The Army teaches Soldiers to abide by the Army Values. LDRSHIP is the acronym used to introduce the seven Army values. These seven Army Values are Loyalty Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. The purpose of this essay is to explain the purpose and importance of the seven Army Values and become a lifestyle, rather than a list of rules.
The Army Values identify your character as you develop your leadership style. All Soldiers from the lowest level to the highest level must live by these values, especially when setting the example to their peers. They are committed first to memory, and then learn to live by them. These values taught through basic training and fortified throughout your military career. Unfortunately, sometimes you see men and women not living by the Army Values.
Loyalty grows by trust from your teammates, and especially from your leaders. In addition, building trust will facilitate a Soldier to implement trust within their unit and their Chain of Command. When a Soldier fails to accomplish their duties and responsibilities it will not affect them but their leaders. Soldiers have duties and responsibilities, which have to be perform to standard and to the best of their abilities. They need to know what they are and how it applies to them as Soldiers. All Soldiers are subject to show respect to his team members and leaders.
When respect is given, it creates a bond of trust. It helps accomplish goals and their duties, which leads to success of the unit. If there is disrespect throughout the unit, the unit is ineffective. It will create tension, and the downfall of the unit’s morale and cohesion.
Selfless Service is not about yourself or your personal gain. It is about your unit, your teammates, your nation, and the Army needs without asking for any recognition. Selfless Service is often confused with Duty.
Honor is achieve when you abide by all the Army Values. Honor is also the ability to carry out and live the Army Values in all hours of the day, 365 days a year. Integrity is doing what is right; also having integrity may make a person feel better about himself. You want to do the right thing even if you are being watch or not. Integrity makes those around you trust you more. The United States Army would not exist without Personal Courage. Personal Courage is to face fear, danger, or adversity, ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
If there were no Values, the Army would not exist. The Army Values is the foundation of the Army. All of the values play an important role, and they all coincide with one another. In addition, the seven values represent what the Army is all about and they are important role in our Army lives and personal lives. The importance of these Values is the way soldiers represent the organization and how people outside the Military look up to the men and woman. The actions a Soldier decides to make reflect upon each one of the Army and us.