TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01 - TRADOC - U.S. Army

TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01To promulgate a more individual expression of the Soldier’s identity than the values and theirassociated virtues, Generals Eric Shinseki and Peter Schoomaker, successive Army Chiefs ofStaff at the century’s turn, issued a statement of the warrior’s ethos and its encompassingSoldier’s Creed. The Soldier’s Creed reflects the Army values and expresses, publicly, theessence and enduring virtues of the American warrior, the expectations of all uniformed Armymembers for themselves and their fellow Soldiers.Field Manual (FM) 1, The Army, officially embodies Army values and Soldiers in the contextof the history and traditions of Army service and illustrated in the conduct of Medal of Honorrecipients. The creed and these values are part of every Soldier’s acculturation to militaryservice. While their form or language may adjust in the future, they are unlikely to change intheir intent.Moral, Ethical, Warrior Spirit ImportanceMilitary character and theprofessional military ethic formthe foundation of the Armyprofession and the bond of trustwith the Nation. There is noformal expression of theprofessional military ethic, butthere is general agreement that itconsists of the shared values,attitudes, and beliefs that establishthe standards of competency forthe profession and guide theconduct of Soldiers. The systemof ethical standards and principlesdefines Soldiers’ commitment tothe Nation. The Army Values, thewarrior ethos, the Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Creed, the Soldiers Creed, the oath ofenlistment, and the oath of office articulate the norms and beliefs that guide military service.Adhering to the professional military ethic requires an understanding of the standards of personaland professional practice that Soldiers must demonstrate every day, in every duty, in peace and inwar. More than a body of rules for individual behavior, the professional military ethic generatesan ethos that encompasses the character of, and values peculiar to, the profession of arms. Thefunctional requirements of warfighting, the democratic traditions of military service, laws andcustoms of land warfare, and our own national values, the oaths of commissioning andenlistment, and Army heritage, and traditions shape and influence the professional military ethic.The professional military ethic in turn establishes an obligation of service not shared by allother citizens. This obligation begins with the oaths taken upon entering the Army, “a moralcommitment, made publicly, which we secure with our reputation.” 8 Nowhere is the significanceand power of the oath better captured than in the capstone manual FM 1.18