The Importance of Remembering My Gear Private First Class Aric D. Brandt 316 CAV BDE 1-16 CAV SQDRN This is my 500 word essay on the importance of remembering my gear at all times. Proper gear accountability can range from the most important pieces of gear such as my rifle all the way to my Kevlar. The units and individual Soldiers to whom this gear is issued are held accountable for maintaining them. Losing a piece of gear could have repercussions ranging from payment for lost property to legal action. In addition to these are other consequences.
Responsibility is: the obligation for the proper custody, care, and safekeeping of property or funds entrusted to the possession or supervision of an individual. Being responsible in the US Army has got to be of the utmost importance in my opinion. Throughout the past few months I have been dealing with many problems physically and mentally, and I strongly believe that this has, in part, to blame for my lack of responsibility. Even so, this is really no reason at all to slack on any part of being a responsible Private First Class.
Soldiers must be and act responsibly in every situation they may find themselves in, whether it’s in or out of uniform. Responsibility increases when soldiers believe that they have personal control over their mission performance, performing out of desire to do well instead of just following orders. There have been many studies that have suggested that when a Soldier feels that they have personal control over work performance the result is that the Soldier has a better task performance, better problem solving, and a higher persistence in accomplishing the task, more positive emotions and even better psychological and physical health.
Responsibility and accountability are two of the main factors in being a successful Soldier in today’s U. S. Army. You must be a responsible soldier if you want to make it through deployment alive. Or even worse, if you fail to be responsible you could risk someone else’s life or your entire squad’s lives. Keeping track of my gear and always having it with me at all times is an important part of my many duties as a United States Soldier. A soldier without his/her equipment is a handicap to the United States Army.
If I were in a combat situation, and I did not have all of my gear and equipment with me, then I cannot defend myself or my platoon from enemy fire. Going out on any mission in the military without necessary equipment is dangerous. A soldier cannot be ready to engage the enemy without his/her necessary equipment near and ready. Also, when I know where my weapons, headsets, and other equipment are I am providing a good example to other soldiers on how to always keep track of important items.
