Ask any soldier why he’d risk his life in the performance of his duties and the answer never changes…’The guy next to him.’
Ask any soldier why he gears up after too little sleep, patrols all day, comes back to his FOB only to repeat…His answer…’The Mission.’
These guys are not generic. Some of them don’t really care who the president is. They disagree on music, books, movies, video games. They differ in race, religion, cultural views, political views. Many don’t “want” to be there.
Mission and Unit identity raise them to levels of performance that would be undreamed of back home.
This is the kind of Cohesion that will be necessary within the conservative movement if it’s going to have any significant, long-term impact on the federal government.
And the Opposition knows it. That’s why so much energy is spent to separate Americans. The Opposition divides by race, religion, class, profession, region, ethnicity. Liberal leadership talks about homogenizing, but creates and funds programs that build barriers. By making everyone feel isolated and weak, they offer themselves as ‘protection.’
How does the Army build Cohesion?
The Key ingredients include: Establishing Common Ground, Crisis and E’sprit.
Is the “Conservative” a homogenous label? The main-stream media is having a very tough time defining the Tea Party because of its differences. It is leaderless, and in fact pointless until it defines a ‘mission.’ Suddenly it is energetic, insidious and relentless.
So what is there to “bind” the movement? Why am I here? Self-Government, for one. My kids, liberty, pride in the product of my own hands. These are my motivators, What are yours? Know why you’d pledge your life, honor and fortune. Once you know what those are, we can start to realize what we have in common.
Crisis is like the glue between layers of plywood. Define ‘crisis’ as challenge, and overcoming challenges with another person creates a ‘story’ that bonds you for life. The more “charged” the crisis, the stronger the bond. It starts in basic training when the Drill Sergeant crashes into the barracks and screams at the recruits to get up. Haircuts, ugly drab uniforms, lack of sleep, confidence courses…a long series of small and large challenges that a unit overcomes at the same time and then eventually, together. In the field, it’s a firefight, deployment, deprivations that serve as the glue: overcoming obstacles, resolving conflict, working through problems, surviving catastrophe, these are the spices of Life. These are the things we remember and the People we remember.
Go through the fire and we’re a part of the ‘brotherhood’ (or sisterhood) as it were. We’ll sit around the table telling our story, or rally to defend those who are part of it. We’ve acted outside of ourselves, accomplished more than we thought and are proud of our connection to it. Our ears perk at the Mention of ‘tea party’ on the news. I relish being called a ‘tea-bagger.’ I rally to the Gadsden flag and other symbols of our ‘Struggle.” That’s why the New Guard® has a challenge coin…E’sprit…pride in our common commitment.
The Conservative movement faces a professional Opposing Force (OpFor). We are out manned, out-gunned, out-financed and out-organized. Much like our founders, we face an opposition that is trained, well-established, well-paid, enjoys the power of government. Unlike the British Army, the new OpFor is deeply rooted, local and fights for their very livelihood.
We can improve our odds by working within our community to discover common ground, find and implement local solutions and co-ordinate with all our allies. Cohesion isn’t BECAUSE we’re all alike, but in SPITE of it.
The New Guard® is a means of learning and applying the skills and tactics necessary to shift the authority of government back to the People. www.onemancan.org
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