Army Values Essay

Example #1 – 7 Army Values

In the United States Army, we are taught to live by the Seven Army Values. They are broken down to us in the acronym ‘LDRSHIP’ which is short for Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. We are all taught these 7 Army values repeatedly from day one in the United States Army. First, we memorize these values. Then we are trained to live by them. All of these 7 values coincide with each other and play an important roll in our Army lives.

These 7 Army Values also play well into life outside the Army in our personal life. People sometimes do not realize the importance these values have on the way we are viewed by the people who look up to the men and women who are privileged enough to represent the United States Army by wearing this uniform.

Many people know what the words Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage mean. Unfortunately, sometimes you see our Army brothers and sisters not living up to these values.

Soldiers learn these values in detail during Basic Combat Training and from then on most of us live up to them in our everyday lives. On the job or off it is our responsibility as soldiers to stick strongly to the Seven Core Army Values. Listed below are the Seven Core Army Values and how they apply to our job in the United States Army. Loyalty is to “Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. constitution, the Army, and other soldiers.” Bearing true faith and allegiance is believing in and devoting yourself to something or someone. To be a loyal Soldier is to support the leadership and trust the actions they take as leaders. Just by wearing the uniform, it shows your loyalty and commitment towards the United States Army.

Doing what you’re told also shows your loyalty to your leadership and your unit. How is Loyalty defined in the Army today? Loyalty is a characteristic that cannot be forced upon a soldier through punishment. Loyalty is developed through a trust from other soldiers around you, especially your superiors. Creating trust will enable a soldier to develop loyalty in their unit and their chain of command.

Dictionary.com explains Loyalty is defined as, “Characterized by or showing faithfulness to commitments, vows, allegiance, obligations, etc.” (“Loyalty”, 2012, p. 01-01). When you join the military you take an oath and swear that you will bear true faith and allegiance to your country, the President of the United States, and the officers appointed over you.

In summary, nothing explains Loyalty better than the Army’s definition “Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. constitution, the Army, and other soldiers.” Duty is to simply “Fulfill your obligations.” Doing your duty is more than carrying out tasks you are assigned. Duty means being able to complete tasks as part of a team. The U.S. Army is constantly in motion due to the need to complete many missions daily.

Assignment after assignment compiled on top of one another is what we do nonstop throughout our army careers. And with all of these responsibilities we need “Duty” to fulfill our obligations as a part of a unit. Without Duty in the work environment, we would take shortcuts that could hinder the integrity of the success of a mission.

Every soldier has duties and responsibilities. We need to know what these are and how they apply to us as Soldiers. One of the obligations we need to carry out is to fulfill our duties to standard and to the best of our ability. Duties are general requirements to be performed every day for the completion of a mission. Duty begins with everything required of you by regulations, direct orders, and law. A duty is an obligation to further a unit’s mission readiness by completing a task given to you.

Soldiers are dependent on leadership to make difficult decisions to complete tasks they are given. Junior enlisted soldiers (such as myself) have a duty to obey the lawful orders of superiors. Leaders assume all responsibility for the actions, accomplishments, and failures of their soldiers. Every soldier has a responsibility to perform his or her duties to the best of his or her ability. Also improving their performance is a necessity to make a more stable unit.

Respect is to “Treat people as they should be treated.” Every soldier is responsible for treating other people with dignity and respect. As Soldiers, we pledge to treat others with respect and dignity while not expecting anything in return. Respect allows us to appreciate what our Army leaders and Friends do for us. Respect is to have trust that people will fulfill their duties and accomplish what is expected of them. Respecting one’s self is an important factor in the Army’s value of respect.

We, the United States Army are one team and we each have something to contribute. What is respect? Respect has numerous forms. It can be self-awareness, character, understanding, trust, honesty, and a positive attitude. Respect must be earned. If someone does not respect himself or herself then they are not able to respect others.

