Put the Welfare of the Nation, the Army,and Your Subordinates Before Your Own

You know, I look at today's Army, and I see several challenges. I think there is a tremendous challenge for the Guard and Reserve. I think there is a tremendous challenge for the military familiers, and I also think there is a tremendous challenge for the active duty Army simply just because of the pace of what is going on, and that pace didn't just start with Iraq, it started 10 years ago. And when they shrunk down the Army from 18 divisions to 10, the pace picked up. So one of the biggest challenges I see for today's Army is how to sustain what you currently have for an extended period of time.SMA Jack L. TilleySelfless service can’t be measured. How do you put a price tag, a dollar sign, on the sacrifices that NCOs and soldiers make today? You’ve got to look at the full spectrum of what we expect our soldiers and our noncommissioned officers to do. But let’s also remember that it isn’t all about money. None of us are in this for the money. Soldiers deserve every bit of pay and entitlements our Army and our nation can give them, but being a soldier is more than that. It’s pride, it’s patriotism, it’s service to our nation. Sense of purpose is the primary factor for high morale- the individual soldier’s knowledge that he or she is making a difference.SMA Robert E. HallAre you truly doing what’s best for the nation, what’s best for the Army, what’s best for your unit, and what’s best for your soldiers and their families? Are you taking all of that into consideration, or are you looking at what makes you as an individual look the best?SMA Richard A. KiddWe serve our nation- our people- for the devotion, faith, and trust we place in our free, democratic system of government. Being in the Army means a total commitment to a higher calling, devotion to duty, and a thousand other adjectives. For those who have fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know. It is almost uncanny how the three underlying principles of our founding fathers have remained unchanged over the years- our commitment to be independent, our will to win, and our determination to fight to retain our inalienable rights. We all need to understand our heritage as soldiers in order that we may be better protectors of our nation’s sacred trust. We owe our nation, our children, and grandchildren the debt of ensuring that each of our soldiers knows what it is they are protecting and guarding and why. Our children and grandchildren will flourish provided the will is never lost for the cause of freedom. Everyone in our nation must understand why young men and women serve in our armed forces and why they put up with the hardships of Army life and are willing to lay their lives on the line to protect the greatest nation ever created and known to mankind.SMA Glen E. MorrellSoldiers are members of a profession of arms which has existed virtually unchanged for thousands of years- far longer than most other human institutions have existed. The Army has done so because of its unique character- a uniqueness based primarily upon intangibles that cannot be “costed.”SMA William A. ConnellyWe cannot give the American soldier too much credit. He deserves everything we can do for him and he deserves all the respect we can show him. The American soldier is among the greatest assets this country has. Generations of Americans will be able to enjoy the freedom that American soldiers have defended and preserved in war after war throughout our history. Whether or not a war is popular among the nation’s people, and whether or not it is supported by the legislators, has no bearing on what the soldiers do and think. They perform their duties magnificently and bravely. They don’t make the policies, and they don’t declare war. But they fight, they bleed, and they die. And they do it unhesitatingly. They should be appreciated and recognized for it, without regard for the political aspects of the war. When you think of the freedom you enjoy in this country, think of the sacrifices the soldier has made to keep us free.SMA George W. Dunaway