Punctuality is the characteristic of being able to complete a required task or fulfil a moral duty before or at a previously-designated time. There is often an understanding that a small amount of lateness is acceptable; commonly ten or fifteen minutes in Western cultures. In some cultures, such as Japanese society, or in the military there basically is no allowance. Some cultures have an unspoken understanding that actual deadlines are different from stated deadlines; for example, it may be understood in a particular culture that people will turn up an hour later than advertised.
In this case, since everyone understands that a 9am meeting will actually start around 10am, no-one is inconvenienced when everyone turns up at 10am. In cultures which value punctuality, being late is tantamount to showing disrespect for another’s time and may be considered insulting. In such cases, punctuality may be enforced by social penalties, for example by excluding low-status latecomers from meetings entirely. Punctuality, time value and queuing theory In many situations the requirement for punctuality is asymmetric.
Being at the right place at the right time for any member of the Army is extremely essential to the defense of the entire United States of America. It’s because of this that being on time is remarkably important. Dependability, accountability, consistency and discipline are all crucially related to being on time. Furthermore, promptness also shows that the individual Soldier aims high and has their priorities straight.
However, being where one needs to be at the appointed time will always be one of the most important aspects of being a Soldier. This is why failure to be on time not only severely hinders mission capability and readiness, but also can without a doubt cost unnecessary loss of life. It is important to realize that it is necessary for those in the Armed Forces are held to a higher standard. While punctuality remains and always will, an extremely vital aspect of military bearing and discipline.
It has direct correlation to soldierly appearance, combat readiness, mission effectiveness, and essentially every facet of Military life and responsibility. One cannot place enough emphasis on how important it is to be consistently on time. For instance; a soldier is late or perhaps does not report at all to a place at the time ordered. That effectively compromises and diminishes the efficiency of which the task is to be completed.
In an extreme case a soldier not being on time to relieve the current guard’s post would cause the combat effectiveness and readiness of the unrelieved guard to be greatly reduced. This would be caused by fatigue, or lack of supplies, etc. Consequently the guard post could be compromised and the security of the area or Forward Operating Base could be breached. These things do occur, however, they can undoubtedly be avoided by merely, once again, being on time.
