DePinto - Army Officership Commercial

[TheTechGuru246]

@thehomas Hooah soldier! Thank you and everyone else for your service

[thehomas86]

Courage Never Quits '86 Hooah!!

[guitarhamster102]

Mr. DePinto, thank you for putting so many 7-11's in Taiwan. I really like the food there.

[Voss2120]

I WANNA BE A CEO OF 711!!!!

[DionNielsen2000]

Army Swimming and Diving needs your support....Go to "Army Swimming and Diving" facebook page and add it to your liked pages....GO ARMY BEAT NAVY....post this to other videos to gain more support...thanks

[rangerofgondor8]

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!

[KASHIV12]

loved the first 19 seconds commercial, very inspiring, normally soldiers are in recruiting commercials, here is a rich successful civilian making a better recruitment, by saying go to West Point, you will gain leadership and success in fields outside of the military

[brucebublick]

Let's Go Black Knights!

[michdrouil]

West point is the best school in the world. HOOAH!!!

[shabeki]

Joe DePinto is a terrible CEO and a terrible example for graduates of a fine institution like West Point.

[coolguytex]

@shabeki Joe DePinto is an amazing CEO and he is a great guy and west point is an amazing school

[morningtruth]

@coolguytex,

I think West Point and the Army would be better represented by a career army officer than a CEO.

[shabeki]

@coolguytex How is a guy who's reduced the income of franchisees by 40% a "great guy?" This man is a douchebag, plain and simple, and his methods has CEO have been incredibly petty and dishonest.

And yeah, West Point is a great place to get an education. Unfortunately, a sleazy CEO like DePinto pitching commercials for them brings their reputation down.

[Kilatypus]

support the troops

[airsoft6839]

can a officer be a medic . cuz i wnt to be a officer whos a medic ? sum 1 plz respond .

[EnglishCrumpet]

An officer cannot be a medic, but officers can be nurses and doctors. Actual combat medics are for enlisted personnel only, but you can be a medic for a while, go to nursing school then OCS, and then be a nurse in the army.

[mbiscardi]

Talk to a medical corp of engineers recruiter. You may get a direct comission with a bachelor's degree

[TimLugia]

medical corps or nursing corps.

[natureboy4hm]

"Medic" is an enlisted MOS.

[Chapter4notes]

@airsoft6839 If you want to become an officer I suggest that you work on your ability to use the English language first.

[LiuetenantDan93]

Yes! If you have a medical degree, you can become a medic in the army. I believe if you have a degree in law or medicine you immediately become an officer.

[vinny7310gm]

@LiuetenantDan93 - Nothing is immediate or automatic. You CAN become an officer if you have that kind of education, but you must also meet all of the other extensive criteria.

[servantdictator]

Joe Depinto is a terrible choice to represent the US Army. He is not the leader he tries to portray and does not follow his philosophy of Servant Leadership. Depinto has reduced his 7-Eleven franchisees income almost 40 percent while not reducing his own salary. A real leader like Lee Iococca gives himself a dollar a year salary. A leader he is not. A dictator he is.

[joe56541]

my cousin! (: too bad we dont talk to him anymore he seems like a nice man.

[flo160]

I love those commercials, so inspring! really great!

[LAGONZO81]

thanks for posting. the office scene parts of this were filmed in dallas in december of 2008.

[TheJMK21]

Wach yourself with the Marine coment buddy

[pineapplepeter]

I don't like how the Army has to resort to luring people like this..the primary motivation for officers should be to serve in the Army, not just for the experience so they can "succeed" later.

[joe360x]

I've noticed this too, all the branchs just throw out words like "college' and "success", that shouldn't be why you join......at least the Marines haven't gotten that low yet.

[TheGreenSmoke]

the ones that join to "succeed later" generally become pogue officers

[paintballa175]

"i used to be an officer now i make slurpees." lol. jk.

[chiefcrisis]

It never says his rank

[morningtruth]

5 years in the army =  Depinto = rank of Captain

[jdbarney]

The building featured in this video is One Arts Plaza in Dallas, TX. As a factual note - there is no logo for 7-Eleven on the security desk in the building lobby.

[jamikaman123]

True values of leadership has declined over the years. We are so obssessed about badges and medals, we don't see our subordinates as a major contributors to our leadership success. That is why Major Winters (Band of Brothers) is the main influence in my views on leadership. In his Biography he stated that he didn't care about the medals and badges, infact he was disgusted with some of the officers who only cared about distinctions and not their men. He measured his (continued)

[balbaldoodoo]

Very well said mate

[br1ankim24]

@jamikaman123 what's the name of the book/bio?

[jamikaman123]

success not by how many medals he had, but by the respect he earned from his men, and that's the way it should be.

In my oppinion, becoming an officer is too easy. It shouldn't be impossible, but it should be more selective based on every spectrum of what a leader should be ie: intelligence, competence, moral character, strength, etc. This is because, in the battlefield, a good leader will bring his men home no matter what obstacles. A poor leader will make their men sitting ducks.

[rosborn60]

Sooner or later, one way or another, everyone who joins the military leaves the military. It is purely a matter of personal choice as to when that will occur. Of course, those who give the ultimate sacrifice don't have the luxury of making that decision, but everyone else does. Even if you put in 20+ years, you will eventually ETS. Like it or not, that is what the Army is all about. Maybe not in spirit, but in reality. Are you only comfortable with the Army showing "lifer" stories?

