ARMY VALUES

Army Values is not merely a phrase for how us soldiers of the Army should act, they are who we are. We live the seven Army Values because they are the standard for behavior, not only in the Army, but in any ordered society. We as soldiers live these values every day. Army Values received their impetus from the Armys Character Development XXI initiative and have been part of the initial-entry training scene since July 1998, when dogtags and thousands of posters representing loyalty, duty, respect, selfless-service, honor, integrity and personal courage were distributed worldwide to the field down to company level. The Army developed and designed color posters depicting each of the seven core values, while an eighth poster features all the values. They were designed as a tool for soldiers to use to remind themselves every day. In Training and Doctrine Command, drill sergeants and instructors teach Soldiers how to be warriors, but in TRADOC the sense of the Army as a values-based institution also begins. Every member of TRADOC, Soldier and civilian, is responsible for living and mentoring others in the Army Values.

Loyalty is to bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit and other Soldiers. Bearing true faith and allegiance is a matter of believing in and devoting yourself to something or someone. A loyal Soldier is one who supports the leadership and stands up for fellow Soldiers. By wearing the uniform of the U.S. Army you are expressing your loyalty. And by doing your share, you show your loyalty to your unit. Supporting a superior or a program even though it is being openly criticized by peers or subordinates requires courage and loyalty. A loyal intermediate would try to explain the rationale behind the decision and support the decision maker. When we establish loyalty to our Soldiers, the unit, our superiors, our family and the Army, we must be sure the correct ordering of our obligations are being accomplished and not the easiest. There is no clear rule as to which comes first. Sometimes it will be the service, sometimes the family and sometimes the Soldier. Open criticism and being disloyal to leaders, Soldiers and the Army destroys the foundation of the organization and results in diminished mission accomplishment. However, loyalty should not be confused with blind obedience to illegal orders. We all take the oath to obey the orders of superiors appointed over us according to law and regulations.

Duty is the fulfillment your obligations. Doing your duty means more than carrying out your assigned tasks. Duty means being able to accomplish tasks as part of a team. The work of the U.S. Army is a complex combination of missions, tasks and responsibilities all in constant

motion. Our work entails building one assignment onto another. You fulfill your obligations as a part of your unit every time you resist the temptation to take shortcuts that might undermine the integrity of the final product. Duty requires a willingness to accept full responsibility for your actions and for your Soldiers performance. It also requires a leader to take the initiative and anticipate requirements based on the situation. One Soldier may think that duty means putting in time from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Another may believe that duty is selflessly serving their country, unit and Soldiers within the unit. Duty means accomplishing all assigned tasks to the best of your ability. You may be asked to put the nations welfare and mission accomplishment ahead of the personal safety of you and your Soldiers. Soldiers and leaders must have a deep commitment to duty and what is best for the unit and the Army. This will ensure that you make the right decision when it really counts.

Respect is treating people as they should be treated. In the Soldiers Code, we pledge to treat others with dignity and respect while expecting others to do the same. Respect is what allows us to appreciate the best in other people. Respect is trusting that all people have done their jobs and fulfilled their duty. And self-respect is a vital ingredient with the Army value of respect, which results from knowing you have put forth your best effort. The Army is one team and each of us has something to contribute. Respect begins with a fundamental understanding that all people possess worth as human beings. Respect is developed by accepting others and acknowledging their worth without feeling obligated to embrace all their ideas. All of us possess special skills and adhere to certain values. Without respect for all other individuals, there would not be a cohesive and team-oriented Army.

Selfless Service is putting the welfare of the nation, the Army and your subordinates before your own. Selfless service is larger than just one person. In serving your country, you are doing your duty loyally without thought of recognition or gain. The basic building block of selfless service is the commitment of each team member to go a little further, endure a little longer, and look a little closer to see how he or she can add to the effort. Placing your duty before your personal desires has always been the key to the uniqueness of the American Soldier. As citizen-Soldiers, we claim our service to the nation, state and community to be an especially valuable contribution. Imagine a unit where the value of selfless service was not instilled. The unit receives a call to active duty and has only two weeks to deploy. Instead of the unit working as a cohesive team in preparation for deployment, many Soldiers start to actively seek ways to avoid deployment. Remember, the selfless Soldier does not make decisions and take actions designed to promote self, further a career or enhance personal comfort. Selfless service is the force that encourages every Soldier. It is critical to the esprit and well-being of military organizations. By serving selflessly while on and off duty, we greatly enhance our value to our fellow citizens.

Honor is living up to Army values. The nations highest military award is The Medal of Honor. This award goes to Soldiers who make honor a matter of daily living Soldiers who develop the habit of being honorable, and solidify that habit with every value choice they make. Honor is a matter of carrying out, acting, and living the values of respect, duty, loyalty, selfless service, integrity and personal courage in everything you do. Being honest with oneself is perhaps the best way to live the Army Values. If something does not feel right to you, or you feel as if you have to compromise your values, then you need to seriously assess the situation and take steps to correct or report the issue. Pressures that can challenge our ethical reasoning include self-interest, peer pressure, pressure from subordinates or pressure from superiors. If a superior asks you to look good on an inspection by doctoring records, you should, based on the Army Values, challenge his request.

Integrity is doing whats right, legally and morally. Integrity is a quality you develop by adhering to moral principles. It requires that you do and say nothing that deceives others. As your integrity grows, so does the trust others place in you. The more choices you make based on integrity, the more this highly prized value will affect your relationships with family and friends, and, finally, the fundamental acceptance of yourself. Living and speaking with integrity is very hard. You must live by your word for everything no buts, no excuses. Having integrity and being honest in everything you say and do builds trust. For example, your artillery crew accidentally damages an expensive artillery round of ammunition. This will result in an AR 15-6 investigation. Instead of telling the battery commander you damaged the round, you decide to stretch the truth and tell him the round was defective. When the battery commander discovers the truth, he will question your integrity from that moment on. Integrity is the basis for trust and confidence that must exist among members of the Army. It is the source for great personal strength and is the foundation for organizational effectiveness. As leaders, all Soldiers are watching and looking to see that you are honest and live by your word. If you make a mistake, you should openly acknowledge it, learn from it and move forward.

Personal Courage is easily defined as facing fear, danger or adversity. Personal courage has long been associated with our Army. With physical courage, it is a matter of enduring physical duress and at times risking personal safety. Facing moral fear or adversity may be a long, slow process of continuing forward on the right path, especially if taking those actions is not popular with others. You can build your personal courage by daily standing up for and acting upon the things that you know are honorable. It takes special courage to make and support unpopular decisions. Others may encourage you to support slightly unethical or convenient solutions. For example, your battalion

commander has asked you to change an upcoming training date for the convenience of the battalion headquarters staff. Although it will be an unpopular decision with the battalion commander, you stick to your scheduled training dates to support your Soldiers. Do not compromise your professional ethics or your individual values and moral principles. If you believe you are right after sober consideration, hold to your position. Practicing physical and moral courage in our daily lives builds a strong and honorable character. We expect and encourage candor and integrity from all Soldiers. Taking the immediate and right actions in a time of conflict will save lives.

Works sited: http://www.army.mil/values/ http://www.history.army.mil/lc/the%20mission/the_seven_army_values.htm http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/armyvalues.asp http://www.tradoc.army.mil/pao/ArmyValues/ArmyValues.htm

http://www.goarmy.com/soldier-life/being-a.../living-the-army-values.html http://www.armystudyguide.com/.../army.../army-values-3.shtml