Marching Ahead

How the US Army Shapes Global Security & Personal Growth

Okay, take a deep breath while I fill your ears – eyes actually – about the driving force that’s shaping both global security and personal growth. The big, bad – hulk really – U.S Army. By contrast, I think my generation was privileged – trading tees and kicks for George Michael’s “Freedom” blaring on our Walkmans. Tightening our hoods while beatin’ some baddies on Double Dragon or Super Mario – that was our idea of security and personal growth. But, here’s the deal. Soldiers aren’t just grunts made for battles. They’re chess pieces moved around by grand strategists, making sure you, me, and our beloved world don’t end up seeing a doomsday.

Ever considered how much personal development soldiers go through? You’ve got to admire every facet of it, from boot camp to combat deployment. Young men and women, barely out of high school, learn to fight, lead, and survive, all while practically being kids themselves. Drenched in their sweat and tears, and even sometimes blood, through the unforgiving grind of their training – they come out on the other side as the toughest of the lot. Compared to them, our growth, shaped playing Zelda or The Secret of Monkey Island, or arguing about whether “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie, seems like child’s play, in retrospect.

In the final analysis, you’ve got to tip your tee to those guys and gals in camo – they’re out there defending global security and, in the process, maturing in ways we popcorn-munching, Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out playing, Coen Brothers watching couch dwellers can hardly fathom. Isn’t it just ironic? We love our hoods but those troops out there are the ones really covering us. As society marches ahead, it’s the US army – its muscle and heart – shaping the elements of global security and personal growth.