After reading reports that the U.S. Army is in search of a new recruiting slogan, soldiers and service veterans are bursting with ideas to replace "Army Strong."
Sergeant Major of the Army Daniel Dailey announced June 25 that the Army wants to come up with a new marketing slogan as effective as "Be All You Can Be" proved to be in the 1980s and 1990s.
Over the past week, many former soldiers who read Military.com have asked if the service is considering suggestions or holding a contest to replace Army Strong, which was selected in 2006.
In a recent round-table briefing with reporters, Dailey said senior leadership is working with Army marketing officials to draft a new slogan. He made no mention of taking suggestions. Military.com reached out to Dailey's office by email Friday, but did not receive a response by press time.
Many of the roughly three dozen slogan ideas sent in by readers focused on a patriotic theme:
- Red, White and Blue, Defended by You
- An Army You Can Depend On
- God, Family, Country -- Be Army Proud
- Preservers of Our Nation's Security Since 1775
- Freedom, It's Ours to Protect and Defend
- Service Before Self, for All We Have and All We Are
- Service, Full Throttle
Other suggestions project strength:
- Be the Edge of the Sword
- Soldier of an Unstoppable Force
- The Unstoppable Force
Some suggestions attempt to show how the Army can offer new career opportunities:
- Let the Army Assist You in Your Career
- Need a Career Change? Check Us Out
- Army, the future Is Yours
- Double Down in the Army
And there were a few suggestions that mimicked past slogans and mottos, such as Army Leads the Way, which is similar to the historic motto "Rangers Lead the Way."
Another proposal was This Is the New Army, harkening back to the "This Is the Army" slogan of the mid-1970s.
Dailey said he hopes the new slogan will be as effective as Be All You Can Be, which lasted from 1980 to 2001 and was "one of the most successful advertising campaigns ever."
-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
