What is the purpose of the "no profanity" policy in WLC?

as a former WLC instructor I can tell you that if I was standing up in front of you dropping f-bombs every other minute you probably wouldn't listen much. I can also tell you that your MOS or how many deployments you have should not determine how often you get to cuss. In a school house environment such as WLC it is a mix of MOSs from 11B to 91L with male and female Soldiers. Not all Soldiers care for the colorful language that others have become a custom to. Save the F bombs for the field or your fire team and leave them out of school and public areas.... you'll drop it at the wrong time in front of the wrong CSM (who may have been with his daughter at lunch) one day... trust me!

Simply put, swearing is not professional behavior.

Any form of communication that can accomplished with swearing can be done without it in an equally effective way.

It's not about "suppressing culture," it's showing that there are more tools in the toolbox than just a hammer.

The deeper into the ranks we go, the more likely we are to interact with individuals outside our specific subset, and we must be able to use our full set of communication tools. Dropping an F-bomb while standing next to the Chief of Staff's wife does not present the image of a Professional Soldier, when you can say the exact same thing without profanity, and make her giggle instead.

Profanity is a violation of the UCMJ, Article 134, Indecent Language. The "point" is adherence to military policy/ law. It's not political correctness, it's not coddling, and it's certainly not new. It's been the law for decades. We just happen to be a part of several generations where everyone discusses regulations without reading them.

Words and actions represent who we are as an individual, in our family, and in our profession. It all represents you. Leaders inspire: words and action.

Do you want to be viewed as a professional and as a leader? The choice of words is yours.

SSG Timothy Sharpe, I enlisted on 9AUG69, came up through the ranks and there is no profanity, Army or otherwise, that I have not heard or used, and sometimes used with great frequency and eloquence (a la GEN George Patton)!
However, I was a Tactical (training) Officer at OCS for a few years, and I made a conscious decision to not use any profanity when addressing officer candidates. I never put my hands on one either. I felt like if I was training future officers (and ladies and gentlemen), I'd try to behave that way myself. That was just me, and no superior officer even suggested it. However, the lack of use of profanity did not diminish my job effectiveness in the least. If I felt an officer candidate was not up to standard and needed to leave OCS, believe me, he/she left!
I also did a tour as a detailed inspector general, and as a general rule, the words that I wanted to say were most often shelved and delivered in a much more benevolent and polite manner.
Otherwise, it was Army language as usual!
CPT L S CSM Charles Hayden CPT (Join to see) SGT (Join to see)

My 1st SGT in basic was from Louisiana and had a fourth grade education. I took basic at Polk. He could not speak without every other word a nasty cuss word, and I mean nasty. I can't repeat some of the things he said on RP, but all it did for me was realize how ignorant he was. The training NCO's were very professional and taught me a lot about structure, thinking ahead, and how to be a good soldier. It paid off when I went to Nam. I didn't feel as lost and confused as some my friends did. I paid it forward by helping them to understand better what was expected from them in combat situations. The first thing I tried to instill in them was self confidence. I thought if they could develop that, everything else would fall into place. I never swore or showed any disrespect to them. They l in turn, respected me, and trusted me.

We have become a candy army. We are an organization designed to kill people and break things, and now we do this politely, with professional PC. Awesome, hope your future enemies enjoy your rigid professionalism...

It wasn't a "rule" back in the Stone Ages when I was an SGL, lol, it was frowned upon as by today's standards it is considered unprofessional or utilized by the uneducated....occasional usage I see no problem with, however, I am not as "sensitive" as some!!

And to what end is cursing going to lead? Is it a shortage in vocabulary that causes one to revert to cursing? It certainly is not something that leads to a better outcome. In most instances the intent is demeaning and derogatory. Not qualities that align with:
Loyalty
Duty
Respect
Selfless Service
Honor
Integrity
Personal Courage

At the WLC you are taking the next step in becoming a leader of men who may or may not want to do what you are telling them to do, but you must give them orders nonetheless. It is better if it comes from the mouth of a leader whom they respect than one whom they may fear but most likely will despise.

The choice is yours.

I entered the Army in 1956. During basic training and AIT I was a trainee squad leader. Later, I became a fire team leader, a squad leader, a platoon sergeant, a 1st Sergeant, then a brigade operations sergeant, then an armored battalion CSM, then a supply and transport battalion CSM, then a brigade. I never used profanity around my men and as i progressed up in positions of responsibility, my men never used profanity when talking with me. Good leaders do not need to use profanity. In fact, I knew many officers and senior NCOs that considered an individuals's vocabulary when filling out efficiency ratings. I worked for eight LTCs and COLs.........not one of them resorted to profanity....and two of them became general officers.....one three stars. That was in my career of 26 years, 5 months, and 2 days of service

Profanity is unprofessional........whether in combat or civilian life.