To gain respect you must treat others the way you would want to be treated, as you have heard many times before. If a unit lacks respect it cannot have teamwork and sympathy for the well being of others. It creates a devotion to the success of the team. Respect goes both ways up and down the chain of command. A leader must respect his or her soldiers as their soldiers must appreciate the sacrifices and skills their superiors and vice versa. by respecting the people around you with effort, and in time soldiers come to respect each other. Respect grows into devotion towards leaders and peers. When a soldier shows respect to his or her coworkers it creates a bond of trust throughout the unit.

Without it there is no coordination or esprit de corps throughout a unit. Disrespect proves to unglue previous acts of respect and can make for an unorganized and untrustworthy bod of soldiers. If a leader disrespects his or her soldiers he or she can lose all respect and trust in a unit and will create tension within the team. Attitude can also cause the downfall of a unit’s cohesion and can damage morale, which in turn will hurt the mission readiness and combat effectiveness of a unit as a whole. Bottom line is, without respect a unit is ineffective in most circumstances.

Selfless Service is to “Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates above your own.” Selfless service is not only about yourself but your peers and leaders can affect the way you look at it. Without influences of soldiers around you pushing you to be a more selfless soldier, you can become more selfish than selfless. When serving your country, you are loyally doing your duty without thought of recognition. Which is true selfless service? FM 6-22 summarizes selfless service, as “The leader knows that the Army cannot function except as a team for a team to excel, the individual must give up self-interest for the good of the whole.” Duty is often confused with Selfless Service.

Here in FM 7-21-13 the following points show how selfless service and duty are separate from one another: Focus your priorities on service to the Nation. Place the needs of the Army, your unit, and your fellow soldiers above your personal gain. Balance the mission, your family, and your personal needs. Accept personal responsibility for your own performance. FM 7-22.7 says “Placing your soldiers’ welfare before your personal desires have always been key to the uniqueness of the American NCO,” which is a good reference to what I think of when I her selfless service. Although honor and selfless service differ, I believe you cannot have one without the other. Honor and selfless service hold one another up, as you will see with the following paragraphs about Honor.

Honor is to “Live up to the army values.” Honor is not just given to you. Honor must be gained through a person who respects loyalty and selfless service. Along with these and other all of the other army values you can achieve the honor. A person’s honor can be seen through their word. For example, if someone does not uphold their word they are not trusted or respected therefore has no honor. The highest military award is The Medal of Honor.

This award is given to Soldiers who live up to all of the army values, especially honor and Selfless Service. Soldiers, who show their devotion to being honorable, in my opinion, are the most respected soldiers there are. Honor is summarized as the ability to carry out and live the values of respect, duty, loyalty, selfless service, integrity and personal courage in all hours of the day, 365 days a year.

Integrity is to “Do what’s right legally and morally.” Living to morals and doing what is right, is the only way to acquire integrity. Integrity is to not do and nor say anything that deceives others. With more integrity comes more trust. The more integrity one possesses can make a person feel better about them self. It also makes those around you, friends and family, trustworthy of you. Webster’s Dictionary states: “a firm adherence to a code of moral or artistic values.” Integrity, to me, is only achieved and goes right along side of honesty and character. Integrity keeps you honest and persuades you to do the right thing all the time. With integrity, you want to do the right thing no mater if you’re being watched or alone. You do something because its right, nothing else.

Personal Courage “Face fear, danger or adversity (physical or moral).” Personal courage has always held its place in the United States Army. One type of courage is physical courage, which is enduring physical stress and at times risking injury or personal safety. Mental courage would be to face fears or challenges that you are worried about enduring. Building your personal courage is as easy as standing up for and acting upon the things that you know are honorable on a daily bdasisdictionary.com describes courage as “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.”

Without personal courage, the United States Army would not exist. In summary, the 7 army values is what the army is about. Without the 7 army values, we would not have a United States Army. Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage are quite possibly the one’s thing keeping our army strong and resilient to everything the world can throw at us. If everyone lived up to these 7 values the world would be a better place.

 

Example #2

Integrity is one of the most talked-about and most abused of the Seven Army Values. First, we must define integrity it is doing the right thing consistently. That means that we must do the legally and morally correct thing every time. Just because something is hard or unpleasant does not mean that we can look the other way. Doing the right thing is not a matter of deciding do I help my fellow soldier and let him slide on an Army regulation or do I uphold the regulation.

