The attitude that all statistics on paperwork has to look nearly perfect places leaders in all positions in an ethical dilemma and does not uphold the Army values. There seems to be a difference of what the truth is and what the truth for paperwork...
Actions that senior leaders would never accept in a subordinate are the very actions that many senior leaders do. Whether it is too much authority or forgetting their responsibilities, it is wrong. Many senior leaders get relieved when this...
Field questioning is the term somebody carne up with to try and make the combat arms job seem more politically correct. Field questioning sounds less threatening than interrogation. The important thing to know about this new term is that if you say...
I remembered several months ago while shopping on post, a special news report flashed across the rows of televisions on display. It addressed the fact that one of our so-called "smart bombs" apparently missed its target and struck a residential...
Soldiers in today's Army see the work force shortages. They have had empty foxholes in their own units. Now they find themselves with what they consider a routine medical condition. They know someone in the unit that could do his/her job with a...
Imagine if you will, you the proud parent of a 17-year-old daughter, who has just come home from school and said she needed to speak to you. She told you she wanted to join the army to be more like her old man. I almost brings a tear to you eye....
The military needs to go beyond just talking about ethics and immediately enforce known acceptable standards. Ethical standards in the military are difficult to enforce because personal beliefs affect one's standards, but that is no excuse for...
The Army lowered enlistment standards to meet current recruiting goals; this will not affect our future readiness. As leaders we face the ethical decision of determining what is best for our Army. Over the decades enlistment standards have...
The Combat Skills department is responsible for the training of all newly assigned enlisted personnel. The training is surrounded by four main combat skills, Land Navigation, Combatives, Basic Trauma Management, and Weapons training. The commander...
A platoon of Charlie Company, 2-5 Cavalry Regiment patrolled the streets and after practically having all four HUMMVs blown out from under them, kicked in a door to a house, held the owner's family at gun point, and defended themselves for more...
As leaders, we have two basic responsibilities: accomplishment of the mission, and looking out for the welfare of our Soldiers. These responsibilities have a long standing history within the Army, however, today I must question the Army's...
As a Sergeant Major, we have observed our fellow Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers put in situations where they have had to make these choices. How they make their decision is a direct reflection on the leaders that they were mentored by....
The current policy on banning homosexuals from military service is not only unconstitutional but hypocritical as well. The United States Constitution guarantees all Americans the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It also bans...
Human beings are motivated by biological instincts toward the physical overthrow of perceived opposition. Is that statement true or is it an excuse for us as leaders and subordinates to commit an act that we know is ethically inappropriate such as...
I want to share with you a situation I found myself in when I was a First Sergeant of an Infantry Company. A Soldier under the age of 21 drinking in the barracks on a Saturday afternoon was my situation. What do I do? I had to make an ethical...
One of the major problems the Army faces today is that many senior leaders have forgotten the Army value of selfless service. Do they remember how we formed this nation and became the national power that we are? We worked as a team, and even...
As Senior Non-Commissioned officers we have a duty to mentor our subordinates in the ways of the Army. To teach them to make the right choices even when it would be easier to bend the rules or take a short cut. This is when we need to step in and...
Sudden, intense physical training puts our senior leaders at risk from death due to stroke or heart attack. There is an increased risk of injury to joints and back for both the younger and older population. Requiring Soldiers to repeatedly perform...
"War and Ethics" is a quandary that faces military forces around the world. Albert Camus, once said "A man without Ethics is a wild beast loosed upon the world." Throughout history, the war fighters were faced with the constant ethical and moral...
The responsibilities of the American noncommissioned officer will continue to increase because of the expanding mission requirements of the Army. This paper examines the expanding responsibilities of the United States Army noncommissioned officers...