- Very hard to let go of someone whose presence isn't the best interests of the Army.
- More than tolerable number of incompetent individuals in positions of authority who are unwilling to listen to their subordinates, hide behind their rank and responsible for creating a highly toxic and hostile environment. Know to be extremely cautious around such individuals. The good thing about this is that you'll never have a boss for longer than two years, so stay strong!
- Senior officers/non-commissioned officers need to stop making false promises to subordinates. You make the job of mid-level officers and non-commissioned officers very hard when Soldiers hear conflicting facts about the same thing, especially with regards to professional career objectives.
- You don't really control your career path, despite what you're repetitively told. Not everyone gets to choose their career path (aka jobs placement under "needs of the Army category", place of duty assignment, etc.
- You must be ready to sacrifice a lot of your personal ambitions and other conveniences of life, so be aware before subjecting your family to situations where you won't be home all of the time.
- Don't take everything the recruiter tells you for face value. Before you sign ANYTHING, take a veteran with you who knows how it works to look out for the BS that you may be subjected to.
- In time of war, there is a bigger need of quantity than quality, so don't be surprised to see someone within your ranks who may make you wonder how they're still in uniform. Accept it as fact of life and move on.
- It is still a very "good old boys" environment. It's created a highly negative environment and is unwarranted in today's Army.
