Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines a profession as “a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation.” The United States Army understands that the profession of arms is a critical component of service to the Republic, as such they have extensively defined it in the first chapter of Field Manuel One (FM-1.) FM-1 explains that the profession of arms (PoA) is akin to other professions in the training, preparation, skill, and commitment that professionals within different fields maintain. While the PoA shares these similarities with other professions FM-1 is quick to point out that
“Institutionally, the consequences of failure in the profession of arms-for both individual members of the Armed Forces and the Nation-are more dire than those in any other. Most professions serve individual clients. The military serves a collective client, the Nation. Its actions impact broadly in extent and consequences: the recovery of a community devastated by natural disaster, the defeat of enemy forces, or the security of the Nation. Therefore, failure of the military profession would have catastrophic consequences.”
I have developed my own sense of what the PoA means to me over the last fifteen years of service to the Republic. The PoA is a scared calling born of the earliest days of our Republic’s formation for her sons and daughters to voluntary assume the mantle of leadership and responsibility to preserve our Republic and her most precious and finite commodity, the volunteer citizen Soldier.
The call to voluntarily assume the role of citizen Soldier is interwoven into the formation of our Republic. The men who fired the “shot heard round the world” at Lexington Green on the 19th of April 1775 were local militiaman gathering to defend themselves from British tyranny. The voluntary call to the PoA is a hallmark of US military service that differentiates the US Soldier from others around the world. I remembering choking up as I raised my right hand at the Military Entrance Processing Facility in Springfield Massachusetts. I was enlisting and following in the footsteps of my grandfather and father as the third generation of volunteer Soldiers. My choice of profession was born of free will and patriotism that emboldens me to delve into all aspects of my duty with the academic passion of a professor, the physical determination of a star running back, and the moral and heartfelt conviction of a religious leader.
Every volunteer Soldier who proves themselves worthy will encounter an opportunity to lead others. Many professions require the individual to achieve personal standards of excellence. A doctor might achieve an advanced specialization while a professional figure skater might earn an Olympic medal. It is rare for a professional’s performance to be judged on how well subordinates perform. This is a tenant of the PoA. The Army’s Field Manuel 6-22, Army Leadership, is 216 pages dedicated to the understanding, practical application and expectations of a leader. Within the PoA the professional will be judged on their leadership ability as it translates to measurable performance objectives. The PoA is expected to coach, teach and mentor subordinate leaders, who themselves are junior professionals of arms. They are expected to provide purpose, direction and motivation while leading an element under grueling combat conditions, the likes of which few other professionals will even be able to grasp let alone successful operate or lead in.
The leader in the PoA exercises their leadership on behalf of the Republic, her people, and her national interests. The members of the PoA represent the projection of American power, ideology, beliefs, and will on a global scale. Mr. Albert Chestone in his book What America Means to Me states the effect of the powerful influence of the American PoA in the conduct of World War Two as outlined by historian Stephen Ambrose.
“All throughout history…conquering Soldiers, looted, raped, pillaged, plundered and even murdered the people they had subdued. Americans in uniform however, served as a significant exception. Everywhere in the world…whether in Belgium, the Philippines, Germany or Japan, the sight of a twelve-man squad of GIs brought joy to people’s hearts…the sight of those American Kids meant cigarettes, candy, C-rations and freedom. They had come, not to conquer, but to liberate.”
No other profession carries that kind of global projection of power or the sacred responsibility to use that power wisely.
The final distinction between other professions and the PoA is the resource with which the PoA is responsible for. When a professional golfer makes an error he may lose a monetary prize. When a lawyer errs in a civil dispute his client may suffer an unfavorable ruling. When a leader in the profession of arms fails it is likely that a Soldier will perish. The citizen Soldier is a precious gift from the people of the Republic. Soldiers are a unique individual who have freely pledged themselves to the profession of arms and to the Republic. They have answered a call to serve the cause of Liberty and Freedom which is greater than themselves. The Soldier will sacrifice greatly throughout their career across the full spectrum of their lives. When a leader in the profession of arms engages in their craft they commit these precious national assets. Even in near flawless execution of our profession Soldiers are likely to die. The associated mantel of responsibility we assume as a PoA is dire and calls each military professional to strive to excel at our profession. The cost of failure is too great a burden to bear unless the practitioner of the PoA knows in his heart and mind that they have given their very best to the endeavor.
One of the pinnacles of my early professional training was the successful completion of the US Army’s Ranger School. The Ranger’s have a creed which I have personally adapted to codify the tenants of the profession of arms as outlined by the Army and by own personal definition allowing me to boldly proclaim that my voluntary entrance into the profession of arms calls me to recognize that I am a specially selected and well trained Soldier. I am expected to accomplish the missions of my Republic whatever they may be. I will arrive on the field of battle prepared and ready to fight with the full benefit of my skills, knowledge and experience. I will never fail my Republic or her people. I will fight in the face of adversity regardless of the odds for I carry with me the spirit of Nation and the lives of my Soldiers hang in the balance.
References
Author Unknown (2010) Commodity - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary:. Retrieved fromhttp://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profession
Author Unknown (2005) FM-1 The Army. Retrieved from: http://www.army.mil/fm1/chapter1.html
Author Unknown (2010) Department of Military Science - Battle of Lexington and Concord:. Retrieved from: http://www.wpi.edu/academics/Depts/MilSci/Resources/lexcon.html
Author Unknown (2006) Army Leadership. Retrieved from: http://usacac.army.mil/CAC2/repository/materials/fm6-22.pdf
Albert F Chestone (2009) What America Means to Me. Retrieved from: http://books.google.com/books?id=fI_3OnMsDicC&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=stephen+ambrose+quote+Fought+not+to+conquer+but+to+libertae&source=bl&ots=l9WWrGSaVN&sig=UTlOkXm8OVxjwkQPeqasnEZu4nc&hl=en&ei=T1srTZiGF9T_nAekkaWOAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
“The views expressed in this BLOG are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Dept. of the Army, Dept. of Defense, or the U.S. Government.”
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