As the Army moves to enhance and modernize its force, one key aspect is in every leader's mind: the soldiers behind the equipment. Even with the newest technological advances being integrated into the fighting force and the endeavors to seek out more ways to improve, the soldier is at the heart of what happens on any battlefield.

But the soldier is never alone. Each soldier and their collective teamwork are an essential part of the bigger whole, and building teamwork takes time, dedication, commitment, and a common connection to something bigger than themselves.

For the 7th Infantry Division, hosting events like Week of the Bayonet, a week-long series of esprit de corps competitions build team cohesion and enhances the culture of organizations across the Army.

"Competition is a big morale builder; healthy competition is a good thing as it creates pride and esprit de corps," said Command Sgt. Maj. Stephen LaRocque, command sergeant major of the 7th Infantry Division. "You could be on the losing team, but you still got to know the person to the left and right of you a little bit better. You still had teamwork. You were still fighting and struggling together. Competition against others is key in building your team."

Teamwork builds bonds

The Week of the Bayonet is comprised of several competitions that tested the limits of each soldier who participated in them. The Brostrom Fitness competition, designed to honor Medal of Honor recipient Leonard C. Brostrom, was one of the many events that pushed soldiers physically and mentally.

"It's about teamwork, and sometimes you can build characteristics and capabilities you want in a fighting force out on the sports fields," said Col. Andy Gallo, commander of 2-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, who also competed in the Brostrom competition. "In tough, athletic competitions, one way you can build trust among soldiers and leaders is shared sacrifice. We had an opportunity this week to do several tough competitions. The Brostrom competition pushed soldiers to their limits and, in doing so, built bonds among soldiers."

Schmidt, who was encouraging the soldiers competing in the Brostrom event, was proud of the soldiers in her formation and was excited to see them during the competitions.

"I want the soldiers to know that I'm proud of them. It's important to compete, but in our line of work, it's important to win. I love seeing soldiers giving it their all, and they were very motivated out there," Schmidt said. "It's these traditions that help cultivate the culture of an organization, and culture is what can make or break an organization. Traditions are important. Gatherings are important. Competitions are important. All of these give our soldiers something to be proud of and brag about."

A good culture encourages trust

"Culture is critical to the commanding general and me," LaRocque said. "Building culture takes time, but it is what drives an organization. Nothing changes overnight, but it is extremely, extremely important. Having a good culture is where people want to come to work and be part of a winning team."

For Spc. Noah McCoy, Alpha team leader for Charle Company, 2-3 Infantry, said that being part of a team is the pinnacle and intrinsic to day-to-day life. But he is also a dyed-in-the-wool competitor and takes every opportunity to test himself.

"Competing gives me a way to challenge myself. I like putting myself with a group of people who are really going to get after it," he said. "I've got a partner, specialist Swanky. He went out there, and he gave his all with me. That is the kind of trust we have in each other on a team level."

McCoy, who competed in the 7ID and I Corps Best Squad Competitions, recently passed the requirements to be considered for the next rank. Even though he is already serving in a leadership role, he hopes to inspire his soldiers and meet the challenge of increased responsibilities.

To McCoy, events like Week of the Bayonet serve to inspire and increase team cohesion.

"It really improves morale, getting soldiers out here to compete. It increases esprit de corps of the battalions and brings everyone together," he said.

A team built on trust in each other, who are motivated to overcome obstacles, are some of the defining factors to developing and maintaining a lethal fighting force. But, after the teams have trust in each other, it is imperative to have trust, confidence and pride in the organization.

"I heard a quote from a former Bayonet 7, former command sergeant major of 7ID: Sgt. Maj. Jack H. Love said, ‘trust is earned in drops but lost in buckets,'" LaRocque said.

Having a defined and solidified culture for soldiers to focus on and trust in gives them a sense of belonging to which they can latch on.

Building a culture is not something that happens overnight, but inspiring soldiers to take part in events that pull together the entirety of an organization helps to solidify a culture that lasts long after the current generation of soldiers moves on from their current position.

"You can let a culture just passively happen, or you can actively create the culture that you want," Schmidt said. "We want a culture of teamwork. In our profession, we're not going to be out there alone. We will absolutely be a part of a team, and we must be able to count on our team members to not just do their jobs but to be very, very good at their jobs - to be experts in their trade."

"We want a culture where we are maximizing the talents of everybody around us. Every single one of us is important."

Building a culture for soldiers that encourages and asks for the best out of them makes the whole of the fighting force more prepared for future conflicts.

"We need a culture of winning," she said. "Physical fitness and competition teach us to count on each other and lead each other through adversity and come out on top."

Part of ensuring there is a lasting culture, is a sense of identity, and that can come across in some of the simplest ways. For the Army, the easiest way to identify a soldier is by the patch they wear on their left shoulder.

Unification of identity and shared history

As part of the closing ceremony, 7ID held a repatching ceremony where the two Stryker brigades donned the 7ID patch.

"First of all, I want to thank everybody who has worked on the repatching for the last number of years, a number of leaders long before I arrived here really laid the groundwork for this and really pushed to try to make this happen," Schmidt said. "Divisions, like sports teams, wear the same patch, the same uniform. It's one of the basic things that we know about that helps build teamwork, camaraderie, pride, and team cohesion."

"It's important to have that unified identity because it gives us purpose," McCoy said. "We look at our shoulder and say, ‘That's our division.'"

Sometimes, defining and shaping culture involves something as small as wearing the same team's symbol.

"There's something powerful about understanding: you are part of an organization that, in the case of the 7th Infantry Division, engaged in some of the nation's most critical battles," Gallo said. "There's a connection between the current force and the soldiers who served in the unit in the past. Being able to connect who we are today to these quintessential events in the history of American warfare motivates and inspires us."

Part of the culture of an organization is defined by its history. Each unit within 7ID contributes to the mosaic of its collective history. The patch change serves to strengthen the historical bonds of the division and the brigades.

"We've changed the patch, but each of our battalions has a historical lineage that tracks back to various regiments," Gallo said. "We're going to retain the connection to our lineage, our history, and our colors."

Along with each unit's shared history, 7ID's veterans and community connectors are an important part of the division's identity and culture.

"Veterans are a part of our identity," Schmidt said. "There are many veterans within our community, and we want strong community connections. We owe that to our veterans. They are us. They are part of our history, and our history is part of building our culture."

"We can learn from our veterans; they all have something to teach us. They've earned our respect, and honor," she said.

In the future, the goal is to have more community connections to solidify 7ID's culture and honor veterans.

"Joint Base Lewis-McChord is not an island," Schmidt said. "We need the community to do what we do. We want the community to understand what goes on inside these gates here and be connected to us. They do so much for us, and I want them to understand how hard our soldiers work, ultimately, to protect them and our way of life here in the United States."

Competition, tradition, teamwork, trust, identity, shared history - the list of ways to build culture into an organization is never wholly finite. Even though it takes work to create that culture within an organization, it is also imperative that the organization function and, for the Army, fight and win on every battlefield.

For the 7th Infantry Division, building the culture didn't start with the single actions taken in a day or week but rather as a culmination of everything before, what is happening today, and how it builds toward the future.