Advancements in military technologies are increasing at a staggering rate along with every other sector of human existence.  It is crucial for our military to stay at the forefront of technological advancement, to keep the advantage over our enemies and ensure the safety of our country.  More than ever, researchers are looking for ways to improve the welfare, moral and safety of our soldiers.  Of course as well, they are looking for ways to increase their effectiveness and turn them into more efficient fighting machines.  Throughout history the ground soldier has faced the brunt of the hardship and responsibility when tasked with the safekeeping of our freedom.  The struggles they endure go above anything man can be faced with and today we have the ability to drastically reduce those hardships.  The current wars our country is involved in has brought more focus to the quality of life for each individual soldier and ensuring them the highest possible chances for survival.  We are realizing that a healthier and better prepared soldier can be worth many of their equivalent who are poorly trained and equipped.

After thorough research on the subject I am convinced that the US Military places a very high value on the quality treatment of our soldiers.  Gone are the days where a soldier is only an expendable component on a battlefield.   Their training, equipment, and care are viewed as a top priority as well as their comfortable re-integration back into society once their term of service is over.  Many soldiers come home from the battlefield severely wounded, with both physical and mental scars, which will haunt them the rest of their lives.  The military spares no expense in their rehabilitation, and some advanced treatments include regenerative medicine, state of the art prosthetic's, and virtual reality PTSD treatments.  These technologies heal the wounded soldiers so they can live the remainder of their lives as a productive member of society, instead of always carrying the title of disabled war vet.  It is very important that our government looks after all of its citizens, especially the members of its military.  Maintaining a high standard for humanity is what makes our country great and practicing those values, among all institutions and members of society is essential.

There are many cool new technologies that are surfacing, which are designed with the sole purpose of protecting the men and women of our armed forces.  They are able to do their jobs without these advancements, and have done so since the beginning.  But our modern age has provided an opportunity for the military to step up the effectiveness and safety of our soldiers.  Robots are being developed to replace the more dangerous jobs that soldiers traditionally had to do.  Advances in battlefield first aid are drastically increasing a soldiers chances for survival, should they become a casualty.  The current weapons and armor are being completely overhauled to create the next generation of super soldier.  The future for the ground soldier is looking more and more like something out of a sci-fi movie, but the fact remains, advancements in technology will drastically change the lives of soldiers in our military. 

Advancements have been made in humanity over last several hundred years and advancements parallel in technology as well.  During the Civil War, thousands of poorly fed and equipped men, went charging in one big mass, into a swarm of bullets, and received only a dirty amputation as their post battle treatment.  During World War II, soldiers stole the clothes off dead men’s feet and lived in holes to keep from freezing to death in the harsh winters.  Now we cruise down the streets of Baghdad, in basically indestructible vehicles with the most high tech positioning and communication equipment, while wearing lightweight breathable and highly effective camouflage uniforms.  The life has changed drastically over time for the ground soldier and there is no telling what the future of warfare will have in store.  War will possibly be fought with very little loss of human life and it might be more of a battle of advanced technologies.  Possibly technology will advance to the point where there will be no more war and the ground soldier will be a thing of the past.