The Seven Army Values
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The Army has approved seven Army Values and
their definitions. These
values are posted and displayed in specific order (Loyalty, Duty,
Respect, Selfless service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal
courage) to form the acronym LDRSHIP, using the first letter of each
value.
Loyalty is the faithful
adherence to a person, unit, or the Army. It
is the thread that binds our actions together and causes us to support each
other, our superiors, our family, and our country.
Supporting the chain of
command 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 is 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 orders. We
all take the oath to obey the orders of the superior’s appointed over us
“according to law and regulations.”
Duty is the legal or moral
obligation to accomplish all assigned or implied tasks to the fullest of your
ability. Every
solider must do what needs to be done without having to be told to do it.
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 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
daily. Another
may believe that duty is selflessly serving his or her country and unit, and
soldiers within the unit. Duty
means accomplishing all assigned tasks to the best of your ability. The
quote, “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country” is an
example of unquestionable commitment to duty.
You may be asked to put the
nation’s 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 others
with consideration and honor. It
is the ability to accept and value other individuals.
Respect begins with a
fundamental understanding that all people possess worth as human beings. Respect
is accepting others and acknowledging their value without feeling obligated to
embrace all of 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 placing
your duty before your personal desires. It
is the ability to endure severe hardships for love of fellow soldiers and our
country.
Placing your duty before your
personal desires has always been key to the uniqueness of the American soldier.
As
citizen-soldiers, we know 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.
For leaders, the age-old
phrase of “
Honor is living up to the
Army Values. It
starts with being honest with one’s self and being truthful and sincere in all
of our actions.
As General Douglas
MacArthur once said, “The untruthful soldier trifles with the lives of his
countrymen and the honor and safety of his country.” Being
honest with one’s self is perhaps the best way to live the Army Values. If
something does not feel right to you or you feel that you are compromising your
values, then you need to seriously assess the situation and take steps to
correct or report any issues identified. 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,” then
you should, based on the Army Values, challenge his request.
As previously stated, honor is defined as
living up to the Army Values. Maintaining
respect, consideration, integrity, honesty, and nobleness will ensure that you
and your military organization reflect great honor on your fellow soldier, the
nation, state, and local community.
Integrity means to firmly
adhere to a code of moral and ethical principles. Every
soldier must possess high personal moral standards and be honest in word and
deed.
Having integrity and being
honest in everything you say and do builds trust. As
a counter example, your artillery crew accidentally damages an expensive
artillery round of ammunition. This
will result in an investigation. Instead
of telling the battery commander that you damaged the round, you decide to
stretch the truth and tell him that 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
a leader, you should know that 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.
Physical courage is
overcoming fears of bodily harm while performing your duty. Moral
courage is overcoming fears of other than bodily harm while doing what is
right, even if it is unpopular.
It takes special courage to
make and support unpopular decisions. Others
may encourage you to support slightly unethical or convenient solutions. Do
not compromise your professional ethics or your individual values and moral
principles. If
you believe that you are right after serious 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.
