[October 17, 2015] My maternal grandmother and parents spent much of their time educating me in the ways of the world. They taught me much about the fundamentals of leadership without it being called such and pushed me to be a real man by being responsible for my actions. But today we see less of this in our younger generation; they grew up with celebrities as their idols and little respect for the astuteness of grown-ups.
The struggles that I’ve had with the younger generation joining the U.S. Army were numerous and often surprising to my peers and me. Who hasn’t heard the following phrase many times? “When I was young things were different.” What this phrase alludes to is that people are different and how we act when we’re young and inexperienced is certainly not like how we act when we are much older and wiser.
Some of the more difficulties experienced with the younger generation have been – from my personal experiences and from those of my close friends:
- These new soldiers have never received any real guidance in their lives. They need much greater mentoring and coaching; a greater amount of time to bring into the profession of soldiering.
- They spend too much time playing computer games, listening to music on their earphones, and talking on their cell phones. Their time could be better spent learning the intricacies of their profession in the military.
- Their life experiences tend to be narrow. Few have been part of a team (such as a member of a competitive sport, debate team, language club, church group, etc.).
- They are self-centered and are over-confident in what they can do. They demand and expect respect and also expect to be held in high esteem by others. To me they haven’t earned it, yet while I will not disrespect them, respect must be earned.
- They have no idea what they want to do in life for their future. Whether it means getting married and having children or an occupation, they simply have not thought that much about their future.
- They put emphasis on having parties, having days off, relaxing with others, playing games, and watching television.
- They have experience with illegal drugs, abuse of legal drugs, and excessive alcohol use. Although they have to pass a drug test to determine if they’ve used illegal drugs but the test is only good for a limited time in the past.
- They are good at using electronic devices but cannot make basic electronic repairs.
- They cannot drive a stick shift vehicle and have never changed a tire, the oil, or transmission fluid. Their idea of “maintenance” on a vehicle or any piece of equipment is to take it to a service station.
- They have never fired a weapon of any type. While there are exceptions, few have ever had formal instruction on how to clean it, account for it, and use it properly.
- There is little or no inhibition on having sexual relations with others.
- They almost never had a job, part-time or full-time, or were responsible for anything of significance.
- They don’t know how to shovel snow, fix a leaky faucet, replace a window, repair a torn garment, cut a piece of wood to length, or use a hammer.
- They never saved any money, had a bank account, written a check, or were responsible for paying bills.
- Outside the home they have never started a fire and kept it going, field dressed an animal, cleaned a fish, milked a cow, or shot or trapped an animal. Food comes from the grocery store, so they think.
- They have a fixation on their personal appearance and how their face and clothes look; being cool is important.
- Believe that “old people” have little value and no longer respect them for their wisdom or accomplishments.
The consequence is a young soldier who is not as resilient as we would like. They struggle with their military duty that undoubtedly requires greater discipline and mental-physical strength than civilian occupations. While most will adapt to the change from civilian to military life, their struggle defines their generation as one less prepared.
I watched a movie the other night called Failure to Launch starring Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. It’s a funny movie with a light plot that revolves around an overgrown mama’s boy who hasn’t found the courage to take flight from the nest. 1 He is a little like the younger generation joining the military today. In the military, we’ve had to give a lot of them a little help.
Tomorrow: “Leader Appreciation of the Younger Generation” which describes some of the characteristics we see that we like in the young.
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