An Ideal Soldier

Outline: The first quality: love for the country — another great quality: courage —obedience — must have intellectual interests — conclusion.

The first quality that distinguishes an ideal soldier is his love for his country. He is not one who has joined the army as a means of livelihood but one whose heart overflows with patriotic spirit. A good soldier is not a mere brute but a cultured man fired with the highest love for his motherland. His love is so intense that he is prepared to offer his life gladly for the sake of his country. Can there be a more glorious and noble sacrifice than this ?

Another great quality of an ideal soldier is his courage. A soldier is no soldier if he is not courageous. He is courageous by temperament and his training as a soldier and experience strengthen that quality in him. There are some men who, like Nelson, knew no fear but most of the soldiers learn to overcome fear by discipline. What helps him again to face danger or death courageously is the tradition of the regiment and of the army in general. A good soldier has mental courage, bravery of his mind and also physical courage. He is fearless. In fact, he has also conquered the fear of death. He knows that the command of his superior must be obeyed without any hesitation. His very training and discipline has taught him that. As Tennyson in his poem ” – The Charge of the Light Brigade” put it.

Theirs not to question why Theirs but to do and die.

Such an example of heroic obedience is the ideal for every good soldier.

Lastly, in modern times, an ideal soldier must not be merely physically tough and rough but must have intellectual interests. He is not a mere machine to obey orders, but also a man who obeys with understanding – one who knows why he has to obey.

The life of a soldier is a noble life. He has the opportunity of making the highest kind of sacrifice – that of laying down his life for his country. One who does this is a true and loyal son of the Motherland.

Difficult Words: Intense – very great. temperament – nature (of a person). nelson – Horatio nelson, the great English admiral, who defeated napoleon at Trafalgar. tradition – custom passed down from father to son. regiment – group of 4 companies of soldiers – about 1,000 men. characteristic – typical. Tennyson -Alfred, lord Tennyson, the great romantic poet of Victorian times in England.