eans that Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage are significantly more than a list of words. Leaders who live within the Army's Code of Honor model those values. I model them uncompromisingly and insist that other soldiers and leaders do the same.What I find odd lately is the rash number of noncommissioned officers claiming to be offended by being given a values card and tag. Claiming that we've wasted the defense budget and offended their honor and any number of other things. frag My questions is: Was I just as offended when given a Code of Conduct card to carry? Do I have a copy of the Oath of Enlistment or The NCO Creed nearby? A good friend of mine and I were discussing this recently. I asked him what he thought of some of these reactions and he said, "You know what Sgt. Ritchie, I think it's the hit dog that barks the loudest."Could it be that all of this negativity is fear that we can't or don't model those values that our soldiers and I are now constantly reminded of? Do I think that spouting off a bunch of negative cynicism is modeling the values? Another friend of mine, who is an influential soldier in our Army told me, "Too many people look for the bad in something before they look for the good in it. " In this case he was right on target.There is potential for a major failure out there however. And, from the rumblings, it looks as though some units are heading that way. If leadership turns values into a "program", it's failed. Our values, their importance, and how we model them deserve a lot of discussion at all levels of leadership, but they have no place on a Quarterly Training Briefing slide. Values are the code of Honor we claim to live by.The challenge that lies ahead for all in the uniformed services is an unfailing commitment to do the right thing in every walk of life. At times the right path can prove to be elusive. There are various reasons for this, be it bur...
