Military Review English Edition November-December 2013 | Page 114

LETTERS
to do. These three supporting elements apply to all
our people and to all our organizations.
This is a simple model for Army Ethics, but
it is not simple-minded. At its root is the classic
struggle between good and evil. We want our people
and our organizations to always do the right thing.
We want our friends and enemies to know that we
always do the right thing. Those of us who cannot
see the difference between right and wrong need to
stand aside. Those of us who want to see everything
as gray, relativist, complicated, or somehow too
“problematic” need to get out of the way as well.
We need to preach this ethic to every soldier,
every contract worker, and every Army civilian.
Every one of us should be able to recite the five
principles by heart and know what they mean. Those

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of us who cannot should get out of the way.
The people of the United States of America
deserve an army that always chooses good over
evil. They deserve an army that has unqualified
integrity based on its deeds. They deserve honesty
from their soldiers and their leaders. They deserve
an army loyal to the Constitution and to the American people. Finally, America deserves an army that
takes responsibility for everything it does or fails
to do.
And so, I put before you this simple model as a
logical place to start building Army Ethics. Once
again, the five principles of Army Ethics are morality, honesty, integrity, loyalty, and accountability.
If you can’t remember them, write them on your
fingers.

November-December 2013 ? MILITARY REVIEW