What about US???

Not just Strong, Army Strong. The army commercials redefine the meaning of strong.

I asked a few people that were sitting near me as I wrote this: “What does strong mean?” Besides the few “huh?” looks I received, some responses I got were: strength, muscles, and power.

While all of these are a part of what being strong is, the commercial makes me feel like there is more to it.

Define: Army Strong

The commercial really attempts to paint a picture of the “Army Strong” concept. In a way, they define it for us if we pay close enough attention.

The commercial starts with soldiers telling us their positions. It then goes to show other soldiers stating things such as “I will never accept defeat” and “I will never quit.” This shows that members of the Army are willing to persevere through anything.

Throughout the commercial we hear more things that make these soldiers “Army Strong.” They are men and women who serve our country. They tell us that they never leave a fallen comrade, meaning that they are dependable, loyal, and unselfish.

They stress that they are mentally and physically capable of fulfilling their duties.

So yes. Being Army Strong does entail strength, muscles, and power. But it means that you need to be a lot more than that. Dependability, team work, discipline, and the ability to fight for freedom.

America>U.S.

In a way, I feel as though the commercial stresses the “American” aspect. This is a little odd to me because though we are Americans, we are from the United States. We do not fight for America; we fight for the United States of America. Mexicans, Canadians, and those living in South America are also American.

Do we fight for them? No. Still, in the commercial they use “United States” twice, while repeating “America(n)” about six times.

Persuasion, the Army way... 

It is also obvious that the commercial is a persuasive one. Their “team”, the U.S. Army is described through the commercial. They illustrate all the qualities that anyone would want to have. Who wouldn’t want to be loyal and dependable?

I visited the http://www.goarmy.com/om/ website and found that it was even more persuasive. The first thing that popped up was photo that said “A world like no other.” I believe that in this time many young people want to be “unique” so something like “a world like no other” is an eye-grabber for them.

After scrolling down, I immediately noticed the “Your Education Our Mission” link. Clearly, going to college is not cheap! Not to mention, the government is cutting appropriations at a large rate. This is something else that may get people to become Army Strong.