Military Professionalism

Men who adopt the profession of armssubmit their own free willto a law of perpetual constraintsof their own accord.

They resist their rightto live where they choose,to say what they think,to dress as they like.

It needs but an orderto settle them from their familiesand dislocate their normal lives.

In the world of commands,they must rise, march,run, endure bad weather,and go out without sleep or food,be isolated in some distant post,work until they drop.

They have ceased to becomemasters of their own fate.

If they drop on their tracks,their ashes shall be scatteredin the four winds,that is all part and parcel of their job.

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Don’t Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes willWhen the road you’re trudging seems all uphillWhen the funds are low and the debts are highAnd you want to smile but you have to sighWhen the world is pressing you down a bitRest if you must but don’t you quit

Life is queer with its twists and turnsAs everyone of us sometimes learnsAnd many a failure turns aboutWhen he might have won had he stuck it outDon’t give though the pace seems slowYou may succeed with another blow

Often the goal is nearer thanIt seems to a faint and faltering manOften the struggler has given upWhen he might have captured the victor’s cupAnd he learned too late when the night slipped downHow close he was to the golden crown

Success is failure turned inside outThe silver tint of the clouds of doubtAnd can never tell how close you areYou maybe near when it seems too farSo stick to the fight when you’re hardest hitIt’s when things are worst that you mustn’t quit

Note: Don’t Quit is suited for what everyone seems to be experiencing now. Rest if you must, but don’t you quit. Retreat but don’t give up.

General OrdersA sentry obeys two sets of orders. Special orders passed to the sentry with regard to his watch and post that are given by the petty officer of the watch or corporal of the guard.  General orders that never change and for which the sentry is always responsible.    The eleven General Orders to be memorized by all Army personnel.

 

1. To take charge of this post and all government property in view. 

2. To walk my post in a military manner, keeping always on the alert, and observing everything that takes place within sight or hearing. 

3. To report all violations of orders I am instructed to enforce. 

4. To repeat all calls from the post more distant from the guard house than my own. 

5. To quit my post only when properly relieved. 

6. To receive, obey, and pass on to the sentry who relieves me all orders from the commanding officer, field officer of the day,

officer of the day, and officers and petty officers of the guard only. 

7. To talk to no one except in the line of duty. 

8. To give the alarm in case of fire or disorder. 

9. To call the corporal of the guard in any case not covered by instructions. 

10. To salute all officers, and all colors and standards not cased. 

11. To be especially watchful at night, and during the time for challenging, to challenge all persons on or near my post, and to allow no one to pass without proper authority. 

Source: The Bluejackets' Manual, Fifteenth Edition (1957).

Military Secrecy

"What you see...What you hear...

What you feel...When you leave.Leave it here!"

Pledge of loyalty

If you work for a man,in heaven’s name,

work for him,speak well of him,

and stand by the institutionthat he represents.

Remember,an ounce of loyalty

is worth a pound of cleverness.

If you must grawl,condemn and eternally find fault,

why resign your position?

And when you are in the outside,damn to your heart’s contents!

But as long as you are a part of the institution,

do not condemn it.

For if you do,the first high wind that comes along

will blow you away.

And probably,you’ll never know why.

West Point's Cadet Honor Code reads simply that

"A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do."

Cadets accused of violating the Honor Code face a standardized investigative and hearing process (see Investigative and Hearing System.). If they are found guilty by a jury of their peers, they face severe consequences to include expulsion from the Academy.

Definitions of the tenets of the Honor Code

LYING: Cadets violate the Honor Code by lying if they deliberately deceive another by stating an untruth or by any direct form of communication to include the telling of a partial truth and the vague or ambiguous use of information or language with the intent to deceive or mislead.

CHEATING: A violation of cheating would occur if a Cadet fraudulently acted out of self-interest or assisted another to do

so with the intent to gain or to give an unfair advantage. Cheating includes such acts as plagiarism (presenting someone else's ideas, words, data, or work as one's own without documentation), misrepresentation (failing to document the assistance of another in the preparation, revision, or proofreading of an assignment), and using unauthorized notes.

STEALING: The wrongful taking, obtaining, or withholding by any means from the possession of the owner or any other person any money, personal property, article, or service of value of any kind, with intent to permanently deprive or defraud another person of the use and benefit of the property, or to appropriate it to either their own use or the use of any person other than the owner.

TOLERATION: Cadets violate the Honor Code by tolerating if they fail to report an unresolved incident with honor implications to proper authority within a reasonable length of time. "Proper authority " includes the Commandant, the Assistant Commandant, the Director of Military Training, the Athletic Director, a tactical officer, teacher or coach. A "reasonable length of time" is the time it takes to confront the Cadet candidate suspected of the honor violation and decide whether the incident was a misunderstanding or a possible violation of the Honor Code. A reasonable length of time is usually considered not to exceed 24 hours.

