallen comrade no civilian can understand the emotions you feel or how these moments can change you.
I think that is what the real difference is here, your service in the Army or any military service changes you as a person. The experiences stay with you always.
Now if you don't feel the same because you never bought in to the whole total soldier concept that's ok, but you have missed something.
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Your identity is however you live to identify yourself. For some people the Army is "just a job," others a way of life or an identity; it's what you make of it. Your passion will always trump any of your obligations and then you'll know where you stand.
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It sometimes seems that for the bureaucratic arm of the military, yes it is just a 9 to 5 job. Which is sad if true.
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SFC Stephen Hester
It is sad. I have known those who saw their assignment as just another job only with better pay than they would get working in a supermarket. What's even worse is that some of those wanted to stay in until retirement.
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Even though I'm getting out, being in the Army has always been part of my identity. I think I will always feel this way.
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SFC Stephen Hester
Absolutely, Sara. I still consider myself an NCO even after being retired 6 years.
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"Is the Army just a job?" I believe that as an insitution the Army is not just a job, it is a culture, potentially a career, a profession, and a lifestyle; however, an individual can consider the Army nothing more than a job. It is usually those soldiers that perform poorly and get out after serving the bare minimum time required because they see their time in service as something to be endured, or tolerated, rather than what it really is; an opportunity.
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SFC Stephen Hester
Right, Troy. There are those for whom the Army is just a job and nothing more. We need those kind, too. I think that the Army, as an institution, hasn't always done a good job of inculcating that "Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier" sense of identity. Perhaps DA's constant Madison Avenue re-branding campaigns has left some folks with an identity crisis.
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