Retired CSM, US Army

Between 1996 and 2003 I worked at the Pentagon. During that period I once heard profanity. It was not commented upon, but it did not occur again. It does not aid the work effort and is not professional. Perhaps the NCOES schools are trying to make a point about professionalism.

Perhaps it is because profanity reflects a lack of vocabulary, demeaning the image of the user. It can offend many people in our society. It doesn't carry any more meaning and makes you sound like a jerk. And who wants to follow a jerk? It isn't an easy habit to break, but once you have done so you really are much better for it. Those you lead will actually respect you more and follow you. Isn't that the purpose of the school?

Having been in the Infantry as an Airborne, Ranger I appreciate the question. To answer the question let me digress. The better we can express ourselves the clearer our message will be to those we are trying to communicate. People will actually understand us faster if we eliminate the F-bomb every third word in a sentence. The F-bomb not only hinders the communication, but it is also a sign of a lack of vocabulary to express ourselves. The average person uses about 3-5000 word vocabulary. Someone like William F Buckle,Jr. had a conversational use of about 10,000 words. Every one understood what he said, politicians, reporters and the average american. By dropping the four letter words we will not hurt or hinder us rather help us. It took me quite a while to drop my Salt & Pepper language when I left the military and it was just a "bad" habit. RLTW! it is not RLTFW:))

A "look" can say so much more than words. Learn how to cuss with your eyes and you'll motivate rocks to move out with alacrity...

Indecent Language is clearly under Article 134, what is the point of using such profane language anyway when none of it makes sense anyway and most people don't even know what half of it means or even where it originated from.

Would you want your kids to talk that way to you? If you do it then they will do it!! There is always a better way or better word to use to say what you have to say and still get your point across as effectively as if you used profanity.

It isn't culture, it's ignorance!! Just so you know, I was Infantry too!!

you are a professional. thats the purpose. to intill professionalism in young NCO's, because very few have it.

240 years of culture y you say? Consider this:
Washington's Order Against Profanity

The General is sorry to be informed that the foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing, a vice hitherto little known in our American Army is growing into fashion. He hopes that the officers will, by example as well as influence, endeavor to check it and that both they and the men will reflect that we can little hope of the blessing of Heaven on our army if we insult it by our impiety and folly. Added to this it is a vice so mean and low without any temptation that every man of sense and character detests and despises it.

(Signed,) George Washington

I can't agree with the statement of ..."240 years of culture" without asking the question "whose culture?" I enlisted in the Army on August 22, 1966, long before Gunnery Sergeant Hartman ever scorched movie screens across the nation. Called into the HQ office to update a record, I noted a board displayed above the Captain's door. Engraved on it were the words, "Profanity is the mark of an ignorant man." Unexpected, puzzling even; given where I was at the time. I've had an incredibly unique military experience in that I wore Enlisted rank, then Warrant Officer, and finally walked out the back door after 30 years as a full Colonel never, in all that time, ever forgetting those words.

Anyone choosing to take on a Leadership role in any capacity needs to have a clear understanding of exactly what the word "Leader" stands for. A Leader lives by standards set to demonstrate the finest aspects of the military, not the lowest. There is no place in any aspect of today's military (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard) to substitute proper language for gutter filth profanity. As a matter of fact, Army Regulation is crystal clear on this issue, and anyone using such as a matter of course may find themselves on the wrong end of a harassment claim, subject to UCMJ oversight.

Commentary herein quotes Lt. General George S. Patton's motivational speeches during 1943~44 as a reference to justify use of gratuitous profanity. Note the following: "On each occasion, he would wear his polished helmet, full dress uniform, and gleaming riding boots, and carry a riding crop to snap for effect. Patton frequently kept his face in a scowl he referred to as his "war face." He would arrive in a Mercedes and deliver his remarks on a raised platform surrounded by a very large audience seated around the platform and on surrounding hills. Each address was delivered to a division-sized force of 15,000 or more men."

NOT to women, children, families, office environments, or anyone alive today in 2015! There was a WORLD WAR going on at the time, and the need for such is clearly understood. I have no problem with what's said out in the field...I support that. Just have a clear understanding of the difference between the "field" and "garrison" and conduct yourself accordingly whether you're in a leadership position or not.

Do you think being vulgar is a good way to get your point across? 240 years of culture, really? where are you getting this information from? Any person that wears Corporal stripes or above are "Non-Commissioned Officers" and that person is responsible for "Setting the example" How many of your subordinates really respect you for talking like a "Low Life"!

From the papers of General George Washington:
The General is sorry to be informed that the foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing, a vice hitherto little known in our American Army is growing into fashion. He hopes that the officers will, by example as well as influence, endeavor to check it and that both they and the men will reflect that we can little hope of the blessing of Heaven on our army if we insult it by our impiety and folly. Added to this it is a vice so mean and low without any temptation that every man of sense and character detests and despises it.

(Signed,) George Washington

Just because those before us couldn't express themselves without profanity, does not mean we have to lower ourselves to that standard.

MSG(R) Clifford