The Army Values: What Every Soldier Should Know -

From the very minute a person signs the dotted line and joins the United States Army, learning, living and breathing Army values becomes that Soldier’s primary mission. All other missions will be secondary because by following Army values, that Soldier will have the will and desire to complete any, and all other missions that they have been ordered to do.

From the moment a Soldier gets off the bus to what seems an over-bearing Drill Sergeant at basic training, the Army values will be instilled until that Soldier has them so ingrained in their inner-being that every move they make will be with thoughts of Army values.

Today’s post is: Army Values: What Every Soldier Should Know. Please share this post with those individuals who are considering joining the United States Army. If they enter prepared, Basic Training can be much easier.

The Soldier’s Creed

I am an American Soldier.

I am a Warrior and a member of a team.

I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.

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

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.

I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.

I am an expert and I am a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.

I am an American Soldier!

The creed above displays the whole of the Army values. There is a simple acronym to remember the values of the United States Army. It is LDRSHIP. We will now delve into each one for an understanding.

Loyalty

Loyalty means having allegiance and faith in the powers you donned the uniform of a United States Soldier for. There is an order of allegiance that must be followed:

1: The United States Constitution. You will be loyal to the document that is the law of our wonderful country.

2: The United States Army. When you agree to join the Army, you also agree to be loyal to the Army and its policies.

3: Your Unit. You are also agreeing to be completely loyal to the Army Unit you serve in.

4: Your fellow Soldiers. You have joined a team, and a team is loyal to one another.

Duty

When you join the United States Army, you will be assigned duties and missions. No matter how easy or difficult these duties are, Army values exclaim that a Soldier provides 110% of there ability to complete those duties properly. Shortcuts are never an answer.

Respect

The start of this process is self-respect. If you respect yourself, you will live up to Army standards. It is also mandatory that a Soldier treats everyone with respect and dignity. By doing so, the Soldier can also expect the same in return.

Self-less Service

This essentially means that you will put your welfare on the back-burner. The welfare of the Army, your unit and other Soldiers comes before your own.

Honor

The highest award any Soldier can attain is the Medal of Honor. It means honoring every value you have been taught and living in a way that others look up to, and not down to you.

Integrity

Is it legal? Is it morally right? A Soldier should always look deep inside and answer these 2 questions before doing anything. That is what integrity is all about.

Personal Courage

Around every corner there is something that can cause fear. It is okay to fear things, but what a person does with that fear is what shows if they have personal courage. Facing fear head on by risking physical harm is the mirror of a United States Soldier.

Final Thoughts

The values above are the core of the United States Army. This is why the Army is respected all throughout the world.

We would like to hear your opinions about the Army values. How have you lived these values during your time in the Army? Please provide your comments and opinions, but please use common sense in doing so. If you wouldn’t say it directly to a person’s face, should you put it on the internet?

Thank you for visiting.

“Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.”
George Washington

Sincerely,

Chuck Holmes
Former Army Major (resigned)
Publisher, Part-Time-Commander.com
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com

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The Army Values: What Every Soldier Should Know