The Importance of Professional and Military Bearing Essay Example

The purpose of this essay is to explain the importance of having and maintaining military and professional bearing. To understand the importance of maintaining military and professional bearing first, we have to define what that actually means. Military and professional bearing is the way that a Soldier should act and present themselves. Military and professional bearing is not always something that you can see like an observable action, sometimes it is how you think about and internally deal with a situation. One of the major components to ones’ military and professional bearing is the values that they live their life. These values are the building blocks for your personality and actions.

Values defined as a group of traits that each Soldier should personally possess. These traits include character, competence, commitment, confidence, discipline, tact, loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, personal courage, proficiency, and professionalism. Values come from a variety of sources within the Army including the Army values, Soldier’s Creed, Warrior Ethos, Creed of the Non-Commissioned Officer, and Army Regulation 600-100. Values brought from childhood and used in conjunction with those learned from the Army will create a morally stronger Soldier.

Army values

The Army values are the ones that spell out the acronym LDRSHIP, which are loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. The Army values, Warrior Ethos, and the Soldier’s Creed are instilled and heightened during the initial entry process; starting with Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) or One Station Unit Training (OSUT). These traits are the core values that the Army holds dear and teaches at every level. The Army values, Warrior Ethos, and the Soldier’s Creed set the groundwork for these newly graduated Soldiers. After BCT and AIT, it is up to the individual Soldier to keep living by the Army values.  

How a Soldier presents and carries themselves is also another component in military and professional bearing. A Soldier must be confident and care about their appearance, especially while in uniform. Having confidence and caring about your appearance shows that a person is approachable and is not sloppy. Wearing a dirty or wrinkled uniform, not shaving, and having out of regulation hair not only shows a lack of bearing but can also be an indicator of other underlying issues. We as Soldiers have to have tact and professionalism when interacting with others; we have to know how to talk to people without being disrespectful in both words and actions, no matter whether they are superiors or subordinates.

Military and professional bearing is also how a Soldier acts and reacts to a certain situation. A Soldier who possesses military and professional bearing would remain calm and professional in a potentially dangerous or stressful situation. Having bearing means that you will not let your emotions take control and cause you to do something drastic in the heat of the moment. Your military bearing should remind you to take a step back and analyze the whole situation before you react. This can include situations during your regular duties, on a battlefield, at the motor pool, in the field, or even out at a bar. Those who are quick to act often do not think about the consequences of their actions or of the people who might be hurt by those actions.

All Soldiers, regardless of rank, should possess military bearing. Those in a higher ranked position should possess a higher standard of military bearing due to the nature of their position. All Soldiers should uphold the Soldier’s Creed, while non-commissioned officers (NCOs) should also uphold the Creed of the Non-Commissioned Officer as well. The reason behind this is that NCOs have a higher standard to uphold due to the nature of their job. NCOs not only have to accomplish the mission, but they also have to set the standard for and look out for their soldiers. What soldier is going to want to follow a leader who shows up to work late and in a dirty uniform?

​Military and professional bearing instilled upon and enhanced the second you step off the bus at basic training. It is what allows us to drive on in a firefight to save fallen comrades downrange, perform our everyday duties, and to stand at attention during a change of command ceremony. Those who possess military and professional bearing have the integrity and discipline to do the right thing when they had every opportunity to do the wrong one. Having military and professional bearing is what sets Soldiers apart from civilians, its tradition.