This article will not be bored with the definition of a profession. The U.S. military is about more than just words, it's also about action. The action of more than 238 years of tradition and service. The army is a profession. A profession requires its members to undergo extensive training and acquire specialized skills. A member of a profession must fully commit themselves and their skills to a vocation entrusted to them by the public. A profession offers its members intrinsic value that motivates them beyond financial gain. The Army is a higher calling that requires all of these qualities and more. The Army requires its members to undergo extensive training and acquire specialized skills. From the moment a soldier moves from the civilian sector to the military, he or she is indoctrinated through training. Regardless of rank, the Army requires every Soldier to be technically proficient and mentally competent in order to be qualified in a respective military specialty. As a soldier progresses in his military career, he must continue his education and training. Army leaders are expected and required to continue to develop their skills through academic study, operational experience, and institutional training. An opposing view holds that anyone can learn these skills; However, statistics show that less than 0.5% of the population serves in the armed forces, indicating that a soldier is a rare blend of intelligence and character.1 These lessons are necessary qualifications to achieve what General Martin Dempsey describes it as “effectiveness rather than efficiency”. 2 Just like the profession of medicine which must heal, the media which must bring the truth and the law which must ensure justice, the profession of arms must ensure security...... middle of paper ...... bonds with the people it serves and continues to grow in the service of others. As a professional, a soldier lives these words through action.BibliographyEikenberry, Karl and David Kennedy. “America and its military adrift,” The New York Times. (March 2013). http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/opinion/americans-and-their-military-drifting-apart.html?_r=0 (accessed February 9, 2014). Feickert, Andrew and Stephen Daggett. A historical perspective on “hollow forces”. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, January 2012. Jones, Jeffrey. “Nurses top the honesty and ethics list for grade 11.” Gallup Economy. (December 2010). http://www.gallup.com/poll/145043/nurses-top-honesty-ethics-list-11-year.aspx (accessed February 9, 2014). US Army. An Army White Paper: The Profession of Arms. West Point: Center for Army Profession and Ethics (CAPE), December 2010.