I’m staying, this week, in an old BOQ: Bachelor Officers Quarters. The Army has turned the building into “Temporary Housing” or more specifically hotel rooms. The Right next to the building is the old Officers club, the Golf Course, and the Tennis Center. Out my window, I can see the Field Grade Officers’ Quarters—that are thankfully still in use by Field Grade Officers. While we cannot go back to the “way things used to be”, it does leave me empty that we ever left in the first place.
Once upon a time, these areas were the center of social life and activity. In all fairness, part of that culture was alcoholism—so, that should be noted and condemned. However, the social aspect of Officer Life is something that we have strayed away from. Sometime after the 1960s, the Army and American culture began to chip away at what was considered “the high life”.
One of the arguments was that the federal government should not have to pay for the amenities. Interestingly enough, companies like Google and Apple are looking for ways to provide similar but generationally defined amenities to retain a higher caliber worker and to increase productivity through the enjoyment of their work. This so called “High Life” actually pays for itself through intangibles and contributes greatly to the growth of these companies. Much work is done on the golf course, at dinner, and in the lounge. The return on investment can’t be measured by a chart, but is measured through relationships. That is something the “Old Army” culture understood.
The other argument against maintaining these facilities and opportunities was the inequalities between the Officers and Enlisted. While we should make every effort to equally raise the quality of life for all and provide equal opportunities for all, there is a difference. First, many of our enlisted Soldiers enter the service at eighteen and get out at twenty four or so. If they finish their career, they are 38 when they are eligible to retire. It is a different crowd. They have different needs and desires, their amenities should be tailored toward those-in order to retain good Soldiers. In addition, an average Second Lieutenant has graduated high school and is around 22 when they enter the service, with a retirement age of 42. There is a different expectancy of benefits to retain these Lieutenants. There is the need for mentoring and relationship building. There is the need for polishing” and leadership development that also must take place in order to lead the Army of the future. The other difference is that these Officers need a place to share their burdens with others—the modern officer has signed for millions of dollars of equipment and hundreds of men and women. At the end of the day, they are the ones who will be speaking to the media when something goes wrong, they will be the ultimately responsible for everything that happens in the unit good and bad, and they are the ones to get up the next day and lead the unit forward. It is not an easy task, and it is even harder when tried alone.
It seems sad as I look out my window on a spring day, that the buildings sit empty and quiet. The trees are big and the flowers are in bloom, the landscape has finally matured to a beautiful state, but the culture has left it all behind in the name of progress.