What club, group or sport most influenced your leadership character as a kid?

CH (MAJ) William Beaver — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 18:34:33 -0400

When you were a child or teen, were you in Scouting, BETA Club, church group, 4-H, JROTC, sports, academic club, or similar organized group? If so, which one had the most profound influence on the development of your character? The same character that eventually influenced your character as a Serviceman or Servicewoman?

Response by SFC Stephen King made Apr 15 at 2015 7:00 PM

SFC Stephen King — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 19:00:31 -0400

The activity that was definitely a paramount in the development of my leadership was baseball from youth to high school.

Response by CPT Zachary Brooks made Apr 15 at 2015 7:06 PM

CPT Zachary Brooks — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 19:06:38 -0400

Boy Scouts. Made it to Eagle and learned a great deal about leadership, hard work, and cooperation.

Response by SFC Bryan Clark made Apr 15 at 2015 7:34 PM

SFC Bryan Clark — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 19:34:44 -0400

Baseball and football...total team sports and no I in team, had to learn to be a part of the team...

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2015 7:46 PM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 19:46:28 -0400

i was actually a part of the marching band as a colorguard girl. i became captain in my junior year and taught me a bit about teamwork and leadership. it also brought me out of my shell and helped teach me different lessons. I will never regret it and will always have the lessons along with the memories it gave me.

Response by SrA Matthew Knight made Apr 15 at 2015 7:53 PM

SrA Matthew Knight — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 19:53:49 -0400

We didn't have much in my small town but we did have FFA which was my choice. Learned all about leadership and public speaking during my time to the point that I acted as a chapter officer two years in a row and achieved my State FFA Degree which I keep hanging on my wall. Really enjoyed it and it helped a lot.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Apr 15 at 2015 8:20 PM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 20:20:51 -0400

NJROTC. Four years. I had a Navy Capt (J. LaRocca) and a USMC 1stSgt (H. Pomerance) as instructors. They were GREAT men. I learned so much from them. Combined with the influence of my father (USAF CMSgt), they set me up for a great Marine Corps career.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Apr 15 at 2015 8:37 PM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 20:37:52 -0400

As a kid it was Civil Air Patrol where I decided to be a pilot. As an adult Boy Scout leader training called Wood Badge gave me valuable leadership training.

Fulfilled the old joke: what's the difference between the Air Force and Boy Scouts? Boy Scouts have adult leaders.

Response by Sgt David G Duchesneau made Apr 15 at 2015 8:44 PM

Sgt David G Duchesneau — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 20:44:20 -0400

At eight years old, my father, a Marine Corps Staff Sergeant and a Veteran of WWII, enrolled me into a Drum & Bugle Corps. For those of you who have very little knowledge of what a Drum & Bugle Corps is, I can tell you what it isn't. It is not a band and it has nothing to do with schools. It's a non profit organization, sometimes sponsored by VFW or a Legion Post, for kids from all kinds of backgrounds and walks of life and ranges in age from 8 to 21. It is semi-military and I was taught how to play a soprano bugle. I was in this Drum & Bugle Corps for over ten years and we marched and played all over New England and in Canada and we even marched and played at JFK's Inauguration. I became a soloist for the Corps and being a part of the Drum Corps taught me respect, team work, leadership and pride. The Drum Corps was the beginning of a Service Life that I lead me to wearing many Uniforms throughout my life. From the Drum & Bugle Corps, to the US Marine Corps to the NH State Police. (http://www.uniformsthebook.com)

Response by Lt Col Fred Marheine, PMP made Apr 15 at 2015 8:48 PM

Lt Col Fred Marheine, PMP — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 20:48:36 -0400

I was an umpire for Little League baseball. Really powerful stuff.

