The cases have occurred in the Coast Guard as well, but I think we ve handled them inside our house and have avoided front page solutions. At least for the moment. Among the observers who have commented on these cases, many have perceived a gap between the values of the Armed Forces and the values of society at large. For me, it s a matter of standards. Just as my parents taught me to do what is right regardless of what other people choose to do, the military should honor its standards without respect to who else happens to emulate them.
Standards are timeless .
Right is Right. They are a map. To be an effective servant of the people, the Army must concentrate not on the values of our liberal society, but on the hard values of the battlefield. In fact, the effectiveness of our armed forces depends on the good order that can only come from a values-centric culture. We saw in Vietnam the diminishment of fighting effectiveness in armed forces that were hollowed out by drug use and breakdowns in discipline.