[rosborn60]

Seems like there's always that carrot in front of you. I decided to quit while I was young. I have all the respect in the world for those who stayed and graduated, but I personally have no regrets leaving. Case in point: here we are with people commenting on Joe DePinto about not staying in past his 5 year commitment. Here he is, a highly successful man, and it's still not good enough in some people's eyes. It only reconfirms the observation I made 25 years ago.

[unconcealed]

Thank you. Thats what im going to do. No one has the right to say your not successful unless you spent 20 years of your life dedicated to the military.

[morningtruth]

Depinto did a great job in his civilian career. I respect his service to this country. What I don't agree with is the Army endorsing his story to recruit people into the Army through this kind of commercial. That is not what the Army is all about.

-USMA Cadet

[rosborn60]

I never said he graduated. I didn't graduate either. We both graduated the USMA Prep school (along with DePinto) and were in the Woo Poo class of '86. Apropos to this conversation is my recollection of people tell me to "just hang in there (don't quit) until Christmas". After that, it would have been "just hang in there until after Plebe year. Then it was "make it to Cow year", "make it to graduation", "dont' just do your mandatory 5, stay in for your 20 to retire". (continued)

[rosborn60]

I went to West Point ('86) with Joe and he was a phenominal guy. I am happy for his success. By the way, as a bit of trivia, there was another "famous" person from the class of '86 - Richard Hatch winner of the first Survivor TV show and perpetual person of interest with the IRS.

[PaulLCal]

Richard Hatch never graduated West Point. He quit.

[dobbins99]

The commercial is an excellent way to educate the public about the options created by attending USMA.

BTW, I am a USMA grad who "only" served 6 years. During that time I served in plenty of combat zones in the toughest assignments (i.e. Ranger Battalion) with distinction. I am now successful in business because of the leadership skills I developed at USMA and the Army.

I found most of our senior officers to be ego maniacs and largely responsible for our failures in Iraq and Afg.

[TimLugia]

So only people who served more than 20 years can credit their success to military?

[morningtruth]

I don't like CEOs that try to use their military record as a source of gaining respect. DePinto HAD to serve five years, and he took the bare minimum obligation before leaving the Army. Nothing special here at all. They should have used someone who achieved the rank of LTC, COL, or BG.

[TimLugia]

well, but once you stayed that long, you probably already made military career instead of became a CEO or something...

[morningtruth]

You can leave the army as a senior ranking army official and just about get any job. Many colonels and generals have served as presidents of the U.S., congressmen, and business men.

[songkyunghan]

The commercial is trying to show he learned his leadership skills from army experience and he is successful business man as a civilian. Not everyone wants to stay in military for 20years. I am sure he couldn't make his position right now if he has 20years service.

[morningtruth]

So? He doesn't deserve to represent the face of the army through a Go Army commercial. It's about the Army, not about his successful business career.

[unconcealed]

Erm, I dont think thats the point of this video. I think the moral of this commerical is to say the Army is a great stepping stone to jump ahead in life like he did. Ofcourse, you can stay in the Army and retire after 20 years, but you can also have the Army pay for your college, have the leadership of an officer, and still be successful. Ofcourse, either one is no better than the other.

[morningtruth]

I wonder how many years of service Joseph DePinto actually gave to his country. Does anyone know?

[PaulLCal]

Joe DePinto, CEO of 7-11, is a former Army officer and West Point graduate. He volunteered his time to help the Army attract new officers. The Army emphasizes leadership development and gives its officers a huge amount of responsibility. The Army is vital to our freedom and national interests. That Joe DePinto gave his time to help the Army attract leaders who will safeguard the lives of American soldiers is commendable.

[jcollins128]

ajdavila22, your argument is shortsighted and ill thought out. There are many, many successful CEOs who were former military.officers and who would credit that to their success in the business. I doubt you have any experience with the military, but if you did you would know that the amount of leadership experience you get as a junior military officer cannot be matched in the business world.

[ajdavila22]

jcollins128 - I am not concerned with military experience being a correlate to financial success. This was simply not my argument.

[ajdavila22]

Does anyone else find this video troubling? The fact that the CEO of 7eleven is promoting the US Army has enormous implications for the future of our country. Granted, 7 eleven isn't exactly the quintessential corporation bent on funding military excursions for access to resources. Although there is nothing illegal being done in this ad, one can make a strong case that this cozy relationship between a private corporation and the US military is a conflict of interest. What's next, Exxon Mobil?

[ericn32]

@ajdavila22: How is it a conflict of interest? They're both manipulative organizations. I am not a fan of this ad, either - but I'm not quite seeing your point.

Andyes, boys and girls, the Army is manipulative, make no mistake about it. But, that is not to say that I do not respect our fighting troops, or any member of the five armed services. I just have a conflict of interest with our government's leaders.

[ajdavila22]

Just as there are laws limiting the amount of gifts, funds, or favors lobbyists (who represent private interests) can give to congressmen (who represent public interests) there should also be constraints on businesses doing favors for the military (and yes, promoting the US army is a favor). Even Eisenhower, a five star general, warned against the Military Industrial complex and the tendency for abuse of power.

[rmcjls]

The building interior and exterior shown from 0:07 to 0:17 is One Arts Plaza, 7-Eleven's new HQ and a great mixed commercial/residential building on the west edge of Dallas' vibrant arts district.

[atlantabravess31]

0:18