Saint Martin's Cloak

Ethics training should address 5 contexts: own actions; influencing subordinates; influencing peers; influencing seniors; influencing outsiders (e.g., allied soldiers). It now focuses almost solely on the first two. The latter three are much more challenging contexts. Tweet @combat_ethics April 11, 2022 Dr. Peter Kilner

Last Sunday I walked the battlefield near Manassas, Virginia where Union and Confederate troops fought for the second time, August 28-30, 1862. Second Manassas (or Second Bull Run) was another major defeat for the Union Army of Virginia, then under the command of Major General John Pope. The Union suffered nearly 14,000 killed, wounded, missing or captured over over the three days of the battle and its army was driven from the field in a hasty retreat. The turning point in the battle came on August 30 when five divisions under Confederate Major General James Longstreet counterattacked into flank of the Union V Corps then assaulting right flank of Stonewall Jackson’s line. Immediately after the defeat, Pope deflected blame onto the V Corps commander, Major General Fitz John Porter, even though 1) Porter had warned Pope of a large Confederate force on his left, and 2) Pope had ordered the fatal attack against Porter’s advice, and 3) Porter’s corps executed the attack on Jackson’s ...

The Golden Rule officially became "Army Doctrine" one year ago on 14 June 2013 with the publication of Army Doctrinal Reference Publication 1, "The Army Profession." The rule is listed in ADRP 1 - Appendix B: Oaths, Creeds and Norms of Conduct. GOLDEN RULE B-23. One should treat others as one would want to be treated oneself; or, one should not treat others as one would not like to be treated. Is this a religious standard? Not according to Harvard's non-theistic Humanist Chaplain Greg Epstein. In Good Without God , Epstein devotes pages 112-116 to describing the Golden Rule as a universal ethical standard not dependent on religion.

The Army values are Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage. The last one starts with “P” so that together they can form the acronym L – D – R –S – H – I – P. That's brilliantly easy to remember. Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage. Those are the Army's values, but what kind of values are they? Do they work in your home? Are they applicable when you are with your friends? Are they equally valid as you relate with your neighbors and your community? Is there any universal validity to them, or is the Army simply pushing them because they serve the Army’s purposes. <!--more-->Several million Americans work in fast food restaurants or big retail stores, and I’m certain that many of those companies promote a corporate value that goes something like this: we appreciate our customers. Always treat the customer with courtesy. That’s a good thing, I think. I expect the clerk behind the counter to ...