It means doing both they are both equally important. Sometimes helping a soldier means that you must enforce the regulations and in some cases that can mean discharging them from the Army at other times, it means fighting for the soldier and getting them the help that they need to succeed in the Army.

By consistently doing the right thing and showing no favoritism we improve ourselves, our fellow soldiers, and the Army as a whole. Integrity improves everyone by making sure that everyone can expect equal treatment and not fear a mistake or a supervisor’s mood. We improve ourselves by building pride in doing what is right and overcoming obstacles whether they be peer pressure or just fear. We also build a reputation that will last a lifetime and reinforce the personal courage to do what we feel is right.

Our fellow soldiers are improved because they know what to expect and do not have to worry will I be destroyed because he was in a bad mood or will I get off easy because he likes me. Integrity also improves the morale of soldiers knowing that their fellow soldiers will do the right thing and take care of each other no matter how hard that is. The Army is improved because the general character of soldiers is increased and we do not force good soldiers to quit or become bad soldiers because they grew fed-up with arbitrary and inconsistent decisions.

 

Example #3

How is Loyalty defined in the modern military today? Loyalty is a characteristic and trait that cannot be forced upon a soldier nor feared into them. Loyalty is rather created and developed on the basis of trust from others around you including your superiors. Instilling and creating a trusting bond will allow the soldier to develop loyalty to oneself, their unit, and their chain of command.

Per Dictionary.com Loyalty is defined as, “Characterized by or showing faithfulness to commitments, vows, allegiance, obligations, etc.” (“Loyalty”, 2012, p. 01-01). When one initially joins the military, takes an oath, and swears in; you state that you will bear true faith and allegiance to your country, the President of the United States, and the officers appointed over you. You essentially take a vow to be faithful to your commitment to the military which includes everything from vowing to be loyal to your unit, leadership, and of course to oneself.

Oftentimes though, I have been told by senior enlisted members that the “new army” is non-argumentatively greatly different than what it used to be. And, typically the junior enlisted will ask why? What is different now than what it used to be back then? What is told to us, is normally a general consensus amongst the senior enlisted and that is that personnel who joined the military back then (I’m going to say starting five or six years ago but don’t quote me) was of a different type of breed of Americans.

Generation Y (my generation) is greatly different than Generation X. “Gen X leaders (of which we have a notable example in our own President Obama) are pragmatic, cunning, and hard to fool; they’ve seen it all and aren’t much for bullshit.

Generation Y is used to refer to people born in the 80s and 90s. Their archetype is the Hero generation, an honor they share with the “G.I. Generation” who fought in WWII. Compared to Xers they practically led a charmed life; their parents had ready access to birth control, so…

 

Example #4

Countless definitions were posted regarding the meaning of a Soldier. The wordnet, a lexical database for the English language, defines the word as “an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army”. In its simplest term, a soldier is a person (either a man or a woman) who enlisted into the armed forces of a particular country. He/she pledges allegiance to defend or serve the country to protect its welfare from internal or external forces.

A soldier’s loyal allegiance to protect the nation is coupled with core values via the acronym LDRSHP, these are Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, and Personal Courage.

These values are not only statements on how soldiers should behave but serve as their personal identity. These core values define who they are.

The core values and their significance in the present soldier’s life are the following: first and foremost is Loyalty. Loyalty means genuine devotion to a person or other people _it maybe a unit or family or the army.

Showing one’s support to a person, superior, or even an activity despite its flaws or negative views from peers or subordinates calls for audacity and loyalty. A loyal soldier is one who supports or defends the leadership and stands up for other soldiers. He/she will sacrifice for the leader, his country, and its people.

The US military core value states: “bear true faith and allegiance to the US Constitution, the Army, your unit, and other soldiers.”  This shows unquestionable loyalty to its country and its heritage.

