A Conflict of Virtues: Integrity vs. Loyalty
Sir,
I was standing CMOD watch when Midn 3/C Jenkins and Midn 3/C Williams came back from liberty under the influence of alcohol. I was escorting them to their room when Mr. Jenkins vomited in the hallway. After putting Mr. Jenkins in his rack, Mr. Williams had gone to the wardroom and I cleaned up the mess with the help of two plebes. It was right after this when you came on deck.
My report to MAJ Jones is completely truthful; however, my report does not give the full story of everything that happened. The OOW asked for a five line statement of what had happened on deck, and I could not account for all of the details within this limit. My statement is therefore somewhat deceitful along the lines of not providing the full truth, even though this was not my intent. I have made myself clear in denying Mr. Williams statement and have stated that Mr. Jenkins was the person who threw up in the hallway. I have not purposefully added any deception and consequently I do not believe MAJ Jones would be upset with my statement because it provides the background and underlying main points of the situation at hand.
The events occurring on Saturday night involving Midn 3/C Jenkins and Midn 3/C Williams create a situation with heavily conflicting virtues. The main moral dilemma that holds present is choosing whether or not to tell the truth. Midn 3/C Williams has already lied to the OOW about who threw up in the hallway and has therefore put me into a problematic situation. I am now faced with a conflict between integrity and loyalty. One option is to tell MAJ Jones that it was Midn 3/C Jenkins who vomited in the hallway and not Midn 3/C Williams, or the other option is to go along with Mr. Williams’ statement to the OOW that it was him who actually threw up in the hallway. If I decide to go with the first option and tell the truth behind what happened, I save my integrity at the price of putting my roommates...