Army values

Army values

Dalton Peters
LOYALTY
Loyalty is the faithful actions to a person, unit, or 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 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
Duty is the legal or moral obligation to accomplish all assigned or implied tasks to the fullest of your ability. Every soldier 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 soldier’s 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 0800 to 1700 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. The quote "I regret that I have but one life to give to my country" is an example of an unquestionable commitment to duty.
You may be asked to put the nation’s welfare and mission...

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