Reflexive versus Reflective: Thinking Beyond the Rules of Engagement to 'Keep Our Honor Clean'

摘要

The 'sanctity of life' principle provides the surest foundation on which to build ethical behaviors based on objective values that reflectively examine the developing engagement with a firm moral compass instead of reflexively reacting with the false assurance that one is acting within the rules of engagement. This serves as the standard we must instruct and expect from our Marines and ourselves. The easy solution to difficult dilemmas such as the Haditha incident is to write off the individuals as morally corrupt anomalies. This would be the reaction of an immature and unhealthy institution. Instead, the Marine Corps undergoes constant self-examination to determine how it can 'know itself and seek self-improvement.' The exigent moral challenges of the complex battlefield that our Marines are encountering are not expected to change in the near future. The 'Mental Health Advisory Team IV Operation Iraqi Freedom 05-07' report released on 17 November 2006 did not provide startling revelations, but it did accentuate the need to address some key leadership challenges facing the U.S. Marine Corps. Commandant Conway's call for noncommissioned officers to remain the backbone of the Marine Corps and the best enforcers of battlefield ethics was reinforced by the report. The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP), which integrates the mental and character disciplines, provides a great opportunity for noncommissioned officers to learn direction, control, and moral judgment prior to combat.