Professional Army Ethic: Thompson's Standard from Private to General.

摘要

From his earliest days in the Army to his last days on active duty as a four-star general, Richard H. Thompson was guided by unwavering ethical framework. This deep rooted set of values, overpowering sense of duty, and unbending devotion to do the right thing regardless of the consequences was the central theme of his forty-two distinguished years of service. The purpose of this paper is to examine Thompson's career in light of the professional Army ethic. Specifically, how a staunch ethical framework was consistently applied, regardless of the ambiguities in many of the situations that confronted him. This paper presents a series of vignettes that articulate and illustrate the four elements (Duty, Integrity, Loyalty, and Selfless Service) of the Army ethic. These vignettes are taken from General Thompson's Senior Officer Oral History (draft transcript). The intent is to foster a better understanding of the decisions involving though ethical choices facing young soldiers and general alike. While there is no cookbook solution to ethical dilemmas, there are professional values that can help guide soldiers to do the right thing. Thompson's vignettes are thought provoking and are reflective of an often complex, ambiguous environment in which Army professionals must operate.