The Importance of Military History for Military Professionals
Abstract
As military professionals, we live very hectic lives. While we maintain our civilian roles in society and experience the daily struggles of family and work, we also face the unparalleled challenges that accompany expectations of us as military professionals serving our country. Accepting the responsibility of serving our country requires preparation not only in skills, but in overall understanding of our military and its history. This is why it is important for military professionals to take interest and time out of their busy schedules to study military history. Learning about military history will help military professionals grow personally and professionally. Learning is overall beneficial to everyone. It expands our knowledge base and opens our minds to different perspectives. From the military professional aspect, it will build confidence that will be necessary as we move into decision making roles. As we become more familiar with past situations and how our military became involved, we will have a better understanding of why we are dealing with some of the issues we face today. We need to focus our interest on operational military history, which covers the study of war itself, and the tactics or strategies used in certain conflicts. It is unfortunate that interest into our operational military history appears to be decreasing with very little support from educational institutions. Institutions such as Harvard and Yale have very few military history courses. Some institutions are denying tenure to faculty members who taught operational military history courses without considering replacements. Operational military history courses are being replaced with the study of war and society. The study of war and society is valuable, as it focuses on the affects of war on our society, but cant take the place of operational military history (Kagan, 2006).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 15, 2009
- Accession Number
- AD1127761
Entities
People
- Hilsia Hernandez
Organizations
- United States Army Sergeants Major Academy