Asymmetric Military

The men and women of Class 04-07. Taken in April of 2007

From ROTC, West Point, or OCS and through an unpleasant interlude called BOLC, future lieutenants acquire skills common to all Army officers. Afterwards, new LTs move on to courses specific to their branch of which I just finished the one for Engineers called, Engineer Basic Officer Leadership Course (EBOLC, formerly EOBC)

During the three months I spent with class 0407 Bravo CO., 554 EN BN on Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri, I learned how to: build and destroy bridges and buildings; enable our Army to move from one place to their objective while preventing the enemy from doing the same; read maps; and other things that facilitate the winning of wars.

As much as I enjoyed or disliked the above subjects, the most interesting and personally satisfying lessons didn’t appear on the schedule.

How the Army builds understanding:

The Army offers one the opportunity to meet people from every state in our fair nation as well as our brothers and sisters from around the world. Before the Army, I'd never really talked to people who hunted or watched NASCAR, and I was able to interact with fellow officers from Egypt, Turkey, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, and Congo, a particularly enlightening experience.

How the Army builds solidarity:

The Army forced me to learn how to live with people of sometimes profoundly divergent temperament and points of view. Working with my fellow soldiers during the day and some nights, socializing with them after work, and, at times, occupying the same room together, creates interpersonal stresses, as you might imagine, but it also forces one to develop strategies to either avoid or confront those problems.

How the Army builds the self:

Lastly, the Army taught me about myself. As I honestly reflected upon my performance in all of the above tasks, I was better able to ascertain my strengths, and, more significantly, my weaknesses; those things of which I’m capable and those which would be better left to others.

What the Army means to you:

For the civilian, I’d like to assure you that you can be proud of the men and women who serve in your Army. Taking into account the whole person: physical, intellectual, and moral; you’d be hard pressed to find a finer group of Americans than the American Army officer corps.

My friend Sharif from Egypt and Naif from Saudi Arabia at a reception. Once again, we have the ugliest uniforms amongst all militaries.