Sitting in my barracks room as a Senior at Norwich University, I stared at my preference sheet numbered 1 to 16. The United States Army ultimately decides Branch assignments for ROTC commissionees, but we get to submit a preference list. All branches are critical to the mission and we truly are ONE team that couldn’t do it without the whole. I contemplated the order of choices between numbers 2 and 16. But, selecting #1 on my list was a simple choice. To me, joining the Army and not choosing Infantry Branch was like going to a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and ordering just a salad.
To explain why I chose Infantry Branch and have stayed Infantry despite opportunities to pursue other career tracks, I am going to steal from another author. Pete Blaber, former Delta Force Commander, wrote a book titled The Mission, the Men, and Me. To bring his construct into the present day, I use The Mission, The Soldiers, and Me.
The Mission
“The mission of the Infantry is to close with the enemy by means of fire and maneuver in order to destroy or capture him, or to repel his assault with fire, close combat, and counterattack.”
What other mission could you want? The mission of the Infantry IS the mission of the Army. The Infantry deploys, fights, and wins…decisively. When you played Army as a kid in the backyard, did you play signalier, mechanic, or engineer? If you did, great! But, if instead you played Soldier, down in the mud, maneuvering on the enemy – then Infantry may be for you. This may all sound like chest thumping and bravado, but it isn’t. It is something deeper.
The mission of the Infantry attracts a certain kind of person. The “type” is a bit stereotypical in some ways, but it is a group of people I love. The culture is similar to the football teams I played on as a kid and young adult. It is a group of individuals who are completely committed to this mission. They are committed to winning, obsessed with it, because they know in this profession, losing isn’t an option. Which brings me to Joseph.
The Soldiers
Joseph
I lovingly refer to Soldiers, as a collective, as “Joseph.” The formal derivative of Joe (as in GI Joe), I use it partially tongue-in-cheek and completely out of love. Joseph is my favorite type of person in the world. Aside from my wife and kids, there is no group of people I love more than Joseph. Does that mean they don’t need to be disciplined or that they are my “friends?” No. But, they are my family. (For more on leading with love, click HERE.)
Why I Stay
I chose the Infantry for the Mission, but I decided to stay for the the opportunity to lead Infantry Soldiers. In 2012, I had a slot for Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS). I pushed off my class date to serve as a Home Detachment Company Commander at the request of my Battalion Commander. After those 11 months of command; leading the entire company, minus PLs and an XO, through EIB, Team, and Squad Certification; I knew I wanted to stay Infantry.
Nothing against the mission or the people in the Special Forces community. They have an important role. But, I wanted to stay in the Infantry, command a rifle company, and continue to lead infantrymen.
3 Things About Joe
Here are three things I love about Infantrymen; they are not exclusive to the Infantry, but they are defining characteristics:
- Every day in the Infantry should be like a grown-up game of king of the hill. Infantrymen wake up every day wanting to know who is the baddest dude on the hill. It drives them to work harder to get better. If you are on top, you have to work even harder to stay there. If you aren’t, you have to train harder to get there.
- They make the absolute worst seem like the absolute best. Conditions sucking is the status quo for an infantryman. It is a point of pride. Don’t get me wrong…they will whine and complain more than anyone. It is a coping mechanism. But, the more crap you throw at them, the better they perform.
- Connected to #2, if you love them, they will love you back. Do they need good leadership? No – and they have suffered more bad leadership than they deserve at times. But, if you give them good leadership…if you give them a “why” – as Viktor Frankl would say – they can suffer ANY how. And, they will suffer it with a mud and Copenhagen filled smile…then they will charge a machine gun bunker for you.
The Leaders
In Col. Lopez’s #BranchSeries interviews (click HERE to see the Lopez on Leadership Interviews), he asked Colonels across the branches a few questions. He specifically asked “Who is the best leader you have worked for?” I cannot possibly narrow the list down. That is the final reason I love Infantrymen.
