life of US soldier :: essays research papers

The quality of life of the single soldiers in the Army is at an all time high. Never before has there been such an effort to increase the quality of life as we have had in the last few years. From 1998-1999 the army spent nearly $600 million in new barracks construction or renovations to older barracks, building 30,000 1 + 1 spaces for junior enlisted. The command here at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center has also tried to keep the permanent party soldiers in a 1 + 1 style of living even though current events have forced some changes. Today we are finding fewer places that still have 4 per room or a common latrine for the floor. We have kitchens, laundry rooms with easy access, and a decent day room. And while they are not always up to a standard we expect, it’s only because the soldiers that use them fail to keep them clean or take care of the equipment in them. Unfortunately despite all the changes to recent policies and the continuing improvement in the barracks there are still several areas that I would like to see improved. In terms of our living areas the main issue is privacy and morale. The command does not abuse the use of inspections because they are a necessity, but they do not consider the fact that some jobs in the hospital operate on a 24 hour basis. For example while working night shift you may wish to sleep from 1000 till 1600. Since there are shift workers who are home during the day, or people who come home for their lunch break you are forced to deal with loud music or yelling outside, not to mention traffic. But worse then that, if there is a room inspection or furniture check, you also have to deal with people walking into your room, usually around 1100-1400. It’s obvious where the problem is with shift workers. This could be easily fixed by starting earlier such as at 0830-0900 or even just starting at 1000 while going to the night shift personnel’s rooms first. This would eliminate being disturbed during sleep time and still show that the command cares about the welfare and morale of its soldiers. When considering the quality of life of single soldiers, you must also look at programs offered to them. This area we also find to be lacking.

Dr. Strangelove

653 Throughout Dr. Strangelove, there are examples of a variety of leaders and leadership styles or lack thereof. A majority of the characters in this movie obviously have a difficult time being effective leaders. It is apparent from the beginning of the movie, particularly the scene where Mandrake enters Rippers office. There are obvious issues with his Rippers mental capabilities. Ripper, because of his position, at some point must have been an excellent leader, appears to have lost his sense of reality and become paranoid. This became clear when he convinced himself that the Russians had infiltrated the water system, which are the causing him ill effects. Because of his delusions and paranoia, Ripper put his country at risk of a disaster confirming that he is incapable of still leading. On the other hand, Mandrake appears to be a sufficient leader and makes every attempt to reassure Ripper and try to obtain the code to stop an unnecessary attack on the Soviet Union. Throughout the movie, Mandrake appears to be the most competent leader and in the end confirms this by deciphering a code that prevented all but one of the bombings. Buck Turgidson sees himself throughout Dr. Strangelove as a superior officer and leader. Proven repeatedly through the movie Turgidson exhibits an enormous ego and has a questionable sense of leadership. He seems more occupied with his personal life and his paranoid beliefs of the Soviet Union than leading his saving his own country. The president in this film, Merkin Muffley, is an interesting portrayal of a United States President. Muffley shows no exceptional leadership skills but does seem to have the ability to make his own decisions. However, there are points while in the war room that make his leadership skills questionable. The conversations between the president and Dmitri Kissof, for instance, definitely show a submissive side of Muffley. However, he does seem to redeem himself in several scenes when making appropriate decisions in effort to halt the bombings. Col. ‘Bat' Guano appears to be a strong leader and commander. During the scene of Mandrakes capture the colonel is forceful however shows the skill to accommodate Mandrake. This is apparent when the Colonel fires upon the soda machine to assist Mandrake in acquiring enough change to contact the president. A leader like this is an asset in any situation, especially this one. Soviet premier Dmitri Kissof is a humorous portrayal of any type of leader. Kissof, portrayed to be a drunken leader, is more interested in his personal amusement rather than leading his country. During the scene where the president is speaking to Kissof, it becomes apparent that instead of ruling his country, he is enjoying a party and listening to loud music. While pilot Maj. T. J. Kong is not one of the main leaders in Dr. Strangelove however, he is an imperative leader. His leadership skills are far superior compared to a greater part of other leaders in this movie. Examples of his superior skills, exhibited in the last few scenes, Major Kong risks his life to repair the bomb doors in his plane, resulting in his riding the bomb to the ground for detonation. Finally, Dr. Strange-love is not particularly a leader but more of an information source. Although it is apparent through the few scenes he appears, that at one time, he was an important asset to the Nazi’s and some sort of scientist but now was an important source of information regarding the doomsday device. In the end, the few good quality leaders were essential in the successful return of all but one bomber. Unfortunately, this last bomber also had a great leader who was determined to complete his mission, and succeeded in his bomb detonating. Dr. Strangelove certainly reveals different leaders and the detrimental effects poor leadership can result in. Works Cited Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. 1963. Columbia Pictures, 2004. DVD

Importance Of Conformity In School - 1068 Words

Social Conformity in School School is a time to get a basic academic education which allows for a better understanding of the world we live in, and an opportunity for a better life. Additionally, it’s a crucial phase for adolescents as they are on the quest for self-discovery. Adolescence is a time of cognitive, biological, and social challenges but it is also a time to achieve many things. In school, students get exposed to peer pressure and feel the need to conform to the people around them. People conform to avoid looking foolish or sticking out of a group. For that reason, people are matching the beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes to whatever the â€Å"norm† seems to be at that time. Conformity doesn’t end after you graduate school, yet it†¦show more content†¦Middle school is where your future really starts, and that’s why it can be the hardest part of your school years. Due to all these changes, kids start losing who they are, so they begin d ressing alike, talking alike, acting alike, and even eating the same food and listening to the same music. Conformity is the most dangerous in middle school, because this is where the opinions and judgmental comments begin to arise among students. To avoid being judged from peers, students do and say anything that will help them fit in. In rare cases, students do their own thing and stray away from what others believe is â€Å"cool†, but in more cases than not, those are the students who get bullied the most. There was an experiment done by Soloman Asch in the 1950s. The study was looking at conformity and how it influences people’s decisions. In the study, Asch found a group of people who were willing to give an incorrect answer to conform to the rest of the group. Next, a naive student was placed in a room with the other people who were â€Å"in on† the experiment. The naive student had no idea that the other students were not real participants. They were give n an eye test and the students who knew were in on the experiment were told to give an answer that was obviously not correct, but when the one naive student heard their answers, he conformed to the rest of the group and said the same. This experiment is a true test to show how easy people will conform to fit in with the crowd.Show MoreRelatedConformity: Sociology and Dead Poets Society777 Words   |  4 PagesConformity is the social influence involving a change in an individual’s behaviour in order to be uniform and consistent with the expectations of a social system. Conformity provides order and stability in a society as well as a sense of equality, a sense of belonging and identity and the freedom to achieve their full potential. These positive aspects of conformity are explored through the visual text, Dead Poets Society. Conformity is vital in the promotion of equality. 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Conformity and rebellion, two issues that each human being has experienced, have great effects not only on the conformist and rebel, but on the people around themRead MoreAn Era Of Great Conflict1375 Words   |  6 Pagesthe 1950s, Tocqueville’s five characteristics of American Exceptionalism are invalidated; liberty was not attainable due to the Cold War policies like McCarthyism, racism, such as the massive resistance of integration, disproved egalitarianism, conformity, in the suburbs and women’s lives, throughout this decade refuted individualism, populism was belittled with the government’s little help for the Civil Rights Movement, and Laissez Faire Economics was replaced for a short time with Keynesian economicsRead MoreTaking a Look at the Transcendental Movement1455 Words   |  6 Pagesstructure of Dead Poets Society. The central character in this film and the epitome of transcendental values is John Keating. 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