First off, today is the 67th anniversary of D-Day. The men who fought and died on the beaches of Normandy are for the most part those of a legendary generation the likes of which will never be seen again.
During my time in ROTC, my instructors always told me I would be mentored by my NCOs and superior officers. When I was at OBC after commissioning, that held true. My two primary instructors there were more than willing to help myself and other lieutenants out with anything. However, after finally escaping the clutches of TRADOC and joining the "Big Army", I find that the mentor-ship attitude is not present in a vast majority of the guys who I was supposed to look up to for guidance.
Numerous retired officers and NCOs have told me that once upon a time, soldiers, particularly and mostly officers, were required to read books and prepare essays or presentations on them, or at the very least be prepared to discuss sections of them with their superiors. That is known as professional development. Maybe it still goes on in some units, but I can tell you that it does not in mine. When I first arrived to my unit, I expected my CO to slap down a list of a few books, tell me to read one and the next week present something on it. What I really got was "What's your name again? I'm not really good with names. And I'm kinda new at this commander thing." First impressions... are indeed your last.
One thing that I have noticed is that it seems to be part of a trickle-down effect. Obviously my commander, who from this point on I will refer to as "Wild Eyes", does not receive any form of professional development from his higher-ups either. And it shows.
Thus I have been forced to go internal on my quest to better myself with military knowledge and ethics. The "Lieutenant Mafia" of my unit gets together once a week to discuss articles that we find. Of course, we are only lieutenants, but we are taking the initiative to show that we don't want to be shitbag officers later on in our careers. Personally, I don't want to be one of those officers who just skates by because he can due to an almost guaranteed promotion system the Army has picked up for officers, therefore I seek betterment through development.
Maybe it's due to the high-tempo operating environment, but if I have time to complain about it on this blog, then I should have time to read a book and write something about it, correct?
-RT
During my time in ROTC, my instructors always told me I would be mentored by my NCOs and superior officers. When I was at OBC after commissioning, that held true. My two primary instructors there were more than willing to help myself and other lieutenants out with anything. However, after finally escaping the clutches of TRADOC and joining the "Big Army", I find that the mentor-ship attitude is not present in a vast majority of the guys who I was supposed to look up to for guidance.
Numerous retired officers and NCOs have told me that once upon a time, soldiers, particularly and mostly officers, were required to read books and prepare essays or presentations on them, or at the very least be prepared to discuss sections of them with their superiors. That is known as professional development. Maybe it still goes on in some units, but I can tell you that it does not in mine. When I first arrived to my unit, I expected my CO to slap down a list of a few books, tell me to read one and the next week present something on it. What I really got was "What's your name again? I'm not really good with names. And I'm kinda new at this commander thing." First impressions... are indeed your last.
One thing that I have noticed is that it seems to be part of a trickle-down effect. Obviously my commander, who from this point on I will refer to as "Wild Eyes", does not receive any form of professional development from his higher-ups either. And it shows.
Thus I have been forced to go internal on my quest to better myself with military knowledge and ethics. The "Lieutenant Mafia" of my unit gets together once a week to discuss articles that we find. Of course, we are only lieutenants, but we are taking the initiative to show that we don't want to be shitbag officers later on in our careers. Personally, I don't want to be one of those officers who just skates by because he can due to an almost guaranteed promotion system the Army has picked up for officers, therefore I seek betterment through development.
Maybe it's due to the high-tempo operating environment, but if I have time to complain about it on this blog, then I should have time to read a book and write something about it, correct?
-RT
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