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This chart shows different qualities that make up a good leader. Someone can identify themselves as a leader if the possess a lot of these qualities.

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In the book "The Great Gatsby", by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby represents success and how he worked up from nothing to something. It shows how with enough hard work and determination anyone can achieve there goals. Many people also looked up to Gatsby and his parties and everyone admired his success. Gatsby knew that he had opportunities that can lead up to his success being an American.

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Overall, this photo ties all the perspectives into one. Many Americans can agree on that being an American means you get freedom not everyone else can get in other countries. It means we can work hard for our dreams and become the type of leaders that other's can look up to. It may not mean we all get equal opportunities, but with hard work anything is possible.

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Men and women had not yet achieved the goal of equality when it comes to gender and the wage gap between the two. Ever since 1970, women got paid less then men did, just because of the stereotypes and gender. Being an American should be equality of wages, and we have identified the problem, it's just a matter of time before equality is reached.

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Many soldiers are asked the question "Why go to the army and fight in wars?". One soldier said that going to wars and fighting for their country gave them a sense of leadership in a way. He used another soldier as an example "It is about seeing Salvatore A. Giunta stand before our president and our nation to receive the highest honor conferred to our fighting men and women - the Medal of Honor....", highlighting the fact that by joining the army some people get that feeling of leadership and setting an example to the rest of their country.

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Why do you want to go back?

That seems like a simple question. But it is a loaded one. Why would anyone want to go back to a conflict, let alone one that has been raging for almost 10 years, first as front-page news and now as a side story to political discussion about the national debt? Why would any sane person want to return to risk life and limb in a war that has no clear objective and faltering popular support?

Why does anyone want to go back to I.E.D.s, rockets, machine guns, explosions in the middle of the night, long hours, brutal desert sun, icy winter winds, long marches under heavy packs, endless hours of tedium, boredom, pointless work details, angry locals, children with outstretched hands begging for pens or water, crappy food, no sleep, sand in every crevice, overbearing officers, fragos, rude P.O.G.s, messed-up paperwork, ambiguous letters from lovers, poor leadership, missed birthdays, missed graduations, missed parties, lost jobs, failed businesses, lost opportunity, broken hearts, unemployment, alcoholism, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder?

How, when faced with the choice to deploy again, or to get out and live a comparably soft civilian life with all the comforts Western civilization and its opulence can offer, does a veteran choose the former?

Why do you want to go back?

The question hangs in the air, floating like a wisp of smoke over the sounds of children playing kickball, the hissing of freshly opened beers and the soft wind. If anyone is listening to the conversation, they will get extra quiet for a moment to hear the secret. Because there has to be a secret, if someone is going to go back to a war, a thing on the surface so noble (but so foolish), to justify another year without friends and family and several years to follow of cold conversations and uncomfortable, averted eyes that say let's change the subject.

When someone asks, I realize that I have about 30 seconds to condense years of frustration, painful memories, self-justifications, introspection, conversations with comrades, insecurity, guilt, resentment and humble prayers into an answer that is honest and accessible. Because the moment I open my mouth, interest and comfort begin to wane.

When I start to speak, I am weighed down by all of this. How can I say that I would feel guilty if I did not go, or, even, the full truth, I would hate myself if I did not go again, to someone who has never worn combat boots? How can I make a statement about my own choices about war, risk, sacrifice and death, without making an inherent value judgment about their own?

I have taken to saying that I am going back because "chicks dig the uniform." It is simpler that way.

How do I tell people that I do not want to look back on my generation's legacy and see the wreckage of a self-absorbed Facebook culture? How can I say that I often feel alone when in bars and surrounded by people, and when we talk about our petty concerns, I feel hollow and angry at myself for not being in the fight?

How can I not come across as some self-righteous, look-at-me jerk?

Am I that jerk?

How can I explain the hours I have spent watching or reading the news, seeing video or photographs of men with overloaded packs on their backs, rifles or machine guns in their hands, and a grim weariness etched across their too-young faces, and wanting to be there with them? What sense does that make, especially when here in America I am safe, fat and (supposedly) happy? How can I think this, knowing how messed up the military can be, or how bad my last deployment was? How can I look past a broken promotion system, garrison-centric attitudes and the lipstick-on-a-pig polices that hamper our war effort?

Are the wars about bringing American-style democracy to the people of Afghanistan? Are they about rooting out Al Qaeda? Are they about putting a Wendy's in Kabul or Baghdad?

I cannot control what our government says this is or is not about. But for me, and for many other veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is about the job. The job is protecting our nation and protecting one another. It is about experiencing a sense of exhilaration and pride that is unmatched in the civilian world. It is about assuming hardships that most people would not even consider and doing it with a sharp salute and a sense of purpose.

