TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01 - TRADOC - U.S. Army

TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01The Army believes that land operations in the future will be more complex than in the past.The preeminent role in battle played by competent Soldiers motivated by the warrior spiritnaturally leads to the Army’s collective view of itself as the most human-centered service, oftendemanding the most sacrifice from its members. Against the requirements of modern landcombat, the most human of instincts are self-interest and self-preservation. The concept ofselfless service to the Nation and fellow Soldiers, with the concomitant obligation andwillingness to sacrifice one’s self on their behalf, is not an innate belief or virtue.The warrior ethos represents shared expectations rather than goals, and requirements ratherthan objectives. While U.S. participation in recent wars reveals the great depth of America’srespect and affection for the sacrifices of its military, the warrior ethos concisely expresses theexpectations of Soldiers by the Nation and by other Soldiers. The warrior spirit is the Soldier’spersonal motivation to live up to the warrior ethos. The warrior must be a confident self-relianthuman being. The military manifestation of the human spirit involves conscious cultivation ofindividual and unit morale, cohesion, esprit de corps and will to persevere against superiornumbers to achieve victory. The warrior spirit is an extension of the human spirit.The Human SpiritWhat qualities of the human spirit support the development of the fighting or warrior spirit?This concept examines the human spirit to see if it has value in strengthening health andresilience. Any discussion of the human spirit inevitably turns to religion and religious beliefs,an important and powerful influence in American society. Without diminishing any faith orreligious practice, this study posits that all things of the spirit do not necessarily need to bereligious. A general framework for developing the human spirit includes the requirement forself-reflection and self-awareness, and individual assumption of responsibility for developing abroad concept of a meaningful life, faith, and social awareness. These interrelated componentsfacilitate the development of a worldview—the foundationupon which development of the human spirit rests. Alwaysevolving, a person’s worldview influences every aspect of aperson’s life. It is the individual’s life philosophy, used tomake meaning out of diverse experiences and provideWars may be fought withweapons, but they are won bymen. It is the spirit of the menwho follow and the man wholeads that gain the victory.direction and purpose. This complex cognitive processdetermines an individual’s priorities, the experiences oneseeks, and the interpretation of those experiences andGeneral George S. PattonCavalry Journal, 1933behavior. An individual’s worldview also contains thecollection of knowledge and assumptions about how the world functions and where one fits in it;a process for determining truth, meaning, values, and beliefs; a vision guiding how to live life;and answers to questions on mortality and what follows.The traditional understanding of the human spirit is that it is a life sustaining force that inSoldiers translates to a strong indomitable will to win that refuses to accept defeat in the face ofthe unspeakable horrors and hardships of combat. It is this spirit, indicative of pride and selfconfidence,that calls Soldiers to risk their own safety and possibly to sacrifice their lives for theirNation and their fellow Soldiers. This strength of will must also steel Soldiers to endure the mindnumbing grind of repetitive deployments and the threat of adverse psychological impacts in a56