Military Bearing

In the United States Army, military bearing is the root in which every service member practices in order to carry out good discipline and ethics throughout ones military careers. The Three General Orders of a Soldier, The articles of UCMJ, as well as our own Sailors Creed illustrates how a military service member should conduct himself or herself on a daily basis, on and off duty. Dependability is a major aspect of military bearing.

Without dependability, one can neither perform properly in the workspace nor be depended upon by their coworkers, or chain of command to carry out their military duties adequately. 

A military member is required to be punctual, and reliable. Lack of this in a service member not only hinders the mission of the command but of the entire army. Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage are army core values that are instilled in each personnel’s life the instant that the oath of enlistment is pledged. Loyalty is to bear true faith and allegiance to the U. S.

constitution, the Army, and other soldiers. Be loyal to the nation and its heritage.

Duty is to fulfill your obligations. Accept responsibility for your own actions and those entrusted to your care. 

Find opportunities to improve oneself for the good of the group. Respect is to rely upon the golden rule. How we consider others reflects upon each of us, both personally and as a professional organization.

Selfless Service is to put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own. Selfless service leads to organizational teamwork and encompasses discipline, self-control and faith in the system. Honor is to live up to all the Army values. Integrity is to do what is right, legally and morally. Be willing to do what is right even when no one is looking.

It is our “moral compass” an inner voice. Personal courage is our ability to face fear, danger, or adversity, both physical and moral courage. 

Without one of these Army core values, the others do not exist. These core values form the cornerstone of military bearing. As service members, military bearing is a vast assortment of rules and ethics that govern our everyday life.

For instance, a clean and presentable uniform, knowing ones facing movements, how to respectively address a senior officer, as well as being prompt for basic soldier tasks. Keeping a clean uniform shows to other members the pride that you take in the obligations you hold in serving your country. Personnel inspections as well as award ceremonies demonstrate to ones chain of command how the effectiveness of this military bearing takes place. Knowing how to properly march, stand at attention, parade rest, as well as all other facing movements establishes one’s ability to follow orders precisely. Respecting senior officers is imperative in order to maintain good military order up and down the chain of command.

Punctuality is key aspect of one’s Army career. Tardiness can affect the mission of the command. 

In such an event as recall, one cannot afford to be late in carrying out their assigned tasks, for the repercussions can be severe to ones fellow soldiers as well as to the integrity of the unit.

Being late to ones place of duty can affect the quality of work being done in the work environment. First call is a vital necessity within our Army where ones chain of command can brief all soldiers on new information concerning either the mission or ones specific job. Guard is every soldiers duty. Without a proper and thorough turnover it hinders the effectiveness of the guard post.

Missing information during turnover can result in wasted man-hours, equipment damage, or can compromise the security of the command in which one works. 

Physical readiness standards are another element of military bearing. Physical readiness standards or better known as PT tests are held every six months for Army personnel. The test is ensures each member of the Army must perform and pass within certain standards in order to maintain peek performance in his or her military careers. Such aspects of the PT test are based upon sit up, push ups, as well as a 2-mile run. Each component of this test must be passed within certain times as well as counts in order to be viewed as properly fit within Army regulations.

This allows an individual within the United States Army service to perform at his or her best. This test falls under military bearing on the evaluations of a service member. 

Each service member will receive a certain numerical grade in accordance with his or her performance on the PT test. When a service member does pass this test one will be placed on a regular remedial mandatory physical fitness program. If a service member were lacking in their military bearing, a form of counseling and corrective training would be used.

A negative counseling will thoroughly detail the deficiency and provide guidance to correct the problem. Counseling is often accompanied by corrective training and instruction. Corrective training is the corrective actions taken against a service member who has not performed military bearing to the best of one’s bility. Corrective training should not be considered a form of punishment. This corrective action of must relate to the offense or area where the service member is in need of extra military instruction.

Extra military training is assigned by the chain of command. 

The Uniform Code of Military 

Justice consists of many articles in which the military governs itself along with civilian laws. Every service member in all United States military branches must abide by these laws in order to maintain military bearing.

When an individual does not obey these laws, punitive actions will occur. Such action entails Commanding Officers Non Judicial Punishment, general Court Martial, or Special Court martial. These are the most severe repercussions that a military service member may encounter. A loss of status as well as a forfeiture of basic pay and even restrictive time may occur.

The highest punishment one in the military can receive is time in the stockade which the military version of incarceration, as well as dishonorable discharge from the military service.

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