This picture is from the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, VA.

Integrity

You are playing a ball game and you touch the ball before it is called out-of-bounds by the referee. The referee did not see you touch the ball and called the ball out-of-bounds against the other team. What do you do?

The Marine Corps Leadership Traits defines integrity as:

“Uprightness of character and soundness of moral principles; includes the qualities of truthfulness and honesty.”

The Knights Code of Honor defines integrity as:

"A Knight must be a man of his word with his actions seen and unseen governed by an inner code of honesty."

People often define integrity as always telling the truth. I think that is part of the definition. I define integrity as constancy of character. Your character is the sum total of all your values and actions. Honesty is one aspect of your character. When you consistently follow those values and your acts match those values all the time, you have integrity. To tell the truth some of the time is not integrity.

When you have integrity, people can rely upon you. They know that you will live up to your values even when no one is watching. Do you want to have friends that always tell you the truth or do you want them to tell you the truth some times? Would you rely on fiends who tell you the truth all the time, or are there for you all the time? Or would you rather rely on friends who flake on you all the time?

When I think of integrity, I think of steel. When we rate steel, we rate it based upon how well the steel maintains its’ form under stress. In other words, the steel does not bend because of the weight or stress on it. It maintains its shape and stays straight. When you build a bridge, you want it made of steel that does not bend under pressure. You would not want to cross a bridge that did not have integrity; you would not trust it to keep you safe.

“The one who lives with integrity will be helped, but the one who distorts right and wrong will suddenly fall.” Proverbs 28:18

"Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You." Psalm 25:21

How well do you keep true to your values when you are under stress, especially the stress of peer pressure? Do you say no when others are smoking pot or doing drugs? What if it is your friends and they are pressuring you? Can you maintain your values when your friends are pressing you to compromise? Do you do what is right no matter the cost?

Some people fold like blankets under pressure. You know, I have never tried building a bridge out of blankets. I really don’t think it would work well. I think I will stay with tried and true steel.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said:

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

One of the best quotes I have heard about integrity comes from the Garth Brooks song titled ‘The Change’.

“I hear them saying, you'll never change things and no matter what you do it remains the same thing. But it is not the world I am changing. I do this so this world will know that it will not change me.”

Some videos on integrity that I found on YouTube:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-CHyWDky1Y
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMYYOXTuUeQ
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ioht4sSgibY

 

Kevin Bacon plays a marine again. He is a Lt. Col. who decides to take a fallen Marine home. The movie starts off showing the care the US military takes in moving those who have given the last full measure back to their family. Along the way the Coronel meets mostly sympathetic people and the occasional jerk.  

The Marines have always been recognized at producing good leaders. Below are some of the things that Marines not only must know, but they must demonstrate if they want to be a leader of Marines. All of these can be applied to any leadership position, whether it be as a Fire Team Leader, Platoon Sergeant, a Battalion Commander, a Fortune-500 CEO, or parent.

• Know yourself and seek self-improvement.
• Be technically and tactically proficient.
• Develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates.
• Make sound and timely decisions.
• Set the example.
• Know your Marines and look out for their welfare.
• Keep your Marines informed.
• Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions.
• Ensure assigned tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished.
• Train your Marines as a team.
• Employ your command in accordance with its capabilities.

• Dependability - The certainty of proper performance of duty.
• Bearing - Creating a favorable impression in carriage, appearance and personal conduct at all times.
• Courage - The mental quality that recognizes fear of danger or criticism, but enables a man to proceed in the face of it with calmness and firmness.
• Decisiveness - Ability to make decisions promptly and to announce them in clear, forceful manner.
• Endurance - The mental and physical stamina measured by the ability to withstand pain, fatigue, stress and hardship.
• Enthusiasm - The display of sincere interest and exuberance in the performance of duty.
• Initiative - Taking action in the absence of orders.
• Integrity - Uprightness of character and soundness of moral principles; includes the qualities of truthfulness and honesty.
• Judgment - The ability to weigh facts and possible solutions on which to base sound decisions.
• Justice - Giving reward and punishment according to merits of the case in question. The ability to administer a system of rewards and punishments impartially and consistently.
• Knowledge - Understanding of a science or an art. The range of one's information, including professional knowledge and an understanding of your Marines.
• Tact - The ability to deal with others without creating offense.
• Unselfishness - Avoidance of providing for one's own comfort and personal advancement at the expense of others.
• Loyalty - The quality of faithfulness to country, the Corps, the unit, to one's seniors, subordinates and peers.

• Begin the planning - if you want to succeed at something you must plan
• Arrange for reconnaissance - decide what things need to be researched to make your plan work
• Make the reconnaissance - do the research
• Complete the planning - make final modifications to your plan taking the information you gathered in the previous step into account
• Issue Orders - delegate tasks and authority as needed (see SMEAC below)
• Supervise - make sure that orders are understood and followed

• Situation - describe what the current situation is
• Mission - describe what the current mission is
• Execution - describe how the mission will be carried out
• Administration and Logistics - describe how administrative duties and logistical support will be handled
• Command and Signals - describe who the persons in authority are and any special signals that need to be recognized

• Autocratic (Authoritarian)
• Democratic (Persuasion)
• Combination of both

 

“After Tripoli declared war on the United States in 1801, Barbary pirates captured 300 U.S. sailors and marines. President Jefferson sent navy squadrons to the Mediterranean, but he also authorized a secret mission to overthrow the government of Tripoli. He chose an unlikely diplomat, William Eaton, to lead the mission, but before Eaton departed, Jefferson grew wary of the affair and withdrew his support. Astoundingly, Eaton persevered, gathering a ragtag army, including eight U.S. Marines, and leading them on a brutal march across 500 miles of desert. After surviving sandstorms, treachery, and near death from thirst, Eaton achieved a remarkable victory on "the shores of Tripoli", as commemorated