Army Values Paper

"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent."- Douglas MacArthur

Throughout a military career a soldier will hear seven specific words; Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage. No matter your MOS these seven words become the expectations to follow as a soldier. As NCOs we should strive to be the embodiment of the army values, by being the example for all of our soldiers to look up to. In order to achieve this goal it is imperative to take a deep look in to these seven word s and what they mean as soldiers, leaders, and men.

The Webster's Dictionary defines loyalty as, faithful adherence to a sovereign, government, leader or cause. The word loyalty appears in the NCO creed: I will be loyal to with who I serve; senior peers, and subordinates alike. With loyalty comes trust and without trust, our team would fail. If soldiers are not loyal to their chain of command they constantly undermine that chains authority, and my possibly not follow orders handed down by that chain of command. As soldiers we must be loyal to our country, the constitution and the principles on which our country was formed. Loyalty is important because it maintains harmony and steadiness throughout the army. Without loyalty soldiers will not make sacrifices for their leaders, their unit or the country. As NCOs we should be loyal to those soldiers in our care and our chain of command.

Duty is an act or a course of action that is required of one by position, social custom, law, or religion. Soldiers are morally and legally charged to support and defend the constitution. It is our duty as soldiers to follow the orders of those appointed over us. As NCOs it is our duty to train our soldiers under us for combat and to look after their well being. When NCOs train their soldiers they pass down their experiences and knowledge. By doing this the soldiers are better prepared for combat. When we do our duty we ensure the safety of our country and our soldiers.

As soldiers we have to show a lot of respect every day. Weither it is standing at parade rest for an NCO or standing at attention for officers. Respect is a large part of life in the army. When you show your soldiers respect they are more likely to show you respect in turn. Many NCO make the mistake of thinking being liked is the same as being respected. This is not true, and NCO that is respected by those under him will be listened to and obeyed without question. However and NCO that is liked will have those under him question his orders, and those orders will not be followed in a timely manner. For example if SGT Smiley is respected by his soldiers when he tells them to go police call the troop area his soldiers will follow his orders