There are great leaders across the branches and I have been blessed to know 
many. But, the best leaders I’ve known – and the ones with whom I most connected – are Infantry Officers. Two of my former battalion commanders rank in the top 1% of leaders I have ever known in any profession and remain close mentors of mine. Four of the five brigade commanders with whom I’ve served were and are outstanding leaders. But, the great leaders I’ve known aren’t limited to my superiors. Many of them, the ones from whom I learned the most, were my peers as an XO and CO, my Lieutenants when I was a Company Commander (that’s right Ian, Ethan, Tyler, Colton, Dave, Alex, Ye Young, and Josh…I am talking about you), and my NCOs.
My Soldiers, NCOs, peers, and superiors in the Infantry make me love this profession. The Infantry isn’t just chest-pounding, dumb grunts (although we won’t shy away from the moniker). These are some of the smartest, most intellectually agile, critical thinkers I have known. They make coming to work, everyday, a gift. They make it fun, even when it couldn’t possibly be considered fun by anyone in their right mind. And, they make me want to be the best version of me that I can be.
Me
I am a Coach’s son (baseball and football coach). Growing up as one of three boys meant “playing” as a kid always turned into a household version of WWE Wrestlemania. I am competitive to a fault and hate losing. As my middle brother says, “every game is my game 7.” It doesn’t matter if I am throwing rocks at a light pole, doing morning PT, or conducting an Exercise Evaluation (EXEVAL), everything is a competition. There has to be a way to win, and I want to win.
These are the kind of people I like being around, and the Infantry breeds that kind of environment for me. A lifetime of sports and four years in a military college made this kind of environment feel like home. But, competition wasn’t the #1 reason I wanted to be an Infantryman and it isn’t the reason I stay. Leadership is the reason.
This isn’t to say the Infantry is the only place you can be a leader. There are phenomenal leaders in all branches and professions. The Infantry is just where my cultural fit and leadership passions intersect at this point in my life. My purpose in life, as I believe it, is to change my slice of the world by developing men and women of character through the demonstrative power of leadership. That won’t always be in the Army or in the Infantry. But, for the first decade of my professional career I have been able to do that while getting to be an Infantryman…who’s got it better than us?
—
The last three questions Col. Lopez asks his #BranchSeries interviewees are:
- If you could go back in time to when you were a cadet, what would you tell yourself
- What do you expect from your Junior Leaders? From your Superiors?
- Every branch is different. What do you expect from Infantry Lieutenants?
These questions are perfect for closing. The answer for all three are pretty similar and are a combination of the things I still tell Cadets and Junior Officers. First, to the young Infantry Lieutenant or Cadet considering Infantry, it is a profession. It isn’t a job. No one expects you to sign on for 20 years right from the start, but while you are in uniform you need to understand that Joseph and the mission deserve your all.
Two quotes that remain framed on my desk remind me of this. The first is from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, and largely defines my leadership style.
“Regard your Soldiers as your children and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Look on them as your own beloved sons and they will stand by you even unto death.”
The second comes with an additional piece of advice. When I was a Lieutenant finishing up Infantry Basic Officer Leaders Course (IBOLC), I reached out to a classmate of mine from Norwich who was one year group ahead of me. He was serving in Iraq in the 82nd Airborne. I was set to report to the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) and deploy to Afghanistan. When I asked him for advice, he said “Get your tab…period. No excuses. And remember this quote:
“A Soldier who has given his life because of the failure of his leader is a dreadful sight before God. Like all dead Soldiers, he was tired, possibly frightened to his soul, and there he is – on top of all that – never again to see his homeland. Don’t be the one who failed to instruct him properly, who failed to lead him well. Burn the midnight oil, so that you may not in later years look upon your hands and find his blood still red upon them.” – James Warner Bellah
The last thing I would tell a young me, or any other young Infantry Lieutenant/Cadet is this – you chose well! It is all you thought it would be and more. Being an Infantry Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, and Company Commander are the greatest jobs I have ever had. And, I can’t wait to get back to being around Joseph!
For another example of some Leader Expectations, take a look at “An Enlisted Perspective”. You can also subscribe, by clicking below, and receive a free resource that mirrors the initial counseling I had with my Platoon Leaders – “A Deeper Look at Leader Attributes and Competencies”.
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