Society invests responsibility in the military profession through the officer s commission, which charges the officer to carefully and diligently discharge the duties of the office and to observe and follow the orders and directions of the President and other superior officers acting in accordance with the laws of the United States. Professional officers always do their duty, subordinating their personal interests to the requirements of the professional function. They are prepared, if necessary, to lay down their own lives and the lives of their soldiers in the nation s interest. An officer s honor is of paramount importance, derived through history from demonstrated courage in combat. It includes the virtues of integrity and honesty.
Integrity is the personal honor of the individual officer, manifested in all roles.
In peace, the officer s honor is reflected in consistent acts of moral courage. An officer s word is an officer s bond. Military officers serve in a public vocation and their loyalty extends upward through the chain of command to the President as Commander in Chief and downward to all subordinates. Officers take care of their soldiers and their families. This loyalty is a central ingredient of the trust that binds together the military profession for its public servant role.