How Wars Are Won: Leadership, Friendship, Family, and Unit Cohesion

By Damon J. Bullock

This book came into being because of an intrinsic desire to educate others on how the U.S. military has maintained its position as the worlds premier fighting force. This careful explanation will be achieved by using the structural functionalism approach as the sociological foundation and its relationship with the various social actors. This approach reinforces the fact that team unity and cohesion can only result when various social actors work together for the common good of the mission. I want readers to not only understand the military as a fighting force but also how the military is subject to social influences like any other social institution. The U.S. military is often studied regarding its role in our society as a mechanism of protection without much emphasis as a social institution with actors or individuals who are subject to the influences of social interaction like a fallen apple is subject to the Law of Gravity. Writing this book on the subject of military sociology was also inspired because of my unique position in the U.S. Army. As a military sociologist and company grade officer, I have the practical experience and educational background to talk about the social facts that sustain troop cohesion, support, and morale. Mechanisms are established in the military to encourage individuals who are different in many regards to think and fight as one team. The United States military is only great because we have great family, friends, and comrades that support us as individuals and as the American military.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514472453

Damon J. Bullock

Damon J. Bullock was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and raised in a Christian home by a loving grandmother and mother. Damon is the oldest of three with a younger brother and sister. He joined the U.S. Army National Guard in 2000 as an enlisted soldier and continued to progress to his current rank of Captain. Damon has always valued education and its importance for social upward mobility. Therefore, he earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a Doctor of Philosophy from Texas Woman’s University. His professional career consists of being an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Western New Mexico University in Silver City, New Mexico. In addition, he is the adjunct instructor of sociology at other institutions of higher learning as well. Damon has made presentations at reputable academic conferences over the topics of racial inclusion and racial diversity in the U.S. military. He has written articles that have been published in peer-reviewed journals. He is active in a variety of civic and cultural organizations including Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (Life Member), Board President of El Refugio, Inc., and Deacon at Mount Carmel Pentecostal Church. Outside of professional interests, he travels, read, exercise, surf the web, continue to stay abreast on sociological topics of interest, and assist his fellow man when possible.

Book preview

How Wars

Are Won:

Leadership, Friendship, Family,

and Unit Cohesion

Damon J. Bullock

Copyright © 2016 by Damon J. Bullock.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 03/10/2016

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CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgements

Chapter

Introduction

II Review Of The Literature

III Scope Of Company Commander & Unit Leaders

IV Interracial Friendships In The Military & Society

V Interracial Relationships In The Military & Society

VI Family Relationships In The Military

VII Americans Confidence In The United States Military

VIII U.S. Military In Film

Conclusion

References

Appendices

A. Table 1. Percentage Distribution by Sex

B. Table 2. Percentage Distribution by Race

C. Table 3. Percentage Distribution by Sex, Controlling for Race

D. Table 4. Percentage Distribution by Race, Controlling for Sex

E. Table 5. Means and Standard Deviations

F. Table 6. Correlation Matrix

G. Table 7. Estimates of OLS Regression

H. Table 8. Unstandardized Regression Coefficients

I. Table 9. Logistic Regression Estimates

J. Table 10. T-test Statistics

K. Table 11. ANOVA Statistics

L. Table 12. Factor Loadings of Rotated Factors

M. Table 13. Ordinal Regression Estimates

N. Table 14. Ranking of Institutions

O. Newspaper Clip Showing Integration of Armed Forces

P. Copy of Author’s Commission

Q. Resource Guide for Counseling Services

PREFACE

T HIS BOOK CAME into being because of an intrinsic desire to educate others on how the U.S. military has maintained its position as the world’s premier fighting force. This careful explanation will be achieved by using the structural functionalism approach as the sociological foundation and its relationship with the various social actors. This approach reinforces the fact that team unity and cohesion can only result when various social actor’s soldiers work together for the common good of the mission. In other words, I want readers to not only understand the military as a fighting force but also how the military is subject to social influences like any other social institution. The U.S. military is often studied regarding its role in our society as a mechanism of protection without much emphasis as a social institution with actors or individuals who are subject to the influences of social interaction like a fallen apple is subject to the Law of Gravity. So this book is intended to fill in the gap and hopefully answer some long awaited questions.

