What does a good soldier mean to you?

Evan Duda — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 17:19:13 -0400

When you think of a good soldier (or Marine, sailor, airman, etcetera), who do you imagine? What qualities do you take into account in terms of character, strength, drive, and leadership? I know it's broad and I'm sure similar questions have been asked, but I just wanted to get your take on how someone who serves better themselves.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 29 at 2018 5:27 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 17:27:17 -0400

That's a deep question there. I'd say the first rule is to practice INTEGRITY. That will save your ass more than anything else. There's no easy answer to this question really. Find a Senior Soldier (preferably an NCO) to mentor you. I'd also suggest a book called the Three Meter Zone.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 29 at 2018 5:52 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 17:52:36 -0400

An excellent service man or woman always strives to do the best that they can at all times. They know their MOS and military skills needed to excel in this profession. They display drive and leadership skills, and never quit until the mission is accomplished. As mentioned by SFC Private RallyPoint Member, the most important trait is to display integrity in all actions.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 29 at 2018 8:17 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 20:17:55 -0400

A person who treats his/her soldiers well, communicates, and can be counted to accomplish the mission. The unfortunate byproduct of this process abuses the studs and studdetes with more missions assigned to them. Hence, I wanted to share the wealth.

Response by SMSgt Thor Merich made Oct 29 at 2018 10:18 PM

SMSgt Thor Merich — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 22:18:47 -0400

Honorable, selfless, motivated, a great team player, able to follow orders, works well under pressure in harsh environments, able to operate with little sleep, etc...

Response by Maj John Bell made Oct 29 at 2018 10:44 PM

Maj John Bell — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 22:44:02 -0400

Immediate, intelligent obedience.
Self-disciplined
Student of his MOS
Student of modern Warfare.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 30 at 2018 10:20 AM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 10:20:16 -0400

I think the easy answer to this is that you would want them to meet the competencies and attributes in the Army Leadership requirements model in ADRP 6-22. However, if you don't want to go with the book answer I would say that a quality soldier and person for that matter is one who is self aware and is always trying to be better. If you are driven to improve everyday and understand your strengths and weaknesses then you are going to be a quality soldier.

Response by CW2 Ron Jackson made Jul 17 at 2022 5:07 PM

CW2 Ron Jackson — Sun, 17 Jul 2022 17:07:29 -0400

Just keeping it simple. A "good" Soldier follows orders, can think at least a little critically and is rigidly flexible like Gumby.

Response by SSG Eric Blue made Oct 28 at 2022 1:39 PM

SSG Eric Blue — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 13:39:39 -0400

It used to mean "doing the right thing" and being morally proper for me when I was serving. Unfortunately for me, being a "good soldier" got me into more trouble than what the indoctrination of military service led me to believe that it would.