What is the best advice you can give a junior Soldier?

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 19:59:55 -0500

I would advise them to read Army Regulations & Field Manuals. This can help them develop into better future leaders.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 24 at 2013 1:30 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 01:30:42 -0500

You are spot on, SSG. I always tell my soldiers to self educate. Whether that is reading AR/FM's, learning soldiering skills like PMCSing a vehicle, or researching current events or military history. GI Joe said it best "Now you know. And knowing is half the battle."

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 24 at 2013 3:42 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 03:42:27 -0500

The best advice I can give to any junior Soldier is to take charge of their own career. I would tell them that it is very important for them to be at the forefront of everything that pertains to their career from advancement boards to military & civilian education to training to making important decisions that'll determine the course(s) of their career.

I would tell them to soak up every ounce of knowledge they can from all Leaders they come in contact with no matter if they're good, bad, ugly, indifferent, etc because every Leader leaves a piece of them with each Soldier they come in contact with.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 24 at 2013 9:53 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 09:53:32 -0500

I encourage them to sit down and think about where he or she wants to be in 5, 10, 15, and 20 years. Once the Soldier has completed that I encourage them to then write out what he or she needs to do to reach the goals (make benchmarks) . I then encourage them to write down those benchmarks in priority and place them somewhere he or she looks daily. As each benchmark is completed cross it off and move on to the next. I am a strong believer that goals are put on paper and dreams are in your mind.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 24 at 2013 11:24 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 11:24:20 -0500

I am currently an AIT Instructor and I can tell you one of the 1st things I tell Soldiers is to have patience. The Army is constantly changing and you always have to be flexible. I tell them they have to learn to respect eachother and work together. Not to be necessarily best friends but as a minimum "put up" with eachother enough to get the mission done because at the end of the day is not about them or us, is about the overall mission at hand. Definately always look into the regulation, never question your orders at the moment but go back and look in the reg. Also start working on college, unfortunately for us enlisted this is not pushed as hard as it should and then you have SSG as my self still working on Associate's and Bachelor's Degrees late in our careers.

Response by CW5 Sam R. Baker made Nov 24 at 2013 11:39 AM

CW5 Sam R. Baker — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 11:39:06 -0500

No matter what, get that civilian education. I used to go as a PFC just for the promotion points, but I was going. Then 11 years later as a CW2 I finally finished. Guess what? The education was one of the most keys factors in CW3/4/5 selection.

Went to a Hail and Farewell Thursday night and the 1SG was becoming a civilian, his advice to all was education. He had applied for and was qualified for about 25 jobs, but every job told him that due to his LACK of a degree that he was not competitive for the positions for which he applied.

With the number of online degrees and training, I cringe when I see formations wired together and playing video games for hours when the mission takes a pause, if they networked and took college, it is more productive, so take time and get some schooling.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 19 at 2014 12:42 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 12:42:22 -0500

Take College and use their TA!

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Jan 19 at 2014 12:46 PM

SFC Michael Hasbun — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 12:46:09 -0500

To always keep in the back of their mind; "It WILL get better, life ALWAYS changes, don't let the "now" get the better of your "future".

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 19 at 2014 11:39 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 23:39:48 -0400

I would advise them to set goals and work hard to achieve them. The Army is downsizing, and you now need to set yourself apart from your peers. Goals I would recommend setting are civilian education (if they are eligible based on the new TA rules), try to attend as much military training/schools as possible, compete to go to soldier of the month boards, learn their job as best as possible, and stay motivated! The Army is getting a lot more competitive, so they are going to need to set themselves apart from their peers to advance.

Oh, yeah, and one last piece of advice, stay out of trouble. If it feels even slightly wrong, it probably is!

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 20 at 2014 12:00 AM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 00:00:54 -0400

I was going to put something really inspirational, but the others have already posted good advice. Though it sounds a bit mean, and we should value input from all. For the first little while,

"Mouth shut, eyes and ears open".

There is so much learning to do. Things aren't like they are in the civilian world. I've seen all of the veterans mentioning how they have to pretty much start over when they transfer into the civilian sector. It is an eye opener. However, transitioning into the military is also starting from the bottom, even if you were a hot shot civilian, the military is so different. They need to sit back and learn how things work. Soon they will have their chance to make an impact, but there is no book, or even basic training, that can tell you how the military operates. It's all time and experience.

