In contrast to the relatively rapid changes occurring in the modern American army, the period between the end of the War of 1812 and the beginning of the Mexican War offers a definite period for a study of military life when reform came slowly. During the period of study, leaders made few attempts to reform the general structure of the military institution as a social system. On the other hand, many changes can be discerned which improved weaponry and equipment, tactics, supply and administrative procedures, moral guidance, recreational facilities, and pay.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1950 T46 / Master of Science

Since World War II the Canadian military community has evolved to meet the needs of a permanent military force and has changed from the preserve of the single male to include women and families. Thus the Department of National Defence (DND) has become concerned with the welfare of military families as an integral part of military preparedness. A variety of accommodation policies were formulated and programs established to satisfy the needs of these families who worked and lived in such a unique environment. These policies and programs have emphasised housing and related infrastructure, and included both physical and social services. They have, in part, enabled DND to relieve many family related problems despite the disruptive lifestyle. However, as a result of evolutionary changes in the Canadian Forces, the lifestyle of Canadians and the general economic situation, concern has arisen that current DND policies relating to housing and service provision may no longer be appropriate or effective. This thesis looks at the lifestyle and unique difficulties of military families in order to evaluate the social impacts on the families resulting from accommodation policy. Although the general question of whether DND should even be in the business of creating and maintaining its own communities is complex and requires the consideration of many factors, this thesis limits itself to the social impacts of accommodation policies. Since it is generally perceived that social concerns have received limited consideration in the past, this thesis develops a framework to consider and include such concerns. This is done through: secondary research of analogous civilian communities and other military communities; primary data from recent DND family studies; informal interviews with families and decision-makers in the military community; and, the personal experience of the author as a member of the military community. There are four main findings. First, a framework based on Lichfield's Planning Balance Sheet methodology is a suitable and appropriate tool for assisting decision-makers in making informed choices. Second, the creation of a Non-Public Housing Society responding to DND but operated at arms-length, is seen as a viable housing policy alternative which deserves further study. Third, the social impacts on military families resulting from the municipalization of physical services are not significant. And fourth,.; social services when provided internally appear more successful. The unique lifestyle of military families is linked to operational effectiveness and military preparedness through the work/family environment. The importance of social planning on this interface is emphasized to encourage decision-makers to explicitly incorporate social planning into the decision-making process. The Planning Balance Sheet methodology is suggested as an appropriate one for this purpose. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

The Army Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) at Ball State University is a program designed to indoctrinate, train, and prepare students for careers as officers in the United States Army. In addition to military science classes held on campus cadets are required to attend the Leadership Development and Assessment Course (LDAC) at Fort Lewis, Washington, a 33-day long course that focuses on combat related competencies. It is during this training that students are first taught the precepts of cultural awareness inside a military context. This research argues that cultural awareness training, introduced to cadets as a battlefield obstacle that can impede mission completion, is incompatible with the organizational culture of the Army. Using ethnographic methods as a theoretical framework, this research focuses on Ball State Army ROTC culture and the broader issue of culture as an obstacle. The data reveals the assumptions and symbols that inform the practical application of cultural awareness and mission orientation as well as the difficulties of securing reliable anthropological information. The goal of this paper is a practical body of knowledge that will bridge gaps in the literature and serve as an invitation for an open dialog between anthropologists, military members of all rank, and policy makers. / Department of Anthropology

No description available.

Army posts in the Trans-Mississippi West from 1866 to 1898 were more like small towns than forts. Military posts provided their inhabitants with urban services, and possessed a social structure that was a microcosm of nineteenth-century American society, complete with a ruling middle class, and a lower working class. The officer class constituted the ruling middle class of garrison society, while the enlisted men comprised the lower class. This study will show that the social structure of the western military garrisons, based on a military caste system, dominated the daily lives of the inhabitants, both military and civilian.While frontier service and the dangers of combat may have lessened the social division between officers and soldiers in the field, this distinction was maintained while at the posts. Officers dined, lived, and attended social functions separately from the enlisted men. This social division also applied to the civilian members of the garrison community. Prominent civilians such as ranchers and prosperous business people associated with the officer class, while less prominent civilians were identified with the enlisted class. / Department of History

Spousal congruence at multiple levels of perception was examined in relationship to marital adjustment. Subjects were 164 active duty and retired Air Force married couples.

Historians have done their duty in commemorating an individual who was, as Sidney Hook’s Hero in History would describe, an “event making-man.” A myriad of works focused on understanding the martial effort behind George S. Patton Jr. from his ancestral lineage rooted in military tradition to his triumph during the Second World War. What is yet to be understood about Patton, however, is the role that the Civil War played in his transformation into one of America’s iconic generals. For Patton, the Lost Cause legacy, one that idealized the image of the Confederate soldier in terms of personal honor, courage, and duty, became the seed for his preoccupation for glory.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the social, cultural, and structural factors that contribute to or inhibit alcohol use and abuse in the Army among young males, unmarried or married without a present spouse. Seventeeen single, or separated, young male soldiers stationed at Fort Bragg Army Base were interviewed to provide insight into the research questions. Soldiers were largely located through face-to-face canvassing. The interviews, which lasted from 45 to 90 minutes, took place face-to-face and were then transcribed. Interviews were analyzed using grounded theory approach by locating patterns, themes and relationships to come to generalizations. The themes that emerged from the interviews include: 1) stresses of army work/life; 2) social/entertainment use; 3) tradition/brotherhood/entitlement; 4) fear/consequences; 5) impressionable youth; 6) treatment. While the themes which emerged were reported in discrete terms, there was overlap in them. The functional aspect of alcohol use to these soldiers mixed with the impact of social interaction influencing their use served to encourage and further the use of alcohol. The drinking patterns of young male soldiers can be seen to exist on a continuum of either social integration or social stress, in line with Durkheim's conception of suicide, with the existence of being on either end of these continuums leading to excessive alcohol use. The findings confirm Durkheim's conception of social order in leading to unhealthy responses and indicate the Army needs to address the role and impact of the greater social environment in leading to alcohol misuse among young male soldiers.