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FORT LEE, Va. (Sept. 15, 2016) -- In a world of texting and emoticons, the art of writing can fall to the wayside, which can lead to issues when one pursues higher education or military ranks.
Fortunately, for Soldiers in Victor Company, 262nd Quartermaster Battalion, their commander, Capt. Jean’Shay D. Wright, has started a program to promote writing skills.
“I started the writing program for Soldiers who are at an early stage in their career to help them effectively communicate on paper,” she said. “I wanted to emphasize the importance of writing in the military as well as civilian positions. Many of our Soldiers and cadre are accustomed to emojis and abbreviations to send a text message or Facebook post. So, our writing program stimulates discussions on topics our young Soldiers would not normally discuss.”
The program continues to evolve, and the company just finished its second competition.
“Every quarter, Soldiers can write an essay, and the person who writes the best essay or has the best story can earn an award and other recognition,” said 1st Lt. Amber Shipmon, executive officer for the unit.
Shipmon helped judge the essays from the last quarterly contest and said she was surprised at the entries.
“I learned a lot from the Soldiers,” she said. “The only time you usually learn anything about your AIT Soldiers is when they are in trouble and write something to get out of a bad situation or an Article 15. This gave me a chance to read something positive from them.”
Besides learning more about the Soldiers, it gives the company staff other benefits, said Wright.
“I learned some very interesting things about my Soldiers, as far as cultural differences, relationships with their parents, and their overall strengths or fears,” said Wright of the last iteration. “It also forces my cadre to refresh their writing skills by reaching back to Army doctrine and other resources to ensure Soldiers are following the proper guidelines.”
The next quarterly topic under consideration is “Where do you see yourself in the next five years?”
| Date Taken: | 09.15.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.15.2016 08:45 |
| Story ID: | 209675 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 23 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Quartermaster training unit promotes good writing habits, professional development, by Amy Perry, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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