Writing this book on the subject of military sociology was also inspired because of my unique position in the U.S. Army. Oftentimes, books are written by senior-ranking or General Officers that share their experiences from a strategic or operational point of view without addressing social facts or how interaction between individuals from various demographics can yield phenomenal results. The military continues to perform at a stellar rate and professional level with minimum conflict or dissension between soldiers. Conventional wisdom might question the methods of the military to achieve such astounding feats with a diverse fighting force. As a military sociologist and company grade officer, I have the practical experience and educational background to talk about the social facts that sustain troop cohesion, support, and morale. Mechanisms are established in the military to encourage individuals who are different in many regards to think and fight as one team. In fact, the civilian sector often emulates the military because of our success in accepting diversity as strength instead of a philosophy of reality. Writing this book from my unique perspective will shed light to how individuals working together in a cohesive, harmonious manner enables the military to accomplish its mission. I often tell people that the military is not operated by robots but by living, breathing people. These people are subject to the realities of life and support and love are vital to maintain our premiere fighting position. The United States military is only great because we have great family, friends, and comrades that support us as individuals and as the American military.

This book is aimed at showing appreciation and gratitude to service member’s support system. This support system include service members family, friends, employers, canine companions, wives, significant others, and the American people. As I mentioned before, literature on the military often discuss its duty as a fighting force without giving much appreciation to the well-deserved support system that enables soldiers like me to focus on the duties and mission at hand. Traditionally, the family has been understood as a marital relationship involving a man, woman, and child (ren). However, our country is evolving on what constitutes a family. Not only is family understood to be biological kinship but fictive kinship that has these emotional bonds of security and reciprocal affection. In addition, unconventional relationships such as same-sex marriages and cohabitating individuals are generally viewed by society as a normal component of our culture. I do not want to give the impression that unconventional behavior is readily accepted by every American but only that it does not have the taboo of previous time in our country’s history. Regardless of an individual’s political or religious views on the matter, the American people continue to support soldiers and for that, thank you!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I WOULD LIKE TO gratefully and sincerely thank my mother, Sheryl Bullock, grandmother, Thelma Powell, sister, Tracy Moss , and brother Jeffery Moss for their guidance, understanding, patience, and most importantly, their love while writing this book. Your support, encouragement, quiet patience and unwavering love were undeniably the bedrock upon which my growth and maturity into adulthood have been built. Thank you for your faith in me and allowing me to be as ambitious as I wanted. It was under your watchful eye that I gained so much drive and an ability to tackle challenges head on. You enriched my life beyond words with unyielding loyalty, spiritual insight, wise counseling, and ability to look past personal vulnerabilities and deficiencies. Your guidance, constructive criticism, and reprimand were paramount in providing a well-rounded experience consistent with my long-term career and personal goals. You encouraged me to not only grow as a productive member of society that insists on social equality and fairness but also as an independent thinker. I am not sure many individuals are given the opportunity to develop their own individuality and self-sufficiency by being allowed to work with such independence. For everything you have done for me, I thank you. Also, for our times engaging in much needed humor in what could have otherwise been a somewhat stressful time in life.

I would like to thank Laverne Owens, Brenda, Tammy T. Edwards, Shani Washington, Ophelia Breedlove, Cynthia Dedner, YoLanda Sanders, Sheree Turner, Maria Carrillo, Lucrecia Brown, Roxanne Foreman and Maria Dominguez for trusting in my abilities and sharing in my vision. You kept me on task with selfless devotion, constructive criticism, and honest evaluation. You were my sounding board that forever harmonized the melody of encouragement and trust. Your willingness to share your personal insight and experience provided me with a foundation for continuing my pursuit for social justice and empowering others. Your encouragement, support, and insight were instrumental while writing this book.

I would like to thank the faculty at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for equipping me with the sociological foundation and interest to improve the plight of the marginalized and disenfranchised groups in our society. I want to also thank the faculty at Texas Woman’s University for preparing me through proper and practical training of not only interpreting human behavior but also redefining the norms that often support the status quo while continually discriminating against those who are opposed to assimilation and self-objectification. Thanks again to Western New Mexico University for trusting in my abilities and talents after graduating with my terminal agree. They gave me an opportunity to express my passion and conviction through teaching when others did not. For that, thank you.

I would like to thank my mentors in the Armed Forces such as LTC Renea Timko, LTC Donald Ellison, Major Kendrick Bullard, Major Edward Terry and Major David Minaschek, and CSM Robert Potts; my peers such as CPT Jay Johnson (RET.) and CPT Brandie Page; and my subordinates such as 2LT Darius Taylor, 1SG Patrick Odell, SFC Lenner Newman, SFC Petrice Brown, SFC Charles Howard, SSG Titannia Hall, SFC Kimberly McCrimmon, SFC Leroy Luckett, SFC Jenna Russell, SSG Rick Sanders, SGT Maurice Gray, and SGT Rodney Washington. These individuals trusted my decision-making abilities and talents to lead from the front without fail. You have never questioned my integrity or ability to complete the assigned mission albeit in the military or life. I thank you for the wise words and guidance that helped make me the soldier I am today. In other words, you nurtured, encouraged, and supported my personal and military endeavors without fail and offered reprimand and constructive criticism when needed.

