Kristianne Bartolome Prof.

Gregg Rogers May 20, 2013 ENGL202B Section 102

Dear Future Army Officers In ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps), we are told a few things when we start out as first year cadets: one, we are now property of the U.S. government; two, we wear our uniform proudly and respectfully; and three, we are scholar athletes, however, academics is our number one priority. Every day of training we are constantly reminded of this, and the last point is emphasized more often than the first two. There is a reason for why the importance of academics is stressed for us future officers. We are the thinkers, planners, and leaders of the future. We are given a different set of standards and expectations, and a big part of it is education and being literate. What does it mean to be literate? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the term literacy as, The ability to read and write. The term may also refer to familiarity with literature and to a basic level of education obtained through the written word. So, the term is defined as such, but what does it mean for us future officers? Does having the ability to read and write give us the right to say we are capable of leading others and making decisions for others? Thomas G. Sticht wrote about the workplace literacy issues in the military and states that, it is important to note that the methodology suggests that something called intelligence exists as an aspect of human cognition and that something called literacy (reading in this example) exists that is separate from intelligence. The two work hand in hand, but just because someone is literate doesnt mean they are intelligent, and vice versa. I believe that to embody all that is and what makes a good officer, a person going into this profession should have a handle on both literacy and intelligence.

In this profession, one cannot simply just have the basic reading and writing abilities. We have to understand and interpret concepts, tactics, and information given to us. While training to be an officer we are constantly being evaluated; by ourselves, by our peers, and by our superiors. In ROTC you as future officers will be evaluated in three parts which helps define you as a leader. The three parts are of leadership are what a leader is, what a leader knows, and what a leader does. Its known as Be, Know, Do. In the Army we have a lot of acronyms and because of the many things we have to remember, they will come in handy if you learn them. The character of a leader is the first part of the Be, Know, Do. The army defines character as, A persons moral and ethical qualities which give a leader motivation to do what is appropriate regardless of circumstances or consequences. Three aspects of character are the army values, empathy, and the warrior ethos. The army values consist of seven characteristics with the acronym LDRSHIP. L is for loyalty. D is for duty. R is for respect. S is for selfless service. H is for honor. I is for integrity. And p is for personal courage. LDRSHIP: these are the values that we as future officers have to embody and try our best to perfect and to live by. The empathy aspect is defined as, The ability to see something from another persons point of view, to identify with and enter into another persons feelings and emotions. We are also soldiers but at the same time we are leading soldiers as well. We have to be able to help and take care of one another and having empathy is a key to being a leader and officership. And finally the warrior ethos, I will always place the mission first; I will never accept defeat; I will never quit; I will never leave a fallen comrade. The sooner we remember these values and mental mindset, the better we become at perfecting ourselves as leaders. The second part of leadership is what a leader knows. This is part of a big dimension in what a leader does. Domain knowledge is an important aspect of Know and a big part of the

literacy and intelligence issue in the workplace. As officers it is our job to receive the mission, gather information, comprehend it, create a plan, and be able to give this information to our soldiers with all the necessary information for them to complete the mission. It is a big responsibility and part of our training emphasizes on just perfecting those few steps in an operations order (OPORD), an entire year to be exact. It is a whole lot of repetitiveness and a lot of messing up, but at the end of the year you will be able to spit out an OPORD in your sleep. That may be an exaggeration, but being able to create an OPORD practices our receiving, planning, and executing skills all which is mission essential. The third part of what makes a leader is what a leader does. There are 17 dimensions that we are evaluated on and that our character and knowledge supports. They are: military bearing, confidence, mental agility, sound judgment, interpersonal tact, leads others, leads by example, creates a positive environment, prepares self, physical fitness, resilience, innovation, domain knowledge, extends influence beyond chain of command, communicates, develops others, and gets results. Although this seemingly sounds overwhelming, you have to remember that one action can hold several dimensions. Ultimately getting results, whether positive or negative, is what defines a certain mission. Not all missions go according to plan, however, failure of a mission is situation based, and not because someone is not a good leader. Many of us find this hard to acknowledge during training, but it is when we fail that we learn what to focus on as cadets. We always place the mission first. Be, Know, Does is what is expected of us as future officers. Literacy in the workplace is absolutely necessary to being an officer. Being literate offers us future officers to expand our minds with words and knowledge. Being literate gives us not only the basis for comprehension of all things army but also gives us the foundation to expand on our domain knowledge and

bring forth to the table of leadership: the beauty and effectiveness of words through motivation, empathy, and command. My experiences as a cadet in training, as a scholar athlete, have proven effective in these past three years. As a first year cadet I remember thinking that I had gotten into college and that being in the ROTC program at Penn State would be a breeze. It isnt that I was wrong, but I overestimated my abilities as a scholar a little too much. Freshman year proved to be one of the toughest for me, not physically, but mentally. I could pass a physical fitness test. I could do everything that everyone else was doing. However, I considered myself army dumb when I first entered the Nittany Lion Battalion. I was incapable of understanding the importance of some of our training, with regards to infantry tactics. I wasnt going to be an infantryman. I wanted to branch Medical Services. I finished that year feeling as if my training was pointless and I started being incapable of balancing my work as a cadet and my work as a student. My second year as a cadet in training, I felt like my cadet training was being repetitive. The only new things I learned were drill and ceremony things. During our army labs, we would be outside in the woods and performing tasks as just bodies to be moved around for the third-level cadets who were preparing themselves to be evaluated in the summer. I felt myself slowly sinking into the desperation of just going through the motions of everything that was required. It wasnt until this year, my level three year of being a cadet that I understood why we were training the way we were. It wasnt about just comprehending the infantry tactics. It wasnt about knowing these tactics but being able to mold a plan and create orders to others in order to complete a mission. We werent being evaluated on whether or not our tactics were correct. We were being evaluated on: decision making, directing others, thinking on our feet, and thinking as a leader would in a situation where our men could lose their lives. Yes, we were firing blank bullets, yes, we were

being shot at with either blanks or paint balls, but once we understand the scenario we are put in, the better we grasp the importance of everything we had learned since freshman year. The drills that we do in the field are short and obviously not as intense as the real infantrymen, but in that span of one to two hours, our hearts beat loudly and we are all on face in the dirt in the woods with the feeling of being watched by the enemy (the senior cadets acting as the enemy). When put in that leadership position we have to know exactly what to do and execute. I will always place the mission first. That is something emphasized so much that it will never be forgotten. Our mission: to become army officers. Being able to comprehend what was being taught to me and being able to execute the mission I had planned for, gives me the confidence in knowing that being literate and having the intelligence to do all of these things at once, is crucial and necessary to our main mission as ROTC cadets. Also going through all the physical training and the academic demands of this year has proven to me and to others that I am up to par with training, but it is upon me to take that foundation and run away with it. Once you get through these years, I know that you as officers-in-training will never forget what you are taught. Youve come too far and committed so much time into perfecting your leadership abilities through knowledge and through training that you will not want to look back. Be, Know, Do. Remember that, and you will put yourself and me, as a current senior cadet, at ease with the knowledge that you are going to make the U.S. Army proud.

Works Cited Adaptive Team Leadership: MSL 301. [Washington, D.C.]: U.S. Army, 2008. Print. "Literacy About Our Definitions: All Forms of a Word (noun, Verb, Etc.) Are Now Displayed on One Page." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, Web. 17 May 2013. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literacy>. Sticht, Thomas G. The Military Experience and Workplace Literacy a Review and Synthesis for Policy and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: National Center on Adult Literacy, University of Pennsylvania, 1995. Print.