[December 20, 2019] An old, tough U.S. Marine sergeant once told me that the only reason he was alive today was that the [U.S. Marine] Corps had transformed him from a weakling teenage boy into a “lean, mean fighting machine.” It was the hardest thing he had ever done, and this Marine knew what he was saying. The military does that; it turns boys (young men) into men.
“A boy enters, a man leaves.” unknown U.S. Marine Master Gunny Sergeant
It’s not easy being a U.S. Marine. It’s also not easy to be in the Armed Forces period. But the U.S. military is a place where you can get yourself set on the right track in life and learn to respect yourself and others, take on responsibility, and keep your promises.
Note that I didn’t say the military makes girls grow up. That is no oversight on my part because I don’t think that young women need the military to be mature women. Young men, however, do need the military. The purpose of this article is to expound on that idea.
Here are six ways that the military makes men out of boys:
- Young men are separated from their weak, dopey, pathetic friends.
- The military shames these young men about their naivety, impulsiveness, uselessness, weakness, and pleasure-seeking, adolescent life.
- Young men are made to be self-conscious, more aware of themselves, and what they can and cannot do.
- The military places the young man in a position to be rejected by the military, a severe fear of such a possible reality.
- The military tests and then acts as a harsh judge of the young man.
- And finally, the military trains boys on how to be a man; to understand masculinity, what honor and integrity are, to stand up for what is right, and the value of protecting the innocent.
The military is looking for useful young men, and those men are rewarded for joining. For those young men, to “grow up” is to mature, to take on responsibility, and live a gratifying life. But there is a precondition for this to occur. That precondition is that the young man must recognize he must change and that he is willing to do so.
Recognition of our weaknesses and our immaturity is the first step to being a man. The military creates the conditions of being a man. That is why manhood is only conferred upon those who are responsible and honorable. A boy can be transformed and the military is one route to attain such an admirable goal.
How very interesting.!!
I thought so too. Gen. Satterfield and his leadership blog is the BEST.
Wonderful article, Gen. Satterfield. Enjoyable and educational. I like it that you’ve listed six ways the military improves us (I assume you mean most militaries because some are pretty bad in that they are only there to support a dictatorship).
Right. Thanks Dennis. Some militaries, like the Chinese and North Korean military, is only there to keep the people under control. Russia is a different matter; for them it is based on manliness. How interesting that different communist nations have different paths to ‘enlightenment.’
Now this list is great. Typically, when you read about how the military (or any organization for that matter) makes you better, they simply tell you the shallow stuff that is done to make you better. Traditional articles tell us about what we are taught “technically” and not “socially.” The military uses techniques to make us better that are proven over long periods of time, not thru some social engineering model made up by some pinko, commie, classroom professor.
Pow, you knocked this one out of the park, crazy dude. Social engineering on a mass scale is what gave us the starvation and murder of over 100 million by communists in the 20th century. That is the danger and one we should be very careful about adopting.
Anyone with any sense of history knows that socialism, communism, and fascism are destined to the dustbin of history but will go down only with a fight. Our college snowflakes want to keep it alive much to our future tragedy.
Excellent article on an unexpected subject. Thank you General Satterfield. You made my day.
I nearly spit my coffee up through my nose when I read #1 on your list of what the military does to help young men grow up. Yep, get them away from their pathetic friends and teach them about manhood and how it is what separates dictatorships from democracies. Manhood in dictatorships is highly discouraged.
And the tools of manhood, like guns, are also taken away. Socialism, communism and other such dictatorial style ideologies all are the same. Remove manhood and you control the population.
Excellent point, I never thought of it that way. Ken, you are “the man” today.
Darwin, thank you for your confidence and appreciation. I’m still kind of new to this leadership blog but I have found that these forums are very useful in giving feedback and helping me better understand what General Satterfield has written.
? Thanks Ken! Get good friends and dump your nutty, worthless friends. Family is different. Make your family better but you can’t do it if you are around crazy, immature friends all day.
I found the idea that the article specifically includes only men and for a very good reason; they need the leadership of the military more than women need it. It shows that there are inherent differences in men and women and the roles we fill in our society. Thanks for a great article that pushes the buttons of the weak, effete kids in college. Here’s an idea, let those who criticize such articles join up with the US Marine Corps like I did. Stick it out for a few years and see how you change for the better.
There is little doubt that joining the military makes us better people. You gain both prestige, credibility but more than that, you gain a better appreciation of what is important and not important in life.
Good point, Lynn. Thanks for making my day. Let’s not slice out people based on physical characteristics but look at people as individuals who have free will to make their own decisions.
Thank you Gen Satterfield for another spot-on article about leadership and how, when applied properly, it makes us better people — both the leader and those who follow that leader.
Right Janna. All these “kids” want a trophy for showing up. They are now entering the workforce without much of a work ethic because they believe they are due a salary and benefits just because they are present. No surprise that they learned a lot of it from out political leadership that encourages this very behavior. Socialism is creepy but growing in the USA.
So very and so sadly true. ?
Nick, you’ve put your finger exactly on today’s social problem. These “kids” have lived in the lap of luxury for so long and protected from any adversity that they cannot ‘see’ what is right before them. They would collapse in the face of any real adversity.
Hi Janna. Thanks for pointing out what needs pointing out on occasion. Leadership makes all the difference. This was a great article that I actually printed and put onto my refrigerator in my kitchen. Our kids get to see it every day as a reminder.
Doing good, by doing good!