Military Review English Edition September-October 2013 | Page 42
The Trust Lapse
How Our Profession’s Bedrock is Being Undermined Maj. Joshua Glonek, U.S. Army
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Maj. Joshua Glonek is an instructor in the Department of Social Sciences at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point (USMA). He holds a B.S. from USMA and an M.P.P. from the University of Chicago. He served as a platoon leader in Iraq and as a company commander in Afghanistan. PHOTO: President Lyndon B. Johnson, accompanied by Gen. William Westmoreland, decorates a soldier, at Cam Rahn Bay, Vietnam, 26 October 1966. (National Archives, 2987665)
HEN AMERICAN GROUND forces’ direct involvement in Vietnam ended in 1973, some soldiers returned home to be disparaged and forgotten by their fellow citizens. Many of the soldiers who were denigrated for their involvement in the war were compelled into service because of the draft. Public trust in the Army was at a low, with many blaming the military for the war as much as they blamed the civilian policymakers whose orders the military was carrying out.1 Racial divisions among soldiers, rampant drug use, and poor leadership persisted in the Army even after completion of the war. Recognizing the need for major changes, the Army became an all-volunteer force and made major modifications to its training methods, weapons systems, and doctrine. Then chief of staff of the Army Gen. William Westmoreland began the task of repairing the troubled Army of the Vietnam era. The focus of his reforms was what he termed “professionalism” which involved making improvements in training, education, and individual and organizational competence.2 Over the next two decades the Army worked hard to improve its professionalism, and by the 1990s, the Army had established itself as one of the country’s most ?\?X?Y ??\??[???[?[Y[?[ ? \? ?\?H[? H\?^H ??\??[? ?\? H\?X?\?Y[?? ?\?8?% ?\??] ?Y[? H\?^H[? H[Y\?X?[? [?K[? ?\? ?][? H\?^H?] ?Y[? ??Y\??[? Z\?XY\??\? ?H??[\]H H?] \?H? H\?^H ??\??[?[?? ? ?[??^[? ?H]\?^[Z[?H H?\??[? ?]H? ?\? ]^\? ?[??\? ??\??[??H\??YH ] H ?\??\?\?^H\? ???Y ??\? ??Z[\??Y[?[Z[?\?Y?\? H \??[? YX\??? ?\?[? ?H]\? ?? ]\???[??Y??H] [?\?Z[?\? H???K??[Y\??\?\?^HXY\??]?H ?X???^?Y H?YY ? ?Y???\?[? ?] ?Z[??\????H[? ?]]YX[?? ??HHY[X?\?? H\?^H ??\??[??H ??\??[??\?\??[\ZY??? X?Y?H?[??X\?[?[\ ?^H[? ? LK??X[ H?Y?[? \?\??\??[????] H ?\?[?\?\H?????\]K[? H ?\?[?Y??[?\?[? ?Y[Z[?? H??Z[?? ?[?[? ???\? H [YH ? ?\?? ?H?\? ??\??[?[ ????Z[????Y??H]\? ??]K?\?H\????\?H?] \? ? ?\? [? ?] H?Y ??????\? ??\??[??% ?\? ???\ [X?\?S???\? ? L?;?kRSUT?H?U?QU?? ??