It is about fighting the enemies of our nation. It is about seeing the looks of joy on the faces of our loved ones when we get home. It is about remembering those who went outside the wire (or just went to the chow tent) and did not come back. It is about all of the men and women in the combat support hospitals, in Germany, in Washington, or in Everytown, U.S.A., recovering from or living with the physical and emotional wounds of war.

It is about thousands of people who died in New York City simply because they went to work one Tuesday morning.

It is about seeing a man like Salvatore A. Giunta stand before our president and our nation to receive the highest honor conferred to our fighting men and women - the Medal of Honor - and hearing him give the credit not to himself, but to the men who stood with him when everything went to hell.

Why do you want to go back?

I have spent too many moments at work, at school, or by myself in my room with a cold beer in my hand thinking about how difficult it would be to go back. As comfortable as my life is here, I had grown weary of the daily slog of work and feigning interest in polite conversation with people who seemed distant or dishonest about their perspectives on military service.

When I left Afghanistan in 2008, I did my best to forget about how difficult my deployment had been. I had been a combat adviser working with the Afghanistan National Police. I was upset at the Army for not supporting our mission (logistically, in personnel, or in any real strategic sense), tolerating corruption, and ignoring its own doctrine. Some people didn't come home (or come home whole) because of poor leadership.

That deployment had left me bitter and angry, and those feelings had stained or ruined relationships with people I loved. I knew that if I had really changed - and I believe I have - then I would have to stop feeling sorry for myself. I would have to do something.

I began to have conversations with old war buddies - usually over a couple of beers - about doing it again. Some of them were angry that I would consider joining back up. A few of the older N.C.O.'s were not surprised at all.

I began to exchange news stories, opinion articles and book suggestions with one of the former platoon leaders of my old company. He was about to assume command of the unit, and he invited me to the change-of-command ceremony.

I showed up at the armory wearing jeans and a hoodie with my hands in my pockets. All around me soldiers worked to prepare the drill hall for the ceremony. It was not long before a few of the veterans of the unit recognized me and began to tease me as they shook my hand.

"Couldn't keep you away, huh Raab?"

"Get out while you still can, Sarge!"

"I knew you'd be back!"

I answered them with a flurry of gruntspeak: insults, curses and suggestions on where they could shove any re-enlistment contract. To an outsider, this would have seemed like hostility.

It was not.

"Do you want to stand in formation with third platoon?" my old platoon sergeant asked. "We'll make a place for you."

"No, thanks," I said, lying through my teeth.

As the ceremony began, I watched the various platoons form up. I sat with the incoming commander's girlfriend and parents as an "honored guest," where I could not have felt more out of place.

The men snapped to attention, tall and straight, and it was everything I could do not to do the same.

I listened to the speeches of the officers and watched the company guidon pass to the hands of the incoming commander. I knew then that, if they were going, I was going to go, too. But it had taken me a long time to admit that I couldn't stand by and let them go without me, and it took a lot of thought, a lot of conversations and a lot of prayer to reach a point where I was O.K. with risking everything one more time.

Why do you want to go back?

It is about knowing that I traded another year of my prime to go stand and face hardship and the enemy like a man, faithful not in politics or policy, but in God and the infantrymen in my platoon. It is about trying to be something more than what our culture tells us is important or cool. It is about shrugging off the anger that sometimes bubbles up when I think about how so few have given so much for so many.

It is about doing something of consequence, if not on the political level, then on the personal. It is about standing alongside, serving with, working for, and leading some of the greatest men that I will ever know - men to whom words like honor, brotherhood and duty are said without snickering irony or shame.

Why do you want to go back?

Because I can help. And, in so doing, be helped myself.
Jonathan Raab is a spokesman for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America who is currently preparing for his second deployment to Afghanistan with the New York Army National Guard.
You can follow his blog atwww.withabibleinmyruck.blogspot.com.

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united states defense and military forces

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A Returning Soldier Answers the Inevitable Question: 'Why?'

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Why do you want to go back? That seems like a simple question. But it is a loaded one. Why would anyone want to go back to a conflict, let alone one that has been raging for almost 10 years, first as front-page news and now as a side story to political discussion about the national debt?

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The song "Man In The Mirror" by Michael Jackson is the perfect song that represents a true leader. The lyrics "I'm starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways and no message could have been any clearer. If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and then make a change.meaning that in order to identify yourself as a leader, you need to start and change yourself before you start correcting other people's mistakes.

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Michael Jackson-Man in the mirror lyrics

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The song "Where is The Love", is a really powerful song about how not all Americans feel as if they are equal with one another when it comes to race. The song says "But if you only have love for your own race. Then you only leave space to discriminate", highlighting the perspective that people should love one another and not discriminate just because of the color of their skin. In order to be a true American, it means that everyone needs to learn to accept one another and stay united, as a team, because in the end we are all in this together.

