Critical Attributes

[DirtyM]

This is an open question to everyone from Fire Team Leader to CSM, PL to BN CDR;

IF YOU HAD TO limit three key and essential skills and/or attributes that Privates should be instilled with upon graduation from Infantry OSUT- what would you want? What are they lacking when showing up to their first unit? Anything that should be re-instated?...'free gun' as much as you want to illustrate a point. For clarification- pretty soon I'm to be assigned to Sand Hill-- of course I have my own opinions on the subject-- but I'd like to hear from where the rubber meets the road. Appreciate your responses in advance.

(Discipline, Marksmanship, Weapons familiarization, Physical Fitness, Land Navigation, Military Bearing, Army Values...)

[RangerX]

Well I am an FOG, but what I miss most in the civilian world is....initiative. Nobody takes it anymore.

[Jim]

My vote goes to inattention to detail.

[RangerX]

My vote goes to inattention to detail.

Add situational awareness as well.

[RangerX]

My vote goes to inattention to detail.

Add situational awareness as well.

Well played.

I bag my daughter on this almost daily. She has her head in the clouds and would walk in to traffic if I didn't jump her shit.

When the boy is old enough, his life is going to be..."interesting".

[Ranger Bill]

There it is: initiative, attention to detail and situational awareness.

[panthersix]

BALLS

[RangerX]

BALLS

I'd say that anyone signing an infantry contract these days has at least a decent set of these.

[rgrpuck]

discipline (attention to deatial falls into this)

Physical stamina (mental toughness falls into this one)

Marksmanship

[Dan B 3/75]

Skills:

1. Individual weapons proficiency.
-safe handling (safety on, finger outside trigger, pointed in safe direction etc...)
-operation (load, unload, immediate and remedial action, know the fundamentals, cycle of function)
-maintenance (performance and reliability effective maintenance vs. "it looks clean" maintenance

Most weapons tasks simply require good instruction and repetition and I would make the little fuckers do it religiously every day until they did it smoothly and without having to think about it.

2. IMT
-use of cover and concealment
-use of alternate firing positions when the prone is not practical

3. Movement as a member of a fire team.
-understand the concept of fire and maneuver and ensure a base of fire / overwatch is established prior to movement
-understand communication and use it to establish and control both movement and fires
-understand the use of an individual lane, dispersion, and how to stay on line with fellow assualters

Those 3 are the biggies imo, and it would make life much easier to transition a new hooah into a team if he arrived with a good understanding of those 3 tasks.

Attributes:

1. Honor

2. Integrity

3. Intestinal fortitude

We have no room for shitbags that lack the above traits. It is honorable to volunteer to serve ones country, especially in a time of war. All I ask is that they honor their contract. They can revert to being a dope smoking hooligan after they leave the service, but for 3 or however many years they serve, honor their contract.

[DirtyM]

Appreciate the feedback- I'll chew on this. Of course the most challenging aspect is instilling those intangible attributes in young recruits- getting them to 'buy in'. I saw some stats from a survey conducted last year polling new recruits in basic training asking why they joined. Boredom, seeking adventure, and financial stability all outweighed service to country by a WIDE margin. 9/11 et al means very little to this generation (as a whole).

Again, thanks for the responses.