I would like to thank the Mount Carmel Pentecostal Church Family for your prayers, support, and encouragement while writing this book. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Thomas McCoy and Evangelist Dorothy McCoy, with who have been my spiritual advisors and surrogate parents. Your unwavering love, wise words, never-ending encouragement, and fair discipline over the years enriched my life beyond measure. Your ability to love and look past personal failures showed agape love beyond simple understanding. I also would like to thank Mark Williams, Timothy Fields and Chris Evans for their loyal friendship, practical outlook, and comedic nature. Your unique and authentic nature greatly enriched my life. You stood in the proverbial trenches with me in my darkest hour and watched my back for the approaching enemy.

CHAPTER 1

M ILITARY SOCIOLOGY, A subfield of sociology, is the systematic study of the military as a social group rather than a structured organization of the state whose responsibility is to protect and defend with military capability. Social group is a concept within the social sciences (economics, psychology, political science, and sociology) that is more than a simple collection of individuals. Individuals waiting in line at the local theater to purchase tickets for the latest movie are not considered a social group. Also, individuals waiting at the bus stop are not a social group. Specifically, a social group consists of two or more people who share a collective sense of unity and interact with each other as social creatures. Factors aid in cohesion and solidarity of the social group such as kinship ties, and similar interests, values, and/or social and ethnic background. In other words, social groups are individuals that share pertinent interests and this increase further interaction which builds cohesion. Common examples of social groups are cliques, clubs, communities, gangs, and mobs. These social groups have a common goal or motive, group members perform various roles, there is an established social rank, the group creates accepted norms and values relevant to the group, and there are accepted sanctions and rewards when norms are respected or violated. An example of a social group is my membership into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated was established on December 4, 1906 on the campus of Cornell University. We are referred to as Alphas or Alpha men and have a stellar history of providing leadership and service during the Great Depression, World Wars, and Civil Rights Movement. Members of Alpha Phi Alpha Frat. Inc. includes Dr. Martin L. King, Jr., Jesse Owens, Andrew Young, Justice Thurgood Marshall, and Vice-President Hubert Humphrey. I have been a member of Alpha Phi Alpha since January 5, 1995. Like any social group, we share common motives and goals. Our mission or goal is to develop leaders, promote brotherhood and academic excellence, and while providing service and advocacy for our communities (Alpha Phi Alpha, 1906). Simply stated, our goal is to develop leaders, encourage fraternal bonds, and provide advocacy for the most marginalized and vulnerable communities.

Alpha Phi Alpha members perform accepted roles in the division of labor. For example, each Alpha chapter has a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Director of Intake, Sergeant-at-Arms, and Historian. Each role is assigned with responsibilities and obligations that distinguish it from other roles and enables the fraternity as a whole to take on the structural functionalist approach of stability, cohesion, and solidarity. My fraternity has established status relationships or social rank among its members. Socially, I held a lower status in my undergraduate chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock because of my personality type. I was introverted and not perceived to be a dominant or influential figure on campus and with our female counterparts. As a matter of fact, many individuals were surprised when I revealed being an Alpha man. This in part to my personality type and being a focused individual whose priority was to finish undergraduate and pursue graduate degrees. So my time was limited and extra-curricular and social activities were not a priority. This fact aided in having a social lower rank compared to some of my chapter brothers who had a higher social rank or influence in the chapter and on campus. Accepted norms and values relevant are the aims of manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind. These aims are relevant because of their premise of selfless service, community communion, and personal responsibility. Therefore, Alpha men understand that their life mission is to improve the lives of others and assist a down-trodden community on a daily basis.

