Steven Rogers posted on August 01, 2010 00:06
August 2010 Navy
by LCDR Steven L. Rogers, USN
Being an officer in the United States Navy is one of the most prestigious positions a young man or woman can strive to obtain. As a Naval officer, you are given the opportunity to channel all the potential you have into being part of a team dedicated to keeping our nation mighty and free.
As a Naval officer, your goals should include making your career successful, advancing in rank, gaining as much professional knowledge and experience as possible, and serving your nation to the best of your ability.
To be a successful Naval officer, it is important to pay close attention to details and to keep abreast of the many facts and laws which govern our Navy. It is also very important always to take care of your Sailors.
Your vocabulary should never have in it the words, “It can’t be done.” Instead, your words should always be, “It can be done, and it will be done.”
Your Sailors should always see you as the leader who promotes high quality, strong moral and ethical standards, and total uncompromising commitment to Navy Core Values.
Navy Core Values – Honor, Courage, and Commitment – These three words represent the heart of the Navy. They are not just to be spoken and forgotten; instead, they are to be taken seriously, and more importantly, to be lived by.
I recently read an essay whose author clearly spelled out what Navy Core Values truly mean to the Naval officer. The author is unknown, but his or her words should never be forgotten.
“Honor” means inner moral virtues of a person. It means nobility of soul and clear conscience. Honor implies standards and norms of moral and ethical behavior. This value requires a person to act always morally right and to treat other people respectfully and sincerely. Honor is an ability of people to be responsible always for their actions and to keep others accountable for theirs.
“Courage” is the highest soul bravery. It implies firmness, nobility, generosity, and self-sacrifice. Courage is honor in action. It means mental discipline and following high moral standards of conduct. It is essential for everyone to realize the importance and necessity of courage in our life and in our daily assignments and interactions. Courage always means not to be afraid and to be able to step forward and do what is right and moral.
“Commitment” is a constant readiness to give a lot of our time, attention, and knowledge to the station in life which we are called to serve. Commitment means to be responsible for what we do and a total dedication to the mission we are assigned to complete. It is a selfless determination and dedication to excellence in all that we do. We should always persist in pursing our goals. We should never give up and believe that there is no second best.
Commitment is considered to be a total dedication to the United States of America and the Navy.
“The U.S. Navy depends on committed Sailors, because commitment never dies. And because commitment never dies, honor and courage will forever live in the life of a truly dedicated Navy officer.”