What does it take to be a leader in the United States Armed Forces? The acronym LDRSHIP describes the values that the Army instills into its officers. The acronym stands for Loyalty, Duty. Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. Loyalty is a feeling of commitment or allegiance that a person has toward his or her country. In the army loyalty is an important value because if an enlisted man did not care for his country he would have no motivation to serve.
Loyalty also means that you will not betray your country in any way and you must always stay true to your country. Duty is an act or action that is required by position, law, customs, or religion. In respect to the army, the soldier has an obligation to his unit, superiors and to his nation. Respect is important to the military life. On a daily basis you are required to show respect to your superiors as well as your subordinates.
Respect is treating other people as they deserve to be treated. For example officers demand a higher respect because they have had the training and have the experience and knowledge to effectively lead people. Selfless Service is the basis of the military concept. You choose to serve your country and you men before you help yourself. You must put others before yourself.
Honor is the prestige and character that all military personnel should have. The honor of the military life is most visible at formal occasions and parades when the dress uniforms are worn. Honor also requires a certain amount of pride in the organization and actions that you participate in.
Honor is also recognized by civilians and superiors. Such recognition can come from as high as the President of the United States in the forms of medals and letters. Integrity means doing the right thing even if there is no one watching and no way to get caught To have integrity a person must have the ability to distinguish the difference between right and wrong, so that when a controversial issue arises the right and honorable thing will be done.
Integrity allows the military personnel to trust one another better. Personal Courage is the drive that keeps you on track and squared away. It never allows you to quit for any reason and motivates you to get better and better. The values listed and described above are the building blocks for the mentality of the United States Army. With out these values the military would not function correctly. It would be a jumbled mess. There would be no organization and rank system.
Our nation would not have the military dominance that it currently has if values like loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage; were not held so highly and not driven into the men and women of the army. These values are not only ideas that keep the United States military in shape but they are values to live by. These army values can only make you a better person.