Membership into my brotherhood requires a true commitment and the willingness to travel down the road of life and uncertainty to assist someone find their way home. There are accepted sanctions of reward and punishments known by Alpha men. For example, rewards for adhering to the accepted norms and values can include the opportunity to hold key positions, recognize as a person in a higher social rank and the ability to have influence to benefit the fraternity. However, Alpha brothers who violate the accepted norms may be subject to adverse administrative actions, inability to hold key positions, ostracizing from the other Alpha brothers and negatively viewed by others particularly those in a position of leadership and influence. For example, I will use the military as a social unit to describe key characteristics of a group as social interaction manifests. Common motives and goals of the military are authorized to defend the state and its citizens, and the advancement of war against another state. The military may have non-sanctioned functions such as internal population control, construction, guarding important areas like military bases, and emergency services like assisting the local community after a ravenous tornado or thunderstorm. For example, this occurred during Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy when the Army National Guard assisted state and federal agencies in providing food and water to the disenfranchised residents in the affected areas. The United States military has an accepted division of labor or where soldiers perform a particular role. For example, the United States Army is divided into 3 categories for soldiers specifically enlisted, commissioned officers, and warrant officers. Commissioned officers are planners, warrant officers are subject matter experts in their specialty, and enlisted soldiers implement the decided plan. Also, NCOs or Non-Commissioned Officers are referred to as being the Backbone of the military because of their important role of implementing the plan of action and directly interacting with lower enlisted soldiers to make sure order is maintained. In each category there is a division of labor based on power and authority. So soldiers are not only n a category but is in a ranking order in each category as well.

These soldiers understand their duty description and are expected to perform at the best of their abilities. In the United States Army, commissioned officers, warrant officers, and enlisted soldiers have a higher-to-lower ranking system in each category. Among commissioned officers, Second Lieutenants are the lowest ranking and a 5-star General is the highest ranking. As you can imagine, the higher the ranking, the more power, influence, and authority comes along with the position. But soldier understands that responsibility and obligation comes along with the position as well. Another reason why the military is effective is that the soldier decides what amount of responsibility and obligation they accept according to their position which coincides with their rank. The military has accepted norms and values relevant to our established norms. For example, the United States military supports diversity, emphasize discipline and hierarchal structure, and prioritize the group over the individual. These norms establish precedence for completing the mission as a team because teamwork is expected to complete the mission. The United States military have developed accepted rewards and praises when norms are obeyed or violated. For example, rewards can include promotion, selection to desired duty positions, PME (Professional Military Education) opportunities, commendations, and TDY (Tour of Duty) opportunities. However, punishments can include separation from the military, adverse action in administrative file, demotion, or verbal or official reprimand. Therefore, choosing to not adhere to the accepted norms of the military can be detrimental to the professional and psychological well-being of a military member.

In Core Issues and Theory in Military Sociology, Siebold’s article pushes towards a theoretical and issue-driven core for the sub-field of military sociology. The military has a visible and vital relationship to any society so it is important to maintain a progressive sub-field of military sociology. Also, society’s long-term viability and the military’s unique characters such as its function have to be taken into consideration. This is a realistic fact because the military is a needed part of any society and to ignore its function can lead to a disastrous end. In short, Siebold express the importance of military presence by saying. The scientific study of society, i.e., sociology, would be grossly incomplete without incorporating the study of the military (pg. 140). Siebold’s (2001) article defines the military as a formally organized entity under the direction of government heads of a nation state and whose primary function involves the use of arms to defend that nation state or to advance its policies in its relations to other nation states. Similarly, the military is understood to perform this mission or role regardless of the nation state. The role of the military can also be modified depending on the type of government leader’s intentions regarding their relationship with other nation states. For example, the military in a democratic society may be used differently than a dictatorship. The military in a democratic society has a positive and cooperative relationship with the nation state without posing a threat to the civilian population. However, the military in a dictatorship regime may oppress the civilian population and is under the sole authority of whenever is in power to be used for their personal or political benefit.

Military sociology is primarily an outgrowth of World War II and the following Cold War. The American Soldier, The Soldier and the State, The Professional Soldier, and The American Enlisted Man focused on the sub-field of sociology as a social entity (Siebold, 2001). For the most part, military sociology broadened its topic of discussion after World War II. This fact can be reflected in various literatures such as the Journal of Political and Military Sociology and Armed Forces and Society in 1973 and 1974, respectively. In addition, academic think tanks such as the Center for Research on Military Organization offers a productive awareness on the military. Importantly, the military is defining its core by conducting research and gathering substantial facts about this sub-field.

So it is vital for military sociologists to undertake the role of sociological scientists to help legitimize the social institution. Military sociology, as a gaining sub-field of interest, is beginning to study the military as a social group and how patriotic values, sense of community, family solidarity, and Espirit de Corps plays a role in maintaining readiness and efficiency. Military Sociology: A Study of American Military Institutions and Military Life, the Handbook of Military Institutions, and the Sociology of War were three books that began to present the military as primarily a social institution as well as defined scope of military sociology as a sub-field (Siebold,