Another army core value is Duty. Duty is defined as a work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons. It means it is a legal or moral obligation to complete the assigned tasks to the fullest of your ability. An army must do what needs to be done without being told to do it. This requires a willingness to accept full responsibility for a soldier’s actions.  Duty is not time-bound such as putting in the time to work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in a day but it is selfless service to one’s country, unit, family, and people. The saying “I regret that I have but one life to give to my country” is an example of an indisputable commitment to duty.

Respect is an important value that an army must possess. The golden rule best exemplifies the idea of respect. In the US soldier’s code, “Treat people as they should be treated.” A soldier is expected to treat other people with dignity and respect. This allows him/her to gain the same treatment from other people. This begins with a basic understanding that each and everyone is worthy to be respected as human beings. A leader of the army will not gain respect if he/she shows superiority over his subordinates. Respecting fellow soldiers means having faith in them in fulfilling their jobs and duties without necessarily showing them who is the boss.

Selfless Service is beyond a soldier’s consideration of one’s self. The US army pledged to “Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own.”  The sake of the nation comes first. The priority is always the needs of the country or the people. Serving one’s country is about putting one’s duty above one’s own interest or without having in mind what one can gain.   When a soldier takes action it must be for the good of the others and not increase his/her standing.

Honor is said to be a guide for character and conduct. It is something one earns. As we know, one of the highest military awards is the medal of honors. This is conferred to soldiers who displayed the virtue of living up to the values of the army. Honor starts with knowing what is ethically right and wrong and demonstrating what is right.

This should begin with sincerity in one’s actions and maintaining integrity and honesty to one’s daily work as a soldier.  It takes a good soldier to bring honor. As Gen. Jackson once said “What is life without honor? Degradation is worse than death.”

As the US army code puts it: “Do what’s right, legally and morally”. Integrity is a virtue a soldier should possess. This is something to be developed by conforming to moral ethics. A good soldier has moral standards and truthfulness in adhering to these principles both in word and deed. It is not enough to know what is right, but by demonstrating the right makes a soldier earn the trust and confidence of others. Military men of integrity act according to the dictates of moral ethics and not according to decisions that is convenient for the moment or that temporarily work for a certain situation.

A good soldier possesses personal courage i.e. in physical and moral forms. Bravery is one of the basic characteristics that a soldier must possess. A child when asked about bravery always cites a soldier as an example. This means that courage is attached to the identity of a soldier. Building a noble character of a soldier means developing an act of physical and moral courage that is required to combat the conflicts and demands in their jobs. It means taking the risks in the war despite the fear of being killed. As personal courage is not the absence of fear but it is the ability to face danger and take action on what is needed.

 

Example #5

Army Values stem from the beliefs and values that America holds. They encompass what forms the backbone of American society in terms of the right to freedom, honoring each person, making the necessary sacrifices, and obeying and respecting the rule of law. They have emerged from the history and experiences of the nation and have thus formed its core belief system. Thus the person who joins the army with an objective to protect America fulfills this objective by holding to and keeping these army values. It encompasses the mission of the army, the purpose for its existence as well as the oath that the soldier takes (Army Values, n.d., p.141).

Through these values, the soldiers are able to keep the American nation and its citizens safe. They are a way of life that supports their mission and thus must always be adhered to (Army Values, n.d., p.139).

In fact, fulfilling Warrior Ethos is made possible by adhering to Army Values. These Warrior Ethos are the identity of a soldier in terms of his values and attitudes require the discipline, sacrifice, and focus that the army values propagate. There is a pride that emanates from the fulfillment of these and it results in a soldier holding these values dearly. They enable the soldier to endure hardship for the long-term so that he is ready to do the duty in front of him all the time and not just occasionally during moments of enthusiasm.

The Warrior Ethos thus requires holding to the army values, being dedicated and disciplined as well as proudly gaining and retaining the knowledge of the rich heritage of America. Thus Army Values help the soldier to demonstrate Warrior Ethos and adherence to this will make him brave, committed, and focused on his duty (Army Leadership Character, n.d., p. 27).

The Army Values

There are seven army values in total and these are the values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage.

