Qualities for a successful life cannot be taught in a classroom or learned in entry-level jobs. They are innate character traits; the trick is providing an environment that allows those qualities to emerge, to be honed, and to be utilized in everyday life. The Military provides a unique environment that does just that.
Qualities for Life
Qualities for Life
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Qualities for Life: Overview
The moment an individual decides to enlist, they begin a personal journey that challenges the mind and body. The experience is different for everyone, but one fact holds true: military service impacts personality in a powerful and permanent way.
The seven enlisted men and women featured here can tell you that the most valuable skills they learned in the military go far beyond the tactical. Follow these individuals through their time in the service and into their post-military careers. You'll see how the qualities they developed in the military earned them continued success in civilian life.
"...if I wanted other things in life, the start would be the Military"
Whether they were inspired by money for college or a deep desire to see the world, our subjects saw enlistment as an opportunity to claim independence and pursue career goals. See how military service helped fuel their ambitions and start them on the path to fulfilling careers.
"You still have that little reserve of energy inside you..."
No one ever said military service was easy—rewarding things seldom are. Follow our subjects through basic training as they discover untapped inner strength and complete increasingly challenging assignments with newfound ease.
"I didn't want to let the team down."
Recruit training reinforces the importance of working as a team. Even as individuals develop leadership qualities, it's the group dynamic that keeps a unit working like a machine. Find out how the idea of teamwork—and friendships made during service—hold strong in civilian life.
"They viewed me not as...the child that left, but as a mature adult"
The physical transformation that comes with recruit training is just the beginning. Many enlistees relish the responsibility that comes with military life, and see it as an opportunity to grow as a person.
"The Military was the launching pad for everything..."
After retiring from military life, the skills recruits develop carry over into civilian life. See how our subjects took what they learned during service and put it to work in the private sector.
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