Please see SGM Noel DeJesus’s submission below from our writing competition! He discusses how professional writing within the Army changed the course of his career and provided a cathartic outlet.

The AI Guy with a Pen: How a Soldier Wrote His Way Into the AI Fight

Writing has always been a part of my life. When I was nine years old, growing up in the South Bronx, I entered a short story into my elementary school district’s magazine. I wasn’t a straight-A student, but writing offered an escape from daily reality and satisfied my intellectual curiosity. Through it, I could create fictional worlds, turn complex thoughts into clear arguments, and express myself in a way that fostered deep reflection. Of course, at nine, I didn’t understand any of that. But when my story, Fred’s Bad Day, won the writing contest and was featured in the School District 12 Magazine, I knew writing was something special.

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Fast-forward 11 years, and I followed in my parents’ footsteps by joining the United States Army. In my first six years, I deployed three times, and it was during those deployments that my love for writing returned. The deployments were tough, especially my second one to Combat Outpost 763 (COP 763) in Sadr City, Iraq. Living in an abandoned potato chip factory, I began to write again. Despite the chaos of the conflict and my demanding duties as a sergeant, I found time to write every day. Sometimes I wrote about the war zone, sometimes about my family, and sometimes about imaginary worlds filled with dramatic storylines. Just like when I was a nine-year-old in the South Bronx, writing kept me grounded and gave me an outlet for my thoughts and emotions.

Now this is where the real story begins, marking the start of why this all matters. It is the point where professional writing began to shape my military career and influence the United States Army. I wanted to share that backstory to help you understand who I am and how my personal and academic growth are positively correlated because of writing.

At the Sergeants Major Academy, Class 74, my calling to professional writing fully matured. It started when my instructors challenged me to tackle ill-structured problems with diligence and focus. My first military article, “Breaking Down the Complexities of the Army’s OER/NCOER Evaluation Reporting System,” was published in the Army Communicator. In it, I argued that the counseling form should be a required component of the submission process, filed in iPERMS under the administration tab, similar to the DA 638 award recommendation.

The article was published in November 2023, and I never could have predicted the response. Within days, my Outlook and MS Teams inboxes were filled with feedback. Some agreed, some disagreed, and the messages came from ranks ranging from sergeants to colonels. That feedback inspired me. It was my first true introduction to professional discourse.

Consequently, I decided to take on a bigger, more relevant issue: the use of artificial intelligence at the Sergeants Major Academy. In 2023, I found the existing academic integrity policies frustrating. I quickly earned the nickname “The AI Guy” for asking nearly every guest speaker at the Academy about AI integration within the operational force. Eventually, I realized those questions alone were not enough. They could easily be dismissed as student complaints. So, I decided to write about it.

My first attempt was rejected by the NCO Journal, which became a much-needed wake-up call. It forced me to refine my problem statement, conduct deeper research, and approach the issue from a more balanced perspective. What began as a three-page paper evolved into a 25-page research study. With my instructors’ encouragement, I submitted it to the Army University AI Learning Symposium. To my surprise, it was accepted, and I was invited to present my paper, “Modernizing Military Education in the Digital Age,” virtually, to a room full of senior Army leaders and prominent AI scholars.

That presentation sparked in-depth discussions with department directors at the Sergeants Major Academy and generated interest in the proof-of-concept large language model I developed. The most tangible result was professional discourse, highlighted when I received an email from the Sergeant Major of the Army’s office about my paper.

On a personal note, this moment also led to one of my proudest achievements. I received the Order of the Iron Pen Award from the Command and General Staff College, and I was honored to accept it on stage alongside my daughter, which ultimately sparked her interest in writing.

Harding Project Substack

How Has Writing Impacted You (Pt Deux)