As a 14-year old, I "controlled" the behavior of a whole bunch of people, including some 40-something year old coaches who I looked in the eye and suggested they get off my field and back in their dugout. I learned it early and extremely deeply - know the rules and apply them impartially with complete integrity - there is no possible rebuttal to doing it right.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2015 9:21 PM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 21:21:14 -0400

Though I currently attend the Seventh-day Adventist Church regularly, I was attending the Church of God in Christ as a child. In that church, there were two youth oriented programs that had a profound impact on my maturity and development of conservative personal values -- the Purity Class and the YPWW (Young People Willing Workers). I also attended the Sunday School every Sunday. They were essentially an extension of home. Everything concerning respect of self and of others (especially the elderly and those with authority over me), table manners, how to treat girls and women respectfully and with consideration, how to dress for success, how to care for my clothes, personal hygiene and health, how so speak with authority and in an educated manner, striving to be the best and with honesty, etc., were all taught at home and reenforced at church through those programs.

In school, I was very busy with the music program, especially the Marching Band and Jazz Band. It was through the Marching Band in particular that I learned how to listen and respond to orders and how to march in step with everyone else. You had to be physically fit in order to do some of the things we did. And as a member of any musical ensemble regardless of size or type, team work is paramount in order for that ensemble to make good music and perform well during concerts. This is especially true when the ensemble is a part of worship services for two reasons. 1. It can often be the piece that speaks more powerfully to certain members of a congregation than the sermon itself, and 2. The musical ensemble is a part of a larger team that includes the pastor, elders, deacons, ushers, prayer ministers/warriors, audio/visual technicians and sometimes praise dancers and banner carriers. While each person has their own part, all of them working together in one accord in the Spirit of God usher in a powerful atmosphere of worship and praise. These kind of cohesiveness is supposed to exist in the military structure as well, putting service before self and maintaining the integrity of oneself and well as the whole unit.

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2015 9:24 PM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 21:24:46 -0400

NJROTC. Four years. I had a chief who was fmf corpsman, 20 years.
He was an amazing leader. Made me want to be a chief.

Response by 2LT Scott Armstrong made Apr 16 at 2015 9:45 AM

2LT Scott Armstrong — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 09:45:13 -0400

Scouting for sure. Scouting produces competent, civic-minded, service-oriented young adults. It places kids into age appropriate positions of leadership responsibility. It is a merit based advancement system. The outdoor skills, first aid, pioneering, land navigation and extended hiking and camping trips teach real world leadership as well as how to be a good team player and follower. I like to describe Scouting as teach real-world skills disguised as fun and adventure. The entire experience prepared me well for time in uniform in the Army.

Response by SFC David Pope, MBA made Apr 16 at 2015 10:48 AM

SFC David Pope, MBA — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 10:48:14 -0400

I grew up as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). Our church uses the scouting program as the activity arm of our young men's youth program. In conjunction with both as a youth I learned how to accept great responsibility, and an understanding of right and wrong. Our young men's program trains boys on how to become missionaries and teaches them responsibility. They taught us how to be motivated to earn the money to pay for our missions, and how to serve others as Jesus did.

In the scouting program I made it to the rank of Eagle Scout, but my scoutmaster told me that he was not there to do it for me. He was there to give me the tools to do it myself. I had to find my own merit badge counselors and make sure that I was prepared for what ever was in store. At age 16 I got our unit to accept an Explorer program, and I became the first post president of that explorer program. I was awarded the Outstanding Leadership in Exploring, it was the last year they awarded it, that you can still wear the knot. You have to special order it from the national office. Both of these programs working together taught me how to be a better team player, and how to get along with others. I learned a lot about diversity and accepting others for who they are. It also gave me a great thirst for learning about other cultures, so when I would get an assignment in a foreign country, I would absorb all the culture I could. I grew up in Los Angeles, so I was fortunate to be exposed to many cultures from around the world, and my church leaders and advisors who had served LDS missions in many countries around the world were able to teach me many things about the cultures they served. This helped greatly while serving as the 1st Corps liaison to the ROK Army. I have been able to make friends from every country I served in, and I have great relationships with many people of other religions and cultures that allows me to understand where people get their belief structure and their desires to do good in the world. We are all God's children, and I know he loves each and everyone of us equally, without guile or favoritism. We are all equal in His eyes and we all have the potential to do great things, no matter what our circumstance. He has blessed each one of us with talents that he expects us to share with others, be it leadership, music, teaching, etc.. It is our responsibility to use and enhance those talents that He gave to us. Many of you have done that very thing, and I think that is why all of us are called Veterans of the United States of America!

