Lifelong Learning: Developing Leaders in The Army

Introduction

The human race has been living since the beginning of time. We have developed and adapted through constant changes throughout time. The 21centtuary is a very civilized world where education is the main foundation of success. There are those rare civilians, who choose to advance their education and level of learning by entering the best organization ever know to be the United States Army. Living a normal civilian life isn’t the same as an AR 670-1 lifestyle which is the Army standard life of living. The Army doesn’t just give you a career but a standard of living that is full of values and a road of progression that would guide a person to be a better leader. A great leader will have a long life of learning in the military. ”Life Long learning is defined as an individual choice to pursue knowledge to progress beyond a known state of development or competence”. A leader isn’t born its created by outstanding guidance and mentoring.

Foundation of Army Lifelong Learning

It all begins with basic combat training when the civilian transitions into a soldier. This is the most difficult part for a person because the long life of learning the military standard begins here. The new soldier must adapt to the diversity of the environment. He will meet new people from all over the world and will have to work alongside them to accomplish the military task they set for him. This new soldier not only does he need to set aside his personal problems but pause his life in order to understand the military culture. It takes the soldier ten weeks of training, stress and education to graduate as a standard army soldier. After this the soldier has full knowledge of the principles of being an American soldier. “The normal human is blinded by their own behavior and nonverbal communication.” After this long weeks of learning the soldiers behavior will be changed and adapted to the new environment and except diversity.

Career Development in the Army

The next face is of learning for a soldier is gaining a specific MOS which is a profession. The challenge that the organization sets is to instill the soldier a desire to make learning a lifelong pursuit in his new career. His new career training at AIT will be his new focus because right after he accomplishes completing the school the soldier will head on to his new unit. In the unit he learn even more about his career. He will recognize great leadership and leadership that needs development. He will slowly realize who he can trust and what is the kind of leadership he wants to follow as a young enlisted soldier. This is a new “learning environment that moves from the known to the more known with the passage of time as leaders experience duties, schooling, and self-education.” Many soldiers will deploy and have to adapt to a new combat environment which is totally different than living in military base or a civilian town. They must learn how to face anxiety, depression, and diversity in whole new country far away from their loved ones and family. Life has send a solider a difficult task that the soldier must learn how to encounter it and embrace it. The mind overseas can easily break but thanks to all the military training and education that the army has implied in the soldier it will not brake but overcome it the problem. “The Army builds a force structure or resources that allow it to accomplish its anticipated mission”.

Psychological Conditioning in Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning is a matter of psychological conditioning, without an individual's commitment to grow intellectually, the organization will fall short of its potential. Once a soldier comes back to civilization he must once again learn adapt to normal life living. His behavior that was used in the combat field is not no longer normal in the civilian world. The Army has many programs that will help soldiers feel comfortable and try to live a normal life. When a soldier continues the army career he will be sent to varieties of school to develop new skills to bring back to the unit and subordinates. One of the major schools that future leaders go to Basic Leader Course where a soldier becomes a Non Commission Officer a Leader of soldiers. This is the place where a soldier will grow and expand leadership skills to the next level of knowledge. As a young leader he is not just responsible for himself but the welfare of soldier as well. Life in the army is all about being better than what you were yesterday. “The more a person learns, the more he or she realizes they do not know, and the more he or she seeks to learn. This developmental process is counter-intuitive to the operational and fixed resource models the Army uses to develop doctrine and force structure.”

Conclusion

The Army will give you a career and a lifestyle but it is only up to the soldier itself to have self-discipline in educating himself to reach the next level of knowledge, leadership, and competence. Lifelong learning doesn’t just stop when you get out of the military. “A soldier or a person must never stop learning because life never stops teaching. Education is not preparation for life, education is life itself.”

Works Cited:

1. Questia. (n.d.). Transforming Leader Development through Lifelong Learning. Retrieved from https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1P3-411111911/transforming-leader-development-through-lifelong-learning