A letter from our Leadership Chair CJ Valenciano
When I think of One Army, three things come to mind: selfless service, unbreakable brotherhood, and most of all, undeniable leadership. Simply put, you do not join this organization to blend in, you join to stand out - to be the leader that other people can follow. In short, One Army recruits leaders. That is why my job is easy. I don’t need to start from scratch, but rather amplify the qualities that make One Army leaders exceptional. And what is great about One Army is that there are dozens of ways to be a leader in this organization. My mission this academic year will be to instill the confidence in our membership to take action to step up and stand out. Whether it be Gladiator Dash, being a mentor at Still Creek Ranch, organizing a social event, dominating weekly challenges, presenting at a meeting, landing sponsor after sponsor for Gladiator Dash, brotherhood events, or whatever the case may be, you will find yourself being a leader in some capacity in this organization.
There is a phrase in One Army that “we stand on the shoulders of giants” in everything we do. To me, this means that behind every action are great men before us - the giants - who set the path for us to follow. My job is to help every man in One Army be that giant, whether they are ready or not. To me, this starts with setting a standard for our incoming membership that is reflected and embodied by our current membership. What is this standard? To put it simply, the credibility of a leader is built by how they engage with people. At the end of the day, leadership is not about titles or talk - it’s about taking the hill and being a man of integrity. Because true leadership reveals itself when action is required, not when conditions are perfect.
Indeed, if life has taught me one thing, it’s that you are never entirely ready for anything. So at some point, you might as well take a leap of faith into the unknown. Because without fear and uncertainty, there can be no courage. The men of One Army embrace this concept in everything we do.
I am excited for all the great things to come. Godspeed.
Sincerely,
CJ Valenciano
One Army Leadership Chair 2025-2026
OneArmy.Leadership@gmail.com
