“My Son the Marine” by Frank Schaeffer and John Schaeffer gives us a look into the life of a mother and father; and their feelings toward their son enlisting into the Marine corp. John had aspirations of joining the military to serve his country. He had spoken to recruiters from the Army, Air force, and the Navy but had yet spoken to the Marine Corp. John was taken by the appearance of the two Marines that visited his home. After he spoke with the Marines he decided that if he was going to join the military he would definitely join the Marine Corps.
The commercials, “ Towards the Sound of Chaos,” by Jay Walters Thompson, talks to the audience on how being in the marines is a special opportunity and privilege. The commercial attracts qualified civilians by explaining what the Marines are disciplined to do and how they acquire such advantages and skills. Created in 2009, when most modern countries in the world have fully equipped and developed armed forces, military power has become the standard for the country’s strength. This idea is exemplified by how the U.S wanted to draft more marines for their army. Being in the marines is advertised as the epitome of bravery, and this commercial is doing just the same.
The Warriors Ethos is a book written by Steven Pressfield, which was published in 2011. The book highlights a very rich history of warriors and their supporters alike. My goal with this paper is to draw some parallels between the examples in the book and what I took away as applicable to our lives as infantrymen In the United States Marine Corps. Chapter one is named “ Tough Mothers “. The chapter that stuck out to me most for giving perspective that I lacked prior to reading this book.
Getting the job done at all costs. Being able to balance life and all its challenges, and still continue to go on. When all else fails our ethics are what drives us, not just as Marines, but as people as well. This book has been an inspiration to all services.
Importance of Rank Structure “Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. Military ranks and the military rank system define among others dominance, authority, as well as roles and responsibility in a military hierarchy. The military rank system incorporates the principles of exercising power and authority, and the military chain of command – the succession of commanders superior to subordinates through which command is exercised – constructs an important component for organized collective action.”
Now also for accountability in the Marine Corps is one of the highest things that are always being hit on. So in other words, being accountable may mean for you to be at a certain place at whatever time was given for you to be there. Next, another reason why accountability is important is because if you don’t keep track of your gear and you’re missing something when the time comes and you need that piece of gear that you were missing then you would be in a lot of trouble. All together being accountable is; well to the Marine Corps being called mission ready. That is why accountability in the Marine Corps is very or in greater words beyond important.
Many seem to over emphasize the many privileges gained as an officer and seem to completely overlook the ever more important duties that should be the true motivators. I must ensure to maintain this mindset. I must also remember to put “people first”. (Department of Defense, 1988) This will be a cornerstone in every decision I make.
The Army culture modifies one’s upbringing values, so it is up to each individual to act upon conflicting values to avoid moral disengagement in one’s career. We have rules and values we must live these values every day in everything we do. However, in 23 years I have observed unethical conducts such as Soldiers in inappropriate relationships and toxic leaders. Each Soldier confronts dilemmas and must decide to do right or wrong. When Soldiers decide for the wrongdoing, the decision leads one to moral disengagement.
A typical family consists of a husband, wife and their children which are known as a traditional family. However, the family dynamics are changing. Therefore a nontraditional family would be all of family structures, such as stepfamilies, single parenting and same-sex families. The diversity of families is now a part of the military culture.
Leaders must apply the Army Values when leading soldiers because of the fact that it builds trust and a bond. The same goes for the soldiers, in order for them both to work as an effective team and to get the mission done efficiently they both must live by these values. Once these values are integrated in a soldier’s lifestyle, it becomes too easy to work as a unit. An example on how loyalty and respect fits in a day to day to situation would be, a soldier witnessing a misunderstanding with his or her team leader and a higher ranking NCO, the soldier knows that his or her team leader is in the right. The soldier shows loyalty by standing by their team leader and shows respect by approaching both their team leader and the higher ranking NCO with tact to explain the situation from their understanding and what they witnessed.
This will allow leaders of character to further develop our Army and foster individual units to operate within the Army’s ethical belief. The challenge is that all people are different in their beliefs, finding common ground and methods of cultivating character traits is the final step in the process. The idea behind this study came from General Mark Milley, Chief of Staff of the Army, whose mission was to begin developing
Growing up in the 21st century we have relaxed lifestyles in comparison to the families of yesterday Teens nowadays come from such a abnormality of one parent to the traditional family all they get farther away from the trad families values. I grew up in a far from traditional family with my sister practically another mother to me and living at our apartment part time. Also, going through times of the hardship of one parent with two teens and one toddler at the time. It also helps when your parents were only dating when they had you and that dating being demolished and losing one because they wouldn 't do your visitation. We all come from different style now that prove the Traditional families values and ways are far gone.
In order to learn more about military mind we can take a look at the United States Army; Warrior Ethos which are: i. I will always place the mission first. ii. I will never accept defeat. iii. I will never quit.
When it comes to having and being able to maintain a strong moral code, front line patrol officers are the perfect example of what law enforcement requires. To ensure front line patrol officers maintain a strong moral code, they must be able to keep their integrity on and off duty. Officers should have this characteristic before they are hired and should be open for the police academy to repair and strengthen them. Law enforcement requires not only physical strength within the policing work field but also strength within one’s values and their ethical as well as moral beliefs. ‘’Values is the term given to those ideas, behaviors, and actions that are important to us.
In our society today, the American people are struggling, their lack of respect for our country, our morals and our values have drastically impacted our culture and the American way of life. On that note, we conclude, that the average American lacks faith and security in our own nation. With that being said: America, rest assured and know that our Professional Soldiers are receiving training, education and experience, to better our forces and to someday regain the trust of our American citizens, once again. In addition, despite the obsticles, our Professional Soldiers strive for exemplary standards of unwavering ethical and moral dedication in all areas of their career. Understanding that some Military Occupations are tougher than others, yet our goal remains; to mold diverse Leaders by providing them the foundational standards as American Soldiers.
