Explanation of a Professional Soldier - Coursework Example

Definition and Explanation of a Professional Soldier 6 pages APA The phrase ‘professional soldier‘ has two elements. Firstly ‘Professional ‘ A profession is someone, male or female, who formally belongs, and is certified, to belong to a particular body, a specific profession - so someone may be a professional lawyer, a doctor , a midwife, a pharmacist and so on. They will have completed a period or series of study and practice before being considered to be a full member of the chosen profession. Their ability to carry out their professional duties will have been, and continues to be as long as they are in practice, measured against an agreed set of standards, ethics, rules etc. Profession have internal monitoring methods, internal policing systems such as the State Medical Board, or the American Bar Council, whose aim is to protect both the general public and the standards of their chosen vocation. It means being skilled, trained, and academically prepared for work. Someone just calling himself a professional does not make them so – their ability requires proof – which is why so many professionals display certificates and diplomas in their offices. The wider society is reliant upon professionals and the standards they achieve and maintain. The individuals concerned develop expertise in their chosen field and then use that ability in the interests of individuals and of society. There are of course craftspeople who are also trained, and even certified to carry out their work, but there are subtle differences. If a carpenter for instance makes a substandard piece of furniture, either he won’t be able to sell it or someone who does buy will eventually find fault with it. If on the other hand the person is a medical professional or a lawyer, then his or her incompetence will impact negatively in a more serious way upon the lives of others, as well as perhaps resulting in him being judged incapable by a professional body and maybe banned from practising. A soldier is most simply someone who belongs to an army, someone who follows the profession of arms, in particular combat on land. They are one of many military personnel serving together as part of a team and with a particular place in a hierarchy. As a group they provide the society to which they are linked the security and protection that they are unable to provide for themselves. A soldier may have enlisted voluntarily, or been compelled in some way to serve, as when soldiers are called to serve their country in a time of war. Almost always they wear the insignia and uniform of that country as well of the particular corps, regiment or other part of the army to which they belong. They are expected at all times :- To live, act and speak in a manner which leaves no doubt that they adhere to the traditions of the ( United States) army; their mission of resisting enemy attempts …. ( Code of Conduct Department of the Army, Code of Conduct, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape, SERE training, 1965,, chapter 1) Whether a relatively new recruit or a long officer of high rank, and whatever his specialization or assigned task, whether radio operator or engineer, sapper or cook, he is still basically a soldier. Usually he is paid for his services – the word soldier has its roots in the Latin word Solidum or pay. What does a soldier do? He does whatever is required of him by his leaders –to produce strategies to attack enemies, to defend places and people, to guard and protect, to act as peacekeepers and police – all of these can be aspects of the profession of arms. Signing up as a soldier means agreeing to do these things in a whole variety of situations - at home and abroad. Serving as a professional soldier brings these two complementary aspects of the phrase ‘professional soldier ‘ together. Professionals earn status and the trust of their clientele by their continual maintaining of high standards. Their clientele trust them to act on their behalf. The document from the United States Army, ‘’A White Paper, The Profession of Arms’ ( 2010) cites on page 2 the Latin tag cedat emptor i.e. ‘let the taker believe in us’. In the same way a professional army is trusted by the country to which it belongs to act on their behalf at a high standard, whatever that involves. In other words the nation gives the army a great degree of autonomy, trusting them to create and use their own expertise against a particular ethical background. Soldiers receive recompense for their work as do other professionals. Some of this is in financial form, but more importantly there are such things as comradeship, the long term pursuit and maintenance of expertise, the honor of serving their country and their status as serving members of an honorable profession. There are of course negative aspects to the role.:- The pre-eminent military task, and what separates ( military profession) from all other occupations, is that soldiers are routinely prepared to kill…in addition to killing or preparing to kill, the soldier has two other principal duties….some soldiers die and when they are not dying , they must be preparing to die. James Toner, ( pages 22-23, 1995) There are of course other constituents which make up military life. In particular they must support national policies and implant the policies of their country’s government. ( page 3,’A White Paper, The Profession of Arms’ 2010), as well as overcoming the forces which would work to upset the peace and security of their homeland. There are legal aspects - soldiers represent and act on behalf of the governments which have established and upheld them. In the particular case of soldiers of the United States this means upholding the values, laws and ethics embodied in the legal statutes of the United States of America and in its Constitution. They are required to uphold certain guidelines and rulings, as for instance outlined in the1985 document issued by the Department of the Army ‘Code of Conduct, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape, SERE training.’ There must be a huge variety of knowledge, some held by individuals or only a small group, yet capable of being utilized for the benefit of all - whether this is knowledge of modern day combat techniques, of how to repair a radio, to best utilize supplies or how to manage and teach the use of new technology and communication methods. . Military personnel differ from other professionals in that, as well as providing a service, there is a stress upon duty to their comrades and to their countries. They act cooperatively for the majority, rather than one to one for individuals, as do midwives or physicians. They remain individuals, and in some cases may act on their own initiatives, but as part of a very complex mesh of leadership, management, orders and response.. Many soldiers, both non commissioned officers and those of higher rank, are enabled to develop the skills of leadership and strength of character required in the often very difficult situations in which they find themselves. All soldiers must be trained in order to fulfil the responsibilities, both big and small, that they will be given. Leaders must be concerned with the well being and safety of their comrades , yet at the same time must on occasions lead them into situations which are life threatening. Conclusion The military life can be considered as a profession, but this does not mean that it can be totally equated to careers such as being a lawyer working in conveyancing, or a nurse working an a community situation. Its culture and ethics may seem very different for instance from those of a doctor whose declared aim is to save lives. Their actions in working against perceived tyrants and enemies have the ultimate aim of saving the lives of their countrymen, by protecting them from the enemy, from invasion, from terrorism and all the rest. This is about more than the fact that they are trained and certified professionals - it is about ultimate values, and respect for their country, their comrades and for the important values of humanity. There needs to be a continuous process of self analysis and judgment, developing and learning, as individuals and as a group, as well as a belief that there needs to be a subordination of individual wants in order to better do their assigned tasks. It is therefore important that those in military authority work to ensure the professionalism they proclaim, or as stated by General Martin Dempsey ( quoted page 3 ,’A White Paper, The Profession of Arms’ 2010) to be committed to :- A culture of service and the responsibilities and behaviours of our profession as articulated in the Army Ethic. As with other profession there must be an internal policing system with regard to standards, both as regards individuals, but also in a more general way. This means reflecting frequently upon standards reached and how these measure up to what is expected and required for success as a professional body which is trusted by the wider society with which it is associated. The aim must be to promote exemplary standards of ethical thinking and behavior. There must also be a system by which training and education are made available. There is a need to recognise strengths and build on these, but also admit and consider any weaknesses which need to be dealt with and if possible eliminated. All soldiers are part of the larger body, the army, and must be led by those who are capable of providing excellent role models, and who promote both expertise and the accompanying skills required to make use of it. Such leaders are responsible not just for the army they serve, but for its future and future leaders. They must become experts in how to develop individuals and groups to an optimum level. The values displayed and taught must not be superficial, but must eventually lie so deep that they become part of a persons nature, in order that they do not fail when trouble comes. Only in this way will the men and women of the armed services be enabled to develop not just as soldiers, but as those with a positive ethos as altruistic servers of their nation and supporters of its values. As Toby Keith sings in ‘American Soldier’ :- I will always do my duty, no matter what the price, I've counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice, Oh, and I don't want to die for you, But if dying 's asked of me, I'll bear that cross with an honor, 'Cause freedom don't come free. I’m an American soldier. The army was instituted for these reasons and continues to exist for the same reasons. Why the army fights, and how an whom it fights are all part of the wider view of all that it means to be an American. References Department of the Army, Code of Conduct, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape, SERE training, 1965, retrieved 18th July 2011 from http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/ar350-30.pdf Keith, T. American Soldier, retrieved 18th July from http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/american-soldier-lyrics-toby-keith/c3ec8468c5df7f2a48256dd5002917ae Toner, J. ( 1995) , True Faith and Allegiance: the Burden of Military Ethics, Lexington, the University Press of Kentucky, United States Army, ( 2010) White Paper, The Profession of Arms, retrieved 18th July 2011 from . http://www.academia-research.com/filecache/instr/p/r/554013_professionwhite_paper_8_dec_10.pdf, Read More