Loyalty

This requires that the soldier’s first allegiance belongs to his country and the values it professes. It demands that the soldier remain true to his comrades as they remain true to him. he/she must give it to the people around him who include the other soldiers that he is training with and those he fights with. It demands the fair treatment of the people around him and adherence to the code of conduct. Loyalty is something that soldiers give and receive from their comrades and enhances their cohesion especially when carrying out their combative duties. Loyalty is the commitment that soldiers owe one another regardless of the experience or the rank a person holds (Army Strong, n.d., para.2).

Loyalty embodies the soldier’s commitment to his country and all the values that it professes. It means upholding the constitution of the United States always, commitment to the army, being one who can be relied unconditionally on by their unit, their leadership, and all other soldiers. The soldier who is loyal not only believes in his cause but is also dedicated to it. he/she stands by his leadership and comrades in the fulfillment of duties necessary to the cause. The uniform that the soldier wears is a mark of this loyalty and serves to communicate it to all around him including his unit. It gives his unit and leadership confidence that this is one of their own (The Army Values, n.d., para 2).

Duty

The value of duty requires a soldier to carry out his obligations not because it is what he has been assigned or that it is expected of him, but from an inner sense that what he is doing needs to be done. The soldier must thus fulfill his obligations while on his own and also as part of his unit or the team that he has been assigned. As part of the Army, whatever duties the soldier has been assigned form part of the total mission, purpose, and existence of the army. he/she is, in essence, a part of what makes the army perform. Thus a role that might seem small is essential in the mission of the United States Army and its accomplishment. A soldier who understands this will thus not engage in any compromise as far as his duties are concerned as he understands that this may have a negative impact on the final result (The Army Values, n.d., para3).

Other than just knowing that the fulfillment of the mission requires that he fulfill his obligations, a soldier must perform this duty out of the conviction that this is the right and proper thing to do. A person acting out of this conviction will fulfill his duties with or without orders as he believes in them. It will also cause the soldier to give his best effort to the duties assigned to him rather than settling for the least effort that he can get away with. He draws pride from the efforts and accomplishments and thus strives to always give his best.

The soldier who understands the concept of duty requires no supervisor as he knows what to do when to do it, and he quickly comes up with solutions to any hurdles that he meets. He is proactive in facing, anticipating, and preparing (for) foreseeable challenges in the fulfillment of his duties. A duty-bound soldier also does not shift blame or tell half-truths to cover up failings by himself or by his unit. This is a person that the Army and the country know can be relied upon. (Army Strong, n.d., para 2).

Respect

Respect requires that the soldier accord everyone he deals with the dignity that they deserve as a member of the human race. The same dignity and honor that the soldier accords is the same that he expects to receive from others. By consciously committing to respect others, the soldier is standing at a position in which he/she can see the good that is in others. Respect allows the soldier to believe in the people around him (his unit) and to know that each person has played and is playing their role.

The soldier actually derives his self-respect from this value as he too is confident that he has performed his duty to the best of his ability and can command respect. The soldier who embraces this value sees himself and others as valuable members of a team and that each person has made a contribution (The Army Values, n.d., para 4).

As the soldier values others and the contributions they make, then honoring them is a natural outcome. By honoring them thus, he too gains the honor and admiration of his teammates. People like to be acknowledged and they work better when they know that their efforts are recognized. Thus this value helps the soldier work better with his/her teammates and contributes to the accomplishment of the mission of the army.

The opposite is true. Where a soldier does not value or respect the work his colleagues and/or subordinates do, then the team effort is compromised as there are disunity and the nurturing of hostile feelings within the team. Thus as an Army Value, respect has a key role to play and it is this value that enables the soldier to see the great resource that people are (Army Strong, n.d., para 3).

Selfless Service

In this value, the soldier puts himself and his needs in the back seat as the needs of his/her country, come first. Serving in the army is serving the greater good of the nation and a soldier must understand that the needs of the nation are crucial and must always come first. A soldier must be a selfless person. Unlike a civilian who works to earn a living, a soldier serves the needs of his nation. In this role, he must be more dedicated, more persevering, and more ready to strive and put in more effort in the fulfillment of his duties (The Army Values, n.d., para 5). This is an effort that must be made both as an individual and as a team member.

