On "An Army of One"
Driving to church recently, I saw an Army bumper sticker and was reminded how much I dislike the new Army motto. Not that the old one was all that much better: "Be all you can be." sadeyedartist and I were discussing this. When did the army become about making soldiers better people? It's not that I don't want soldiers to become better people. I would like everyone to be all they can be; I am still for the American idea of equal opportunity and the pursuit (not the guarantee) of happiness. And of all people, those who defend my country should probably be well-rewarded.
But the point of an army is not to make better people -- even if that is a secondary result. The point of an army, as someone else once said, is "to kill people and break things" so that others may live in peace, (assuming the army's country is good). But apparently, the true purpose of an army -- to selflessly defend one's country -- is not a good marketing scheme. So now, the army sells self image. It is not, "Defend your country!" it is, "Be all you can be!"
But then it got even more selfish-sounding....
"An Army of One"? When in the entire history of humankind has an army consisted of one individual? What ever happened to the concept of teamwork? to the concept of "I am hopeless against a vast foe without the help of my brothers in arms"?
Some may suggest that what is meant is an "army of unity", a "unified army". But the Army commercials negate this idea, because the soldiers give their little chat about how cool they are for the things they know how to do -- which, oddly, never involve killing people -- and then end the 30 seconds of fame with, "I am George I. Joe. I am an army of one."
Well, I hate to tell you, George, but that army of 10,000 is going to be shooting at you, and that bullet of one is going to turn you rather quickly into that corpse of one....
But the point of an army is not to make better people -- even if that is a secondary result. The point of an army, as someone else once said, is "to kill people and break things" so that others may live in peace, (assuming the army's country is good). But apparently, the true purpose of an army -- to selflessly defend one's country -- is not a good marketing scheme. So now, the army sells self image. It is not, "Defend your country!" it is, "Be all you can be!"
But then it got even more selfish-sounding....
"An Army of One"? When in the entire history of humankind has an army consisted of one individual? What ever happened to the concept of teamwork? to the concept of "I am hopeless against a vast foe without the help of my brothers in arms"?
Some may suggest that what is meant is an "army of unity", a "unified army". But the Army commercials negate this idea, because the soldiers give their little chat about how cool they are for the things they know how to do -- which, oddly, never involve killing people -- and then end the 30 seconds of fame with, "I am George I. Joe. I am an army of one."
Well, I hate to tell you, George, but that army of 10,000 is going to be shooting at you, and that bullet of one is going to turn you rather quickly into that corpse of one....