Be, Know, Do
The purpose of this essay is to explain in my own words the meaning of the United States Army
time-honored principle of Be, Know, and Do and how this principle will assist me to understand my role
and responsibility as a United States Army Non-Commissioned Officer and leader. It will also help me
understand the relationship of the Brigade Property Book Officer and my position as the Property Book
Non-commissioned Officer in Charge when I have to deal with soldiers and their issues.
Understanding the fundamentals of Be, Know, and Do, you not only are able to use this in a
Military career but as a civilian also. Everyone is not born to be a leader, this is accomplished by
knowing the rules and regulations, a willingness to learn new skills and also you must be willing to live
by the ‘Be, Know, Do’ characters.
Anyone who is in the United States Army can be just a soldier, but not everybody can be a Non-
Commissioned Officer and a good leader. The first character “Be” is basically your conscience which
helps you to understand what is right and what is wrong. The “Be” character has attributes to help the
leader to achieve the ultimate Be, Know and Do concept. You must be willing to live by these attributes.
The first thing you must do is to learn and understand the Army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless
service, honor, integrity and personal courage. These are a guide in and throughout the Be, Know and
Do. You also must be mentally fit, physically fit and emotionally stable. Not only do you have to live by
these, but you as a leader must teach your soldiers to do the same. Doing this will make the Army, your
unit, and your Soldiers successful in all that they do whether it be a mission in combat, your job in
garrison or your personal life. While I was reading the Be, Know, and Do, I got to thinking of one of the
courses I took in the Marines “Principles of Marine Corps Leadership”. What I learned in the...