Humanizing the Rank

Dust covered, weather beaten, brown leather boots laced up tightly with camo pants bloused neatly over the tops. Flag on their right shoulder sleeve lined up neatly centered. Unit patch gracefully displayed on their left shoulder sleeve. U.S. ARMY delicately placed over their heart on the uniform they wear. The last name they carry placed center on the right side of their chest. Specified rank position displayed center mass on the uniform. Hair neatly secured and tapered to sit neatly and presentably under their broken-in patrol cap.

Serving in the armed forces is a choice many make to honor and serve their country. This is done by choice and not force in today’s time. Young American’s with open minds, sense of duty, bright futures, and uncapped expectations are what drive the will to join in the elite one percent of the population. However, the optimist young adult soon becomes disgruntled, bitter, and focused on the end point of their service contract.

Military leaders are having a hard time understanding the reason many Soldiers do not re-enlist. Effective leadership starts at the top and trickles down. If your effective leaders are found on the bottom of the totem pole, they will soon be snuffed out by the lack of care, rank focused mindsets, and the inability to look beyond a symbol someone wears on their chest.

Rank structure is important in the realm of understanding responsibility, respect, and duty. It is not entirely the whole being of the person who wears it. Respect is given to a slight degree. Full respect is earned, not given. Often times, Soldiers are handed the roles of leaders in hopes to guide, train, and grow them into effective, productive members of the armed forces. In doing so, several leaders do not have the mindset or skills to look past a written structure to see the person behind the position.

Often junior enlisted Soldiers are treated with disrespect while expected to treat all superiors with the utmost respect expected for their rank and years of service. Junior enlisted are tasked to guide and train those in the ranks below them while handling, leading, and performing duties and assignments above a set expectation wrapped in degradation of their abilities, intelligence, and performance served on a thin platter of direction, drive, ambition, and care.

The rank a Soldier wears is often the identity of that person. Their name is just the identifier to that specific piece. Humanizing the rank should be the forefront of leaders. Understanding that the lowest rank person can have the most beneficial idea or process above even the highest rank among your group is extremely important. There is no words to describe fully how important understanding this concept is.

I have faced many challenges as a junior enlisted who has been expected to perform duties, task, and assignments with a high level of expectations in a role that is twice above my current rank. After many battles and hurdles, it finally became clear to those I had to interact and report to, that my rank was just a pay grade and not my skillset, intelligence, or overall performance base.

MSG Littleton is a leading force in the Humanizing the Rank movement that is sweeping TikTok platform currently. He has fashioned this statement into a wearable icon that several armed forces members have heavily supported.

MSG Littleton has been in the Army for 20 years. He is been an infantryman his entire career. However, he is currently the Senior Military Science Instructor for Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (ROTC) at Ohio University. Although humanizing the rank has been mentioned many decades ago, it is not something that has been practiced or accepted still.

I asked MSG Littleton, “Do you feel humanizing the rank is something the Military should start focusing on and practicing?” He responded eloquently with “Too many people abuse their rank. Too many folks want the rank but not the responsibility. The Military should really start practicing that. As we know, there is only a small population that believe in this movement. I recommend leaders not to give up. Remember where you came from. Always be there for your Soldiers. Don’t let the rank change who you are as a human being.”

When your Soldiers are complaining at any level, you have an issue. If your Soldiers are complaining at all levels, you have a major problem. Retention has been a major focal point this recent year among Military leaders. Several seemed to not understand why Soldiers do not want to stay in.

I asked MSG Littleton what could be done to help correct the retention failure that is sweeping the armed forces currently. He stated, “Having a positive work environment can help boost retention. Having leaders actually fix the current issues rather than just brush them off. Military should actually practice ‘PEOPLE FIRST’ rather than using it as a political stunt.”

Soldiers are finding it difficult to not only use the benefits and entitlements they are promised when they sign their contracts, but are having issues being treated as simple human beings. Often on deployments or missions, Soldiers are looked at as just a number or bodies filling a slot instead of a person. Soldiers are expected to deal with mental health issues, health issues, relationships, finances, and everyday life concepts with no issues or negative impact to them or their work ethic.

Humanizing the rank not only shows your Soldiers that you care about them as a human being, but it represents to them that they are not invisible. That they do matter. Leaders need to take a moment and step back. Ask yourself, “Do my Soldiers know me? Do I really know my Soldiers?” If the answer to either of those is no, you have a bigger issue. Humanize the Rank by actually putting your PEOPLE FIRST. Take care of your people, and they will take care of you.