Response by GySgt Joe Strong made Apr 16 at 2015 10:56 AM

GySgt Joe Strong — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 10:56:37 -0400

Unfortunately bad Apples exist everywhere and my Scouting Career was preempted and my two older brothers were pulled from the program because of a Scoutmaster who made a really poor choice. As a former Scoutmaster myself, I would have loved the program as a youth and cannot imagine not having accomplished the Eagle rank.

However, I found an outlet in Cross-country and Track. No real 'program' there, but opportunities to lead came everyday in working hard, in completing the workouts to spec, even when unsupervised(which was often the case due to the distances involved for Distance Runners and Cross Country runners in the early 80's), in cheer leading other athletes on the team. I was the recipient of the only known Outstanding Leadership Award for our Cross-Country program, to date. Still have the plaque. Take care of yourself, so you can ensure you can take care of others. Drive yourself, so you can encourage others. Look for what needs to be done and either do it or lead getting it done, don't just decry it not getting done. From changing spikes to ensuring water in the cooler, little things make big differences.

Response by SPC Nate Lamphier made Apr 16 at 2015 2:19 PM

SPC Nate Lamphier — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 14:19:50 -0400

Baseball. I learned quick at the age of 8 as I was traveling around the country playing in AAU tournaments that I was a part of something greater than anything. Whether it is honoring the history of the game, playing the game in a way that honors it, respecting your opponent but yet wanting to humiliate them to understand the importance of being accountable to the team. I remember hearing the ramblings that baseball is a sport in which you can hide a terrible defender.....that may be true at the tee ball level when you plug someone in the outfield, but at the competitive level the baseball will find your weakest player....

Anyways, baseball has taught me not only traits that have made me successful in life, but traits that helped me be successful in the Army as well.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2015 3:28 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 15:28:26 -0400

Soccer. It made leadership and being a team player easy to understand.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 21 at 2015 11:56 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 11:56:49 -0400

I would have to say football was my biggest influence. I came from a very small school and had the great opportunity to play sports there. God blessed me with some great abilities and talents which made me pretty successful in athletics especially football. The younger kids seemed to gravitate towards me as someone they looked up to and I was also placed in a leadership role on the team. I knew in order for my team to be successful I needed to step up and be the leader they not only needed but also deserved!

Response by SSG Earl Corp made Feb 5 at 2016 11:22 AM

SSG Earl Corp — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 11:22:57 -0500

Scouting for sure. I made Eagle Scout then went into the Infantry. It seemed to be an extension of Boy Scouts camping, hikingh and badges to earn.

Response by MSgt Richard Rountree made May 12 at 2016 12:54 AM

MSgt Richard Rountree — Thu, 12 May 2016 00:54:39 -0400

My youth leadership experiences were mostly the Boy Scouts, Civil Air Patrol (CAP), and USAF JROTC. All three of these organizations taught the first thing a leader must learn...to be an good leader you must first learn to be a good follower. However, the group that had the biggest influence was far and away the Civil Air Patrol. It held my interest more than the others mostly because we got to fly airplanes on a regular basis. The cadets in CAP also had a real world mission participating in search and rescue missions for downed aircraft. It was on these "ground team" missions where I learned about teamwork, the concept of "results count", and the camaraderie of small, tight knit units. A large part of who I am today is a result of my time as a cadet in the Daytona Beach Civil Air Patrol Composite Squadron from 1968 to 1971.

Response by GySgt Melissa Gravila made Feb 15 at 2017 5:29 AM

GySgt Melissa Gravila — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 05:29:47 -0500

LOL, I was in girl scouts for about 2 weeks (I beat up the troop leader's daughter for bullying another girl) and got kicked out! I guess you could say I've always had an independent, protect the underdog streak in me!
S/F

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Feb 15 at 2017 6:50 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 06:50:18 -0500

I was a Boy Scout, a 4-H member, and also a member of the FFA. All great groups. The Boy Scout had to be the one that help me the most.