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The Black Eyed Peas - Where Is The Love? (Official Music Video)

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One teenager stated that in order to be a leader it is necessary to "make a difference in the lives of others and really empower them to see the best that they can be". I feel that this video really brought in the different perspectives of what everyday people think a leader really is.

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Kid President Asks "What Makes an Awesome Leader?"

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American Identity means different things to different people. In the article the American Identity can be expressed in many different forms. The article states some of the many forms, such as, "through artistic expression, ethnic traditions, work and play and community life". This is important because it is necessary to know how to tell what the American Identity is and to know how to respect those opinions.

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Many of the National Museum of American History's treasures give insight into what it has meant to be an American.Culturally, Americans have defined themselves in many ways-through artistic expression, ethnic traditions, work and play, and home and community life.

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Ben Nelson points out that everyone has their own unique definition of what being American means to them, depending on their point of view and life experiences. However he states that many definitions have at least one of the three in common, "freedom, equal opportunity and rights accompanied by responsibilities".

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What does it mean to be an American? While each of us may have our own specific answer to that question, we likely can agree on the basic principles of America: freedom, equal opportunity, and rights accompanied by responsibilities.

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What young students think it means to be an American. 

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What young students think it means to be an American. 

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While going through the comments of what they students wrote on their opinions, there was one particular answer that stood out to me the most.
Many people think that being able to go to a water park or a baseball game means your an American, however the student, Jonathan, points out that being American means "to live your life out to the fullest, not just waving around a flag everyday... Being an American means helping your sworn enemy, even if you do not wish, but you shall help with dignity and pride", pointing out that there is so much more to being an American than just freedom to do whatever you want. Another thing Jonathan said that stood out was "Being American means to be united as one under whatever deity you worship, and to be able to depend, rely, and give hope to each other", highlighting that America is a place to help one another rise to the top, and having that opportunity to do so.

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What does it mean to be an American? | Scholastic.com

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Being an American may mean many different things to different people. To some it may mean opportunity, or freedom in expressing their thoughts. The American Flag is a actual visual representation of what America and freedom truly is. It's set as reminder, to remind Americans that we are truly blessed to live in the United States and have all the rights we have today. Some countries are not as lucky as the United States and the Americans that live within the country.

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By having citizen rights as an American, you get many rights, such as you can become whoever you choose to become. You get the right to go to school and be able to learn, and freedom with just about anything else. It's also freedom in creating the story board, just as the person did about freedom itself.

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When a poll was taken on what people thought the American Dream was. The chart shows that there isn't just one type of "dream", and that American Identity can be made up of many different view points.

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What does the "American Dream" mean today? How-and how successfully-are Americans achieving this dream? How has the concept of the "American Dream" shifted over the past 10 years?

These questions are at the heart of New Dream's 2014 national survey, conducted in partnership with PolicyInteractive.

The survey, which polled 1,821 U.S. citizens ages 18 and over, illustrates the shift in public consciousness around the topic of the American Dream and sheds new light on the topics of advertising, the environment, consumption, and the sharing economy.
Major findings include:
1. The majority of Americans believe that it is more difficult to achieve the American Dream than it was a decade ago, due primarily to the high costs of education and healthcare.

2. Americans who have chosen to work fewer hours report an overall improvement in quality of life, indicating that this shift has positively affected their lives by allowing for more free time and reduced stress.

3. Americans are interested in increasing their sharing practices and learning more about the sharing economy. Over half of respondents believe that sharing lowers environmental impact, builds community, and helps save money.

4. Americans feel strongly that the way we live produces too much waste, and that our high consumption levels are largely responsible for global environmental problems. An overwhelming majority feel that we will need to make major changes in the way we live to counterbalance this phenomenon.

5. Americans believe that commercialism and advertising have gotten out of hand in the United States, and that the government should do more to combat it. Almost three-quarters of Americans believe there should be limits on advertising to children, including limits on advertising in public spaces and in schools.

6. Millennials make use of sharing economy services -such as bike sharing and peer-to-peer lodging-at a rate more than double their Baby Boomer and Gen X peers, and are interested in expanding their sharing practices. They are also more optimistic than Baby Boomers and Gen Xers that they will be able to achieve the American Dream.

7. Non-white Americans are more interested in sharing practices than white Americans.

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New Dream | New American Dream Poll 2014

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What does the "American Dream" mean today? How-and how successfully-are Americans achieving this dream? How has the concept of the "American Dream" shifted over the past 10 years? These questions are at the heart of New Dream's 2014 national survey, conducted in partnership with PolicyInteractive. The survey, which polled 1,821 U.S.