Although there are five essential characteristics associated with the Army profession, the foundation that underlies virtually every aspect of service is trust. In order for soldiers to be able to perform their duties at maximum capacity, it is essential that their relationships with others in the Army are grounded in mutual trust. It would be nearly impossible to do one’s job in the Army if one did not have absolute confidence that he or she is surrounded by comrades on whom he or she can depend. This means placing one’s trust in others in order to be free to conduct activities to the best of one’s ability without having to worry that there is no one to cover one’s back. Trusting one’s fellow soldiers frees up the energy needed to perform competently, without having to expend even a slight amount of worry that no one will support you.
In the Army, trust exists on many levels. There is the trust that is formed between soldiers, who are together constantly and who depend on each other to take necessary steps to prevent each other from being harmed. Another vital aspect of trust that must be formed in the Army is that which exists between the leadership and the soldiers, because soldiers are able to do the best job possible when they know that they can count on the professionalism, competence, and support of their leaders. When such trust exists, soldiers tend to want to act in ways that will earn the approval of their leadership, who take the form of a sort of surrogate parent who can either grant or withhold approval.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Army Values Essay".
The other vital aspect of trust in the Army profession exists between the soldiers and the American people that they serve; Americans place a great deal of confidence in their troops, trusting that they will act professionally and competently in order to defend the country and American interests. Occasionally, when that trust has been violated such as when on rare occasion a soldier or soldiers behave in unacceptable ways that reflect negatively on the American public, the trust that exists between soldiers and the American people has been tested. An example of this that comes to mind is when America was involved in the Vietnam War, and there were some instances in which American troops were involved in the death of civilians, and this was graphically portrayed on television. The result was that there was a disruption between the trust between soldiers and the American public, and that lasted for the duration of that war.
In recent times, however, it seems that Americans have regained their trust in the military, and even in regards to Vietnam vets, Americans appear to recognize that the soldiers in that war were operating under extraordinary circumstances which were not necessarily within their control. There seems to be a great deal of compassion for all veterans, including Vietnam vets, because Americans trust that soldiers do as they are asked, rather than operating as independent contractors. The American people appear to trust that soldiers are following orders, not acting on their own motivations, and therefore they are serving the country by obeying their commanders. Even if the American public is not always in favor of the reasons for combat, they seem to trust the soldiers enough to support them completely, and reserve their doubts and questions for the military and civilian leaders that make the decisions regarding going to war. Generally, the Army could not function adequately without a high degree of trust existing between soldiers, leadership, and the American public.