To have violated the honor code, a Cadet must have lied, cheated, stolen, or attempted to do so, or tolerated such action on the part of another Cadet. The procedural element of the Honor System examines the two elements that must be present for a Cadet to have committed an honor violation: the act and the intent to commit that act. The latter does not mean Intent to

violate the Honor Code, but rather the Intent to commit the act itself.

Three rules of thumb

1. Does this action attempt to deceive anyone or allow anyone to be deceived?

2. Does this action gain or allow gain of a privilege or advantage to which I or someone else would not otherwise be entitled?

3. Would I be unsatisfied by the outcome if I were on the receiving end of this action?

History and relevance

"Although West Point did not formalize the Honor Code and system until the 1920s, the history of the honor code at the Academy goes back to its inception in 1802. The Code of Honor within the officer corps at the time was simply that an officer's word was his bond. When Sylvanus Thayer was the Superintendent in the 1820s, he focused on the principles of good scholarship and expressly forbade cheating. West Point treated allegations of stealing singularly under Army regulations through the 1920s."

"The first major step toward formalizing the unwritten Honor Code came in 1922 when the Superintendent, Brig. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, formed the Cadet Honor Committee to review all honor allegations.

In 1947, the Superintendent, Maj. Gen. Maxwell Taylor, drafted the first official Honor Code publication marking the beginning of the written “Cadet Honor Code.” However, the

Cadet Honor Code did not formally include a “tolerate those who do” clause until 1970."[1]

"The Honor Code provides a minimum standard of ethical behavior for cadets. This standard, as applied to fourth class development, is easy to live by and provides the foundation for further ethical development."

U.S. Air Force AcademyThe Cadet Honor Code at the Air Force Academy, like that at West Point, is the cornerstone of a cadet's professional training and development — the minimum standard of ethical conduct that cadets expect of themselves and their fellow cadets. Air Force's honor code was developed and adopted by the Class of 1959, the first class to graduate from the Academy, and has been handed down to every subsequent class.[2][3] The code adopted was based largely on West Point's Honor Code, but was modified slightly to its current wording:

We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does.

In 1984, the Cadet Wing voted to add an "Honor Oath," which was to be taken by all cadets. The oath is administered to fourth class cadets (freshmen) when they are formally accepted into the Wing at the conclusion of Basic Cadet Training.[3] The oath remains unchanged since its adoption in 1984, and consists of a statement of the code, followed by a resolution to live honorably:

We will not lie, steal or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does.

Furthermore, I resolve to do my duty and to live honorably, so help me God.

Cadets are considered the "guardians and stewards" of the Code. Cadet honor representatives throughout the Wing oversee the honor system by conducting education classes and investigating possible honor incidents. Cadets throughout the Wing are expected to sit on Honor Boards as juries that determine whether their fellow cadets violated the code. Cadets also recommend sanctions for violations. Although the presumed sanction for a violation is disenrollment, mitigating factors may result in the violator being placed in a probationary status for some period of time. This "honor probation" is usually only reserved for cadets in their first two years at the Academy.

THIS IS MY RIFLEThere are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life

. I must master it as I master my life.

My rifle, without me is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than any enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will….

My rifle and myself know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit…

My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weakness, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will…

Before God I swear this creed. My rifle and myself are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.

So be it, until victory is America’s and there is no enemy, but Peace……………………

Forward Observers in the US Army/Marine Corps Artillery (Forward) Observers carry the (MOS) designation of 13 Foxtrot (13F) in the U.S. Army and 0861 in the U.S. Marine Corps. This is considered a Combat Arms MOS, and all enlisted personal schooled in this duty will carry this designation. Officially, FOs are actually designated “Fire Support Specialists” [2]. While they are commonly referred to as Forward Observers or FO’s, FISTERS, or members of a FIST (Fire Support Team), COLTs (Combat Observation Lasing Team) this is more precisely the designation of a Fire Support Specialist in a particular

position. The Company Fire Support Officer (or FSO) is the leader of a Company Fire Support Team (FIST).

This oft-overlooked position is considered one of the most dangerous and challenging positions on the battlefield for a variety of reasons. FOs are highly skilled and usually exceptionally intelligent. They are also able to work silently for long periods of time, as some missions may range from a few hours to several weeks, long. They can operate with minimal support located both on or behind the enemy lines.

Their skills in reconnaissance must be met with similarly high intelligence and ability to think quickly in situations of extreme stress. Their missions are always critical as mental errors under stress can bring the massive firepower and ordinance they control down on friendly forces as well as enemy. FIST team members are especially self-reliant and independent. Their mission requires quick thinking under pressure, effectively integrating with many types of units and command structures as well as the ability to operate independently. At a tactical level the FO can serve in mission planning, strategy, and advisory positions with his command elements. Due to the substantial firepower they control, their communications and reconnaissance abilities, and their small numbers, artillery observers of any variety are regarded as targets of very high importance to enemy forces.

