Watch The Big Picture - I Am a Soldier

Experience the American Journey through our country's visual heritage in this historical recording provided by the National Archives of the United States. From the U.S. Army's THE BIG PICTURE television series, 1950-1975. From everywhere across the nation, I come to become part of the Army that defends America. I must learn to handle the awesome striking power of 20th century weapons, from rifle to rockets. I must learn to function at 30 degrees below zero, or in steaming jungle heat to travel by foot, or truck, or copter or parachute, or even rocket belt. I learn to be a leader, a teacher, a technician, a linguist, a diplomat in uniform working with free world allies in every corner of the earth. Today's global Army has thousands of tasks to perform, and I must be able to do them all. That is my mission, and this is my story.

This historical recording from the National Archives may contain variations in audio and video quality based on the limitations of the original source material.

The content summary for this video is adapted from an historical description provided by the government agency or donor at the time of production release.