Soldier roles and historical contexts

¶ … soldier in today's army. Specifically, it will define what a soldier is, with an ideal target audience of college-age readers. The news media seems to show soldiers in fighting regalia, always at the ready for a skirmish or a war. While this media ideal is certainly part of the soldier's life, it is not the only thing soldiers do each day - a soldier is much more complex that simply a fighting machine.

What is a soldier?

Black, white, male, female.

Cook, driver, secretary, fighter.

The Army depends on soldiers.

One soldier does not make the Army.

The Army is a team.

A soldier is a symbol

What is a Soldier?

A soldier is many things - depending on who you talk to. The news media usually shows soldiers in times of war, and so they are depicted as fighters with guns who are keeping the country (or the world safe). However, soldiers are much more than fighting machines. Soldiers come from every lifestyle. They can be black, white, Hispanic, Asian-American, or anything in between. Being a soldier is not about what color you are, or what sex you are, it is about wanting to do something for your country, and for yourself. Being a soldier is probably one of the hardest jobs there is, and once you make it as a soldier, you know you can do just about anything you choose to do, whether it is in the Army, or in civilian life.

Soldiers are not just fighting machines either. It takes all kinds of people to run a modern Army, from secretaries to cooks, drivers, and everything in between. The Army is like a business, and there are all kinds of support personnel behind the scenes. They make sure everything runs as smoothly as it can, and that every soldier has what they need to do their job, and protect their country. The secretary at her desk is every much a soldier as the man in the tank with a machine gun by his side.

The Army depends on soldiers, and soldiers depend on the Army, but each individual soldier is not his own Army, he is part of a well thought out and organized team. One soldier would not be able to accomplish much against another army, but when he is part of a team, he can accomplish miracles. The Army is a team, and it depends on its' soldiers to always perform as a team. Without soldiers, there would not be an Army, and without teamwork, the soldiers could not survive.

The Army is divided into platoons, companies, and divisions that are all a part of the entire team, and everything must work in the spirit of teamwork for the Army to be effective. Soldiers who do not want to work in a team environment have no place in the Army, and the Army usually can find them and weed them out early.

So, what is a soldier? A soldier is someone who is willing to fight and die for what he or she believes in. Around the world, there are millions of soldiers. Some of them fight and die for things we do not believe in. However, they are still soldiers. A soldier is not just a person; a soldier is an ideal. The "perfect" soldier is one who follows orders, accomplishes the mission, and comes back with more knowledge than they left with. A perfect soldier is one who knows what to do without being told, leads others, and can learn and grow with their own army. A soldier is young, old, black, white, male, female - it does not matter. It only matters that they can be a part of the team, and they have the desire to serve and protect their country. Of course, there are good soldiers and bad soldiers, just as there are in any other organization.