In A Tactical Ethic, Moral Conduct in the Insurgent Battlespace, author Dick Couch addresses what he believes to be an underlying problem, most typical of small units, of wanton ethical and moral behavior partly stemming from the negative “ethical climate and moral culture” of today’s America (Couch, D., 2010, p. 15). In chapter one, he reveals what A Tactical Ethic will hope to accomplish; that is identify the current ethics of today’s military warriors, highlight what is lacking, and make suggestions about what can be done to make better the ethical behavior of those on the battlefield and in garrison. He touches on some historic anecdotes to highlight the need for high ethics amongst today’s military warriors as well as briefly mentions …show more content…
He should instead refer to the current SEAL Ethos that he conveniently attached in his own book in Appendix III, page 123. Reference specifically the part where it says, “I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions.”. A quick google search of “Dick Couch” shows a guy who has made a career exploiting his time in the SEAL Teams, profiting from the actions of today’s SEALs by riding the coattails of their unfortunate but very public popularity. I cannot take serious the armchair quarterbacking of this book’s author and will glean my future lessons on ethics from a more credible …show more content…
This bastion of ethical conduct Mr. Couch advocates, has listed the names of these current and active duty SEALs, their units, and where they are located in a public document with no regard for operational security, the security of the warriors named, their wives, their kids, extended families, nor for the irrevocable damage done to their character. Duane Dieter has plastered their names all over a public document open for all to see, including those wishing to do them harm. In the current state of threat and public view that SEALs unfortunately find themselves, this is nothing short of unethical. Mr. Couch is not only a poor judge of character, but the way he denigrates entire units and an entire generation of warfighters, despite his insistence to the contrary, is both insulting and unfounded in fact.
This book has not changed my views on ethics in combat nor in garrison. In the many years I have been in the military and the over seven combat deployments, I must disagree with Mr. Couch. Instances of unethical behavior are not encouraged to the degree he thinks nor as widespread. Of course, as with any organization where people are present, there will always be outliers
The book Outlaw Platoon written by Sean Parnell is a soldiers’ tale of his platoon in one of the most dangerous places on earth. This book is a non-fiction riveting work that tells the story of a platoon that spent sixteen months on an operating base in the Bermel Valley, the border of Pakistan. This mission the men were sent on was part of a mission called Operation Enduring Freedom. This book is extremely relevant to the war that we are still fighting in Afghanistan and the humanitarian work that continues. We still have men in this area fighting and losing their lives everyday. It is the focus of ongoing political debates and the purpose of our involvement there is an ongoing question in the minds of many Americans. In writing this book, Parnell makes it clear in his author’s notes that he indeed was not trying to pursue one political agenda over another. His goal as not to speak of all members of the platoon and expose their identities and the types of soldiers they were but instead to showcase some of the men’s bravery and abilities during the war. Parnell believed that he owed it to the men to write something that would show the world what these men go through during combat in an honest and raw account. Another purpose of Parnell’s in writing this book is an attempt at making sure these men are given a place in American war history.
The United States Army, in its current state, is a profession of arms. In order to be considered a profession, the organization must have an ethical code rooted in values, strong trust with its clients, and be comprised of experts within the trade. These experts are constantly developing the trade for the present and the future and hold the same shared view of their trade culture. The Army currently has an ethical code embodied in the Army Values, which provides guidance to the individual and the organization. These values are universal across the Army, regardless of an individual’s personal background or religious morals.
In conclusion, the use of these stories from the book and my own personal stories I have demonstrated that we as SOF, exclusively the SF regiment, are following the SO imperatives well. The regiment has been occupied with twelve years of combat operations in two different theatres which has degraded the regiment’s ability to execute some of the imperatives well. Some detachments and groups are applying the imperatives better than others, but in general the force is adhering to them well. There is always room to improve and SF will relearn the lessons from the past and apply them to the future.
LM01, Ethical Leadership Student Guide. (2012). Maxwell-Gunter AFB. Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (AETC).
In the novel The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien demonstrates how exposure to the atrocities of nations at war leads to the soldiers having skewed perspectives on what is right and wrong, predominantly at times when the purpose of the war itself appears elusive. The ambiguity that consumes the stories of “The Things They Carried” and “How to Tell a True War Story” is displayed with irony, for the ‘moral’ of such war stories is that there is no moral at all. O’Brien portrays the character Mitchell Sanders as an observer who seeks the morals to be found through the war fatalities; however, he depicts these morals in a manner that actually stresses the impiety of the situations above all else. The characters in this novel are at the forefront of the Vietnam War, thus blinded by carnage that soon begins to obscure any prior notions held about what is moralistic and what is not.
3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division must face reality. “The kill company” scandal has seriously damaged the image of the US Army, which in turn has challenged the trust the Nation places in its armed forces. More concretely, these events highlighted the need for strengthening the Rakkasans’ ethics standards. Soldiers are not warriors; they are ethical warriors, whose identity relies on two inseparable pillars: ethics principles and operational efficiency. The Army core values reflect this ethical identity and the duties that come with it. Understanding that warriors need solid ethical references, the Brigade will demonstrate commitment to the Army values, invest in ethics education, and engage leadership.
On the other hand, acting cooperatively does not only protect, but can also enrich our lives. To echo World War II veteran J. Glenn Gray, “many veterans who are honest with themselves will admit, I believe, that the experience of communal effort in battle, even under the altered conditions of modern war, has been a high point in their lives” feeling “earnest and gay at such moments […] liberated from [their] individual impotence and […] drunk with the power that union with [their] fellows brings” (44;45). Perhaps the attractiveness of community and cooperation stems from its central role in our survival. However, it also facilitates acting in a manner that reflects positive moral principles. Gray proceeds to describe that there exists a “willingness
A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain ...
During the Vietnam War, many Americans decided to choose conscientious objector status and serve the war effort in non-combative ways; others moved to Canada, leaving their families, their communities, and their nation because of strong political convictions. While some said these people were cowards and a disgrace to their families and their nation, others argued that those had just as much courage as the men on the front lines. Although moving to Canada was far less difficult than being sent to Vietnam, these Draft Dodgers proved they had courage to stand up for what they believed in. On pages eight and twenty-two of Pat Barker's Regeneration, two very highly esteemed awards are introduced, the Military Cross (MC) and the Victoria Cross (VC). The protagonist of this novel, Siegfried Sassoon, responds to his military honors by demonstrating two kinds of courage, one lauded by his government and popular opinion and one misunderstood and disdained by his society. Though Barker's novel presents these two types, she ultimately values courage of personal conviction. Not only does Sassoon exert this courage of personal conviction by writing a letter to his commanding officer, but also by throwing away one of the prestigious medals.
The Marine Corps Values exemplify Honor, Courage, and Commitment in a service member 's character. Honor details expectations of one’s ethical and moral conduct, Courage focuses on honor in action, and Commitment deals with total dedication to the Marine Corps and the country. If one fails to maintain the Marine Corps values they face disciplinary action and the possibility of a dishonorable discharge, depending on the nature of their actions. The honor values of the Marine Corps Values place one 's personal life, as well as their action in service, under scrutiny. Lieutenant Colonel Shane Tomko was dishonorably discharged and stripped of all Service Medals and Awards on February 12th, 2015 due to actions in his personal life. Lieutenant Tomko had an affair, which breaks the Honor Code’s clause that states “A U.S. Marine must never lie, never cheat, never steal. . . Each Marine must cling to an uncompromising code of personal integrity. . . And, above all, honor mandates that a Marine never sully the reputation of his Corps.” A spokesman for the Marine Corps, Major Dolan, made a statement that the actions taken against Lieutenant Tomko were “due to a loss of confidence in his leadership” (Marine Corps Times). The affair was seen as such a dishonor on the Marine Corps as a whole and on Lieutenant Tomko’s service as an individual that he was stripped of all of the accomplishments and
From the mothers and fathers of the daughters and sons in the military to the friends that are left back home when someone enlists and prepares on their journey, this film provides a starting point to influence conversation’s about the sexual violence and injustice prevalent across the DOD. The film speaks out to the audience’s emotions by delivering jaw-dropping statistics all while providing a strong ethical basis of trustworthy resources, interviews, and statistics. This documentary is a great example of how using pathos, ethos and logos to implore an audience to question how the DOD reacts to MST. By combining all these rhetoric appeals, Kirby is able to convince the audience that there is sexual misconduct in the military and there is no evidence to prove that they are doing anything about
Davenport’s various violations of the Code need to be considered from another point of view as an example of responsible disobedience. As Dr. Davenport and Antwone are both members of the military, there is a certain camaraderie experienced between them that the general public does not experience. Taking this into consideration, Dr. Davenport may be expressing responsible disobedience as he violates various standards in the Code in an attempt to respect the intricacies of the military culture (Cottone & Tarvydas, 2007). Because the military is a culture of its own, it is difficult to say whether any or all of the situations that resulted in an ethical violation were justified. It is easy to say that Dr. Davenport violated principle ethics during his work with Antwone but virtue ethics may support Dr. Davenport as he interpreted the standards in the context of the military culture (Cottone & Tarvydas, 2007).
LM01, Ethical Leadership. (2012). Maxwell Gunter AFB. Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (AETC)
"The core of a soldier is moral discipline. It is intertwined with the discipline of physical and mental achievement. Total discipline overcomes adversity, and physical stamina draws on an inner strength that says drive on." - Former Sergeant Major of the Army William G. Bainbridge
Moral degradation is a necessary evil in order to survive through war; therefore, construction of a new morality is inescapable. Within the stories in The Things They Carried, soldiers are required to do so during and after the Vietnam War. War breeds monstrosities and wanton cruelty. When faced with two evils, picking the lesser immoral option is not necessarily something to be frowned upon. This is what separates a soldier’s morality and a civilian’s morality. Civilians see things through a black-and-white perspective; fundamental standards that must be obeyed to the letter. Aggressive behavior (e.g. homicide, robbery, extortion, and so forth) is continually censured and punished accordingly through a fair and just system. There is no such