One of the indicators that a soldier is a selfless soldier, is the fact that he does not seek recognition. he/she does what needs to be done without trying to be seen as the hero. The soldier’s actions are driven by their convictions and belief in the system they are in. They can thus put in the discipline, the perseverance, the hard work, and the commitment towards the fulfillment of their ultimate goals. The nation, the people, the army, and the organizations’ needs are placed above the soldier’s own needs. This is a value that the soldier is expected to build, inculcate, and exercise. It will be demanded more from the soldier at all times, irrespective of his rank and position in the army (Army Strong, n.d., para 4).

Honour

As an Army Value, honor is the soldier’s understanding and conviction of what is right against what…

 

Example #6

In the US army, we are taught to live by the 7 army values. They are broken down to us in the acronym ‘LDRSHIP’. Loyalty “Bear true faith and allegiance to the U. S. Constitution, the Army, and other soldiers. ” Duty “Fulfill your obligations. ” Respect “Treat people as they should be treated. ” Selfless Service “Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates above your own. ” Honor “Live up to the army values. ” Integrity “Do what’s right legally and morally. ” and Personal Courage “Face fear, danger, or adversity (physical or moral). We are all drilled on these 7 army values from day one of basic training. First, we commit them to memory.

Then we learn to live by them. All 7 values have an impact on each other and are an integral part of one’s moral standing. These 7 “Army Values” however reach FAR beyond the military and play well into life outside the army at the workplace or in your personal life there is a way to keep yourself a morally straight person that you and everyone you know will be proud to be acquainted with. People fail to realize the importance these values have on the way that one is perceived by ALL of those around them.

Take Loyalty for example. In my personal opinion, Loyalty means being a person that others can count on never failing those around you and always pulling through on your word. say what you mean and mean what you say. That when the time comes, you will be there to do what needs to be done. You will be true and faithful to them no matter the outcome. If that loyalty is not observed by both parties involved however, then that sense of loyalty may eventually change or even disappear all the way.

Loyalty comes in handy to be loyal to others and they will be loyal to you. ou never know when you’re going to need some help yourself. SSG Gillette always says perception is reality. how do you think one of your battle buddies will perceive you if he asks you to do something simple as making sure the humvee is PMCSd and you go out the motor pool and he(the driver) is pulled over by an MP for the brake lights, not working? My guess is not too great. How do you think it will go when you ask him to do you a favor such as hey can you clean my weapon so it is clean when SFC Martin inspects them it doesn’t get kicked back? We ain’t gonna do that for you because you were not loyal to him you have earned nothing in his eyes by screwing him over on the humvee PMCS. Ya, give a Lil ya get a Lil.

Duty to me is accomplishing a task that needs to be done regardless of the motivation you have, how sick your feeling or how long of a ruck march you had this morning. Whether you love it or hate it the task is there to be done. If one does not fulfill their duties on a regular basis, then those around them have to pick up the slack, and any sense of loyalty begins to become tarnished duty and loyalty are intertwined in private first class Ansons eyes. Like I said in the last paragraph when talking about loyalty in order to attain loyalty there are duties that must be completed in order to seem loyal to another soldier or friend. Everyone wants to be respected. It’s in our nature, but in order to obtain respect, first of all, one has to respect oneself. Second, one has to show respect to others in order to gain respect from them.

If one doesn’t show respect to someone, that person may often feel blown off and lose respect for you. Respect in my eyes is like a math equation loyalty plus duty equals respect. Respect is gained in conducting one’s self in a way that others can stand to be around you by the way you act accordingly to where you are at Selfless service is tough for me to explain. I have done a few things for others in my life so bear with me Sergeant.

In my opinion, selfless service is looking out for others not just yourself. honestly, I joined the army for myself. I did not join for country god or college. I got here to Fort Hood and I made some good friends in the platoon. it’s no longer about me it’s about us. unit is a collective element that each person has a job that can’t be done unless the guys to the left the right the front and behind you are all doing their job. without that cohesion, it could fall apart violently.

I am not trying to get anyone killed especially not my friends so I do my job to my fullest possible understanding in order to get everyone back ok. Honor is the second most important army value to me honor the dictionary says the honor is fairness or integrity in one’s beliefs and actions. Honor pretty much evaluates how much of a human being you are.

Going back on one’s word is a huge no go. Now, can you lead telling one not to fall asleep on guard and then turn around and fall asleep on guard. You will find it hard to lead your men the more you fall back on your word. also, honor is also stepping up to the plate and accounting for your actions be them accepting an award (getting an army achievement medal for being a part of a cohesive squad) or accepting punishment (writing an essay for disrespecting a noncommissioned officer and just plain lacking army values in general) everyone does good and bad things in life it’s how you own up to and accept the praise or punishment.

Integrity, in my opinion, means doing the right thing morally and legally in that order. Integrity is a great polar opposite of hypocrisy. integrity comes into play in the army more than any other army value in my opinion. whether it be PMCSing a vehicle and saying yeah it’s good instead of actually checking it with a full PMCS, making sure the common areas (i know garrison problems I never deployed gimme a break) are finished instead of acting like they are. Not shamming out when you know you are supposed to be doing something. Personal courage is a huge one in the infantry.

I can tell you for a fact no one wants to die and our job consists of getting shot at, blown up, dealing with explosives, blood gore and religious zealots who want nothing more than to cut our heads off on video for the world to see. “a man can only be brave if he is afraid” -Ned Stark (i know I quoted game of thrones). bravery and personal courage are the same things but you need to be able to take on anything at any time you signed up for whatever situation you got into life or military career personal courage can get you through schools, boards, and deployments.

It can help you deal with new situations as long as you charge at it head-on you usually pull through somehow The use of the army values in your day to day life can get you through your day with a lot more comforting results than the normal person thinks the point I’ve been trying to get across is you can use the army values to always be a better person, do better on a quiz, shoot better, run faster, push harder and increase relations with everyone.

The betterment of yourself and relations with others around you is never complete. there is not a point where you say I’m done with anything. Loyalty duty respect and honor strengthen your relations with those around you. Integrity, personal courage, and selfless service will help you out in your job by showing others you have a moral value, you’re not afraid to fail, and you don’t think about yourself all the time.

Example #7

Many people know what the words Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage mean. But you don’t see how much these words can affect people’s lives as much as they do a soldier’s life. As a soldier, I learned these values during basic combat training, and have since applied them to the way I live my life every day. These values are important to me because they create a guideline for me to follow. They help create goals for me to achieve and beliefs to adhere to.

Loyalty means bearing 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 I am expressing my loyalty. And by doing my share, I strive to show my loyalty to my country, my unit, and to my battle buddies to the left and right of me. Duty goes hand in hand with loyalty because if I failed to fulfill my duty, I would be failing my unit and my battle buddies. I would fail to remain loyal to my country.

Duty means fulfilling your obligations. Doing my duty means more than carrying out my assigned tasks. It 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 mission’s outcome. Duty, to me, means coming into work every day and giving my all to any and all tasks that are assigned to me.

Respect means treating people as they should be treated. Every time I recite the Soldier’s Code, I 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 necessary component within 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. Respecting your leaders fall in line with duty because it is your obligation to take direct orders and accomplish the tasks given. Failing to fulfill the duties given to me shows a direct lack of respect to the superiors appointed over me.

Selfless Service means putting the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own. Selfless service is better than just one person. In serving my country, I am doing my 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. Without selfless-service, no one person would feel obligated to fulfill their duties to their country and to their loved ones.

Honor means living up to Army values. The nation’s 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. It is my honor to be able to go to work every day and fulfill my duty, through every task i am assigned.

Integrity means doing what’s right, legally, and morally. Integrity is a quality you develop by adhering to moral principles. It requires that you do and says 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. Having the integrity to complete tasks that are assigned requires the willingness to complete your duties.

Personal Courage means to face fear, danger, or adversity (physical or moral). 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. Duty and personal courage go together because it takes courage to fulfill your duties even when your life is at risk, or even every day in garrison.