Army Values

PVT Erickson Says:
The Army Values are as follows:

• Loyalty: to bear true faith and allegiance to the US Constitution, the Army, your unit and other soldiers.
  
• Duty: Fulfill your obligations
  
• Respect: Treat others as they should be treated
  
• Selfless Service: To put the welfare of the Nation, the Army, Your Unit and other soldiers before your own.
  
• Honor: Live up to the Army Values
  
• Integrity: To do what's right, both legally and Morally
  
• Personal Courage: To face fear and danger, both physical and moral.

If you take the first letter of each value, it spells out LDRSHIP, which is Leadership. Pretty spiffy, huh?

Actually, what I found very annoying about the army values is how they seemed to be prioritized above basic combat skills training. We had classes on all the army values seperately. We had a lot of class room time period. I just found it completely annoying in general.

Now, I'm not dissing the army values, I'm not doing that at all. I think that it is great that they have the army values (which is a relatively new thing, btw). I just found it odd that they placed such priority in teaching these to us. Like they say, its a kinder, gentler army. Almost to a fault if you ask me.

DS Erickson Says:
A lot of people come into the army, all walks of life, and some come from broken homes and rough backgrounds with low morals and ethics. The Army Values have been introduced relatively recently in the military, I believe in the 1990's, and though they are one of those things that help embody the mantra of a 'kinder, gentler army', they do have an important purpose in giving new recruits a moral code to live by. All soldiers are expected to live by the Army Values.

As a Private, I came in with a high moral code and a lot of this felt redundant to me. I knew what integrity and respect meant. I wanted to do the fun stuff, and army values generally meant sitting in a classroom getting briefed.

I went through basic training during peacetime. Now that we are at war, Army Values are pushed to the side in favor of other training to make sure that the soldiers are better qualified to survive on the battle field. But I understand better now, as a Drill Sergeant, viewing basic combat training from the other side, that this training is just as important to some of these soldiers as weapons training. A soldier who doesn't understand the concept of loyalty or duty or any one of the army values is not a soldier I want by my side in the heat of battle.

The army values and the warrior ethos (which didn't exist when I went through basic) is a something to live by.

I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.

Learn it. Live it.