Response by CH (CPT) Heather Davis made Apr 7 at 2014 8:26 PM

CH (CPT) Heather Davis — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 20:26:03 -0400

SSG Gordon: My advice would be maintain Military bearing at all times. I would volunteer to the VFW and have those that served before you mentor and guide you. Know your regulations, know how to write a Memorandum for record. Know how to request an open door policy to talk to the CSM. Ensure that you surround yourself with others that have integrity! Be cautious with social media and how you present yourself to others. Know the difference between rite of passage, and hazing. Know the role of a Chaplain, and how to be your own advocate. Do not allow others to belittle you, or sexually harass you. Be careful what you do in uniform!

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 9 at 2014 9:40 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 09:40:56 -0400

I think to add on to everyone's ideas is to let them know that if you don't worry so much about what everyone else is doing and ensure your tasks are done and complete you will make it a lot further than that Soldier that always wants to ask why me why not so and so.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 14 at 2014 9:15 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 21:15:39 -0400

This is going to sound pretty cliche'...but...the advice I give is to learn the 11 principles of leadership (I guess I am showing my age). The 11 principles of leadership cover most everything stated in this discussion. They also let a Soldier know what they should expect from their leadership. I know they Army stopped teaching the 11 Principles, however the same principles are stated (sort of and not nearly so eloquently) in ADP 6-22.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 4 at 2015 2:46 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 14:46:33 -0500

Write down and keep a record of everything you do, keep an "I love me book", analyze good leaders as well as toxic leaders so you can assess for yourself what type of leader you want to be. Keep your own "tool bag" for yourself.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 4 at 2015 3:09 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 15:09:03 -0500

This is kind of a jumble of thoughts, but the short version of what I tell all my troops:

Live the Army Values, Soldiers Creed, and NCO Creed.....Be where you are supposed to be, be on time, and be in the right uniform. Find that leader demonstrates the highest level of competence and soak up their knowledge. Learn from all everyone what works and doesn't work. If you fail, get back up, don't let it define you. Get an education. The Army won't always be there for you, prepare for it's absence. Maintain your family, because after the Army, it's all you have left. Finally, we are family and you represent the less than 10% of the population that has ever served in defense of our Nation. And as of right now you represent 0.5% that is currently serving. Those are pretty significant numbers and show the importance of what we all do. Serve proudly and leave the military better than which you found it.

"Hard times don't last, hard people do!"

Response by 1SG Jason Fitzpatrick made May 12 at 2015 12:42 PM

1SG Jason Fitzpatrick — Tue, 12 May 2015 12:42:46 -0400

Don't be part of the problem, be part of the solution. The troop leading procedures apply to everything in life, not just the Military, if you see a problem, fix it first and find the cause second, everybody...Every Soldier has an NCO. Find that crusty old bastard and learn the professional of arms.

Response by PVT Private RallyPoint Member made May 12 at 2015 1:00 PM

PVT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 May 2015 13:00:18 -0400

Is it possible for an active duty soldier to get college credit from the skills developed while serving?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2015 4:49 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 13 May 2015 16:49:48 -0400

Stay positive and always observe! Take the good with the bad! If a higher ranking official leads a certain way take something good and bad from that individual so that way once they are in a position; they know what to do and not to do to soldiers! Never demoralize anyone else! Be willing to discuss and release information to those who want it! Those who don't, find a way to get through to them! Maintain PT and learn regulations!

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 15 at 2015 2:27 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 14:27:04 -0400

I am going to have to chapter you for drug use, however, I still care about you as a person. I am ordering you to say good things about yourself 3 times a day at the mirror. You hit a large speed bump, but not a wall.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 16 at 2015 6:53 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 18:53:48 -0400

Be motivated.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 22 at 2019 6:04 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 18:04:07 -0400

Know your job. Don't use the tm as a wheelchair, but a walking stick. Having hands on knowledge is the only way to learn the whole job, a tm is like looking at a blurry photo