There exist 2 main duties associated with Forward Observer Teams according to general military doctrine and the FIST field manual 6-30, now known as FM 3-09.30.

Primary duty consists of bringing to arms all indirect fire assets (artillery, mortars, naval gunfire and close air support [CAS]). Secondary duties consist of communicating battlefield intelligence such as enemy locations, strength, and activities to the command echelon.

Soldiers in this MOS must meet a number of requirements not demanded of many other military careers. The artillery observer must be acutely aware of the position and movements of their own troops as well as those of the opposing forces. Because of the strategic importance of this information, U.S. Army FOs must qualify for security clearance, the level depending on their specific position. They must be able to work independently for long periods of time, as some missions can last for days or even weeks, and because of the clandestine nature of their work and their frequent placement on or behind enemy lines, the ability to operate with minimal support is of great importance.

Their physical demands are extremely high as the FO's must survive and fight alongside paratroopers, airmobile infantry, light infantry, mechanized infantry, United States Marines and even United States Army Rangers while typically carrying a much greater equipment load (radios, secure communication equipment, laser target designators, etc.) than the maneuver element they are attached to. FM 22-100 lists the common combat loads for many of the MOS's in the US Army. FIST is noted as the second highest combat load. They must also survive in an armored and cavalry environment. Because of this, their infantry

fighting skills must be on par with their fellow soldiers in the maneuver element. FOs are often required to train with the maneuver element they are assigned to.

Most and eventually all US Army armored and infantry battalions have converted to the Modular Force organization. Forward observers are members of the Fire Support Platoon of each heavy, light or Stryker battalion rather than being members of an artillery battery that supports that battalion.

Infantry training provides the individual soldier with a direct action skill level that provides them with an optimal survival rate. The Forward Observer is qualified to attend many military schools because of their Combat Arms designation such as, Airborne, Air Assault, Ranger, and Special Forces training. They also qualify for the Army's Combat Action Badge. Forward Observers are also given difficult cardiovascular, strength, infantry and self defense United States Army Combatives/United States Marine Corps MCMAP training in addition to their FO training. As the FO is attached to direct action units, this training is meant to ensure they have the capability to perform their more cerebral duties, while under the same stress the infantry unit is exposed to.

Fire Support Specialists may be attached to the mechanized infantry or an armored division. When mechanized infantry or armored, fire support teams consist of a driver, a commander, a Fire Support Non-Commissioned Officer, and a Fire Support Specialist of rank of E4 Specialist). This team works within an M7 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, called

a B-FIST or Bradley FIST, which is designed for the task of Coordinating indirect fire. FO teams are often attached to Mechanized infantry dismounted teams. In this scenario they break off with small infantry teams and travel on foot akin to light infantry and search for the enemy. They can also break off in two man FO teams and establish an observation post.

Due to personnel shortages more and more Forward Observers are finding themselves tasked with the duties of the Fire Support Officer and/or Fire Support Non-Commissioned Officer, while simultaneously expected to perform the duties and responsibilities required of them at the platoon level if a qualified Radio Telephone Operator (RTO) is not available to step up to fill in the FO position. Many RTOs are not available for an FO to use, the FO is then expected to perform as an FO while also carrying, operating, and maintaining his radio equipment. If the Forward Observer is tasked elsewhere up the chain of command, an RTO is then expected to perform the duties of an FO without an RTO. This lack of available bodies combined with the high deployment rate is the cause for a mass exodus out of the military by Forward Observers.[citation

needed] As a direct result, unqualified RTOs are being promoted to NCOs and E-5s are finding them selves promoted to E-7s within 2–3 years, despite never having put together a proper promotion packet.[citation needed] Many in the field believe the lack of experience and rapid promotion rate is going to create unforeseen problems in the future.[citation needed]

Basic concept of how the FO calls in and adjusts Artillery fire on a target

The COLT Team is a high-technology, deeply inserted, observer/reconnaissance team often called on to maximize the use of GPS guided munitions like the EXCALIBUR series weaponry/155mm paladin howitzers. The standard COLT team consists of a driver/Grenadier(PFC/E-3), a gunner/RTO/Observer(Specialist/E-4) and a TC(CPL-SGT), the vehicle commander who oversees the operation on the OP, and approves fire missions. COLTs are now equipped with the FS3 (Fire support sensor system) which has consolidated all of the target acquisition equipment which was previousley on the KNIGHT series HMMWVs. These teams typically work closely with attack aircraft to guide air-delivered laser-guided munitions, while still providing ground support for maneuver battalions and acting as a reactive strike force supporting special operations units.

Fire Support Specialists are also vital for their skill in enemy vehicle recognition. Because of this, along with the need for coordinated indirect fire support control at higher

levels, Fire Support Specialists are also assigned to augment “Fire Support Elements” that travel with headquarters from Brigade level to Corps.