Loyalty is the faithful adherence to a person (your supervisor
or division chief), the AAC/USAASC or Army. Loyalty is the thread
that binds our actions together and causes us to support each
other, our superiors, our family and our country.
Supporting a superior or a program, even though it is being openly
criticized by peers or subordinates, requires courage and loyalty.
A loyal intermediate would try to explain the rationale behind
the decision and support the decision maker. When we establish
loyalty to our Soldiers, the AAC/USAASC, our superiors, our family
and the Army, we must be sure the "correct ordering"
of our obligations are being accomplished and not the easiest.
There is no clear rule as to which comes first. Sometimes it will
be the service, sometimes the family and sometimes the Soldier.
Open criticism and being disloyal to supervisors, leaders, the
USAASC and the Army destroys the very foundation of the organization
and results in diminished mission accomplishment. However, loyalty
should not be confused with blind obedience to illegal orders.
Officers and Army civilians alike take the following Oath of Office:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and
defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies,
foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance
to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental
reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully
discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter."
Duty:
Fulfill your moral obligations to the best
of your ability each and every day.
Duty is the legal or moral obligation to accomplish all assigned
or implied tasks to the fullest of your ability. Every Soldier
and Army civilian must do what needs to be done without having
to be told to do it.
Duty requires a willingness to accept full responsibility for
your actions and for your performance. It also requires supervisors
and leaders to
take the initiative and anticipate requirements
based on the situation. Duty means accomplishing all assigned
tasks to the best of one's ability. The quote "I regret that
I have but one life to give to my country" is an example
of an unquestionable commitment to duty.
You may be asked to put the Nation's welfare and mission accomplishment
ahead of yourself. Soldiers, civilians and leaders must have a deep
commitment to duty and what is best for the organization and the
Army. This will ensure that we all make the right decisions when
it really counts.
Respect:
Treat other people as you yourself want
to be treated — with dignity and respect.
Respect is more than treating others with courtesy, consideration
and honor. It is also accepting and valuing other individuals
and differing points of view. Respect begins with a fundamental
understanding that all people possess worth as human beings. Respect
is accepting others and acknowledging their worth without feeling
obligated to embrace all of their ideas. When considering others,
you listen to their ideas, solicit their unique points of view
and use their information and perspective to make more informed
decisions.
All of us possess special skills and adhere to certain values.
Without respect for all other individuals there would not be a
cohesive and team-oriented Army.
Selfless Service:
Put the welfare of the Nation, the Army and the Soldiers you support
before your own.
Selfless service is placing your duty, obligations and responsibilities
before your personal desires.
Selfless service is the ability to endure hardships and insurmountable
odds because of love of fellow Soldiers, co-workers, your community
and our Nation. It is the motivation and ability of an individual
to reach beyond one's self.
Placing duty before personal desires has always been key to the
uniqueness of American Soldiers and their civilian counterparts.
As citizens and Soldiers, we claim our service to the Nation,
the Army Family, state and community to be an especially valuable
contribution. Remember, selfless professionals do not make decisions
and take actions designed to promote themselves, further their
careers or enhance personal comforts.
For leaders and supervisors, the age-old phrase of "Mission,
Men and Me" still rings true today. Selfless service is the
force that encourages every USAASC member to do the best job he or
she can do each and every day. It is critical to the esprit and
well being of the AAC and USAASC. By serving selflessly, we greatly
enhance our value to the combatant commanders and Warfighters we
serve.
Honor:
Live up to all the Army Values. Be honest,
truthful and sincere in all of your actions.
Honor is living up to the Army Values. It starts with being honest
with one's self and being truthful and sincere in all of our actions.
As GEN Douglas MacArthur once said "the untruthful soldier
trifles with the lives of his countrymen and the honor and safety
of his country."
Being honest with one's self is perhaps the best way to live
the Army Values. If something does not feel right to you or you
feel that you are compromising your values, then you need to seriously
assess the situation and take steps to correct or report the issue.
Pressures that can challenge our ethical reasoning include self-interest,
peer pressure, pressure from subordinates or pressure from superiors.
Honor is defined as living up to the Army Values. Maintaining
respect, consideration, integrity, honesty and nobleness will
ensure that you and the AAC/USAASC will reflect great honor for Soldiers,
the Army and our great Nation.
Integrity:
 Do
what's right, legally and morally, in both word and deed.
Integrity means to firmly adhere to a code of moral and ethical
principles. Every Soldier and Army civilian must possess high
personal moral standards and be honest in word and deed.
Living and speaking with integrity is very hard. You must live
by your word for everything — no buts, no excuses. Having
integrity and being honest in everything you say and do builds
trust.
Integrity is the basis for trust and confidence that must exist
among all AAC/USAASC members. It is the source for great personal
strength and is the foundation for organizational effectiveness
and a healthy command climate. As leaders and supervisors, all
Soldiers and civilians are watching and looking to see that we
are honest and living by our words. If you make a mistake, you
should openly acknowledge it, learn from it and move forward.
We must all "walk the talk."
Personal Courage:
Face fear, danger or adversity (physical
or moral). Do what you know is right.
Physical courage is overcoming fears of bodily harm while performing
your duty. Moral courage is overcoming fears of other than bodily
harm while doing what is right, even if doing what is right is
unpopular.
It takes special courage to make and support unpopular decisions.
Others may encourage you to support slightly unethical or convenient
solutions. Do not compromise your professional ethics or your
individual values and moral principles. If you believe you are
right after careful consideration, hold to your position.
Practicing physical and moral courage in our daily lives builds
a strong and honorable character. We expect and encourage candor
and integrity from all of our co-workers. Taking the immediate
and "right" actions in a time of conflict or challenge
will save lives.
Conclusion
As former Army Chief of Staff General Dennis J. Reimer stated,
"The Army is, at heart, a community of Active and Reserve
Soldiers, civilian employees and their families. Communities thrive
when people care about one another, work with one another and
trust one another. I believe today's Army carries within it this
spirit and sense of community. . . . I am optimistic about the
future and convinced that because we hold tight to a strong tradition
of commitment to one another, we are and will remain the best
Army on Earth."
I strongly believe that the constants that make our Army "the
best Army on Earth" are Army Values. The Army is a values-based
organization that stresses the importance of the team over the
individual. The Acquisition Support Center is no different! This
organization will continue to emphasize, implement and actively
practice "shared" values. Army Values will help us continue
to build a strong, cohesive organization that, in turn, will become
a source of strength and institutional knowledge for the PEOs,
PMs and Acquisition Commanders we support.
Our Soldiers, Army and Nation are counting on each of you. This
is something we have to get right, right now! Thank you for reviewing
the seven Army Values. More importantly, thank you for making
the commitment to embody these values each and every day in everything
you do. We are "Preparing For the Future" — people,
teamwork, partnership and leadership will help get us there. Army
Values will guide our way.
Mr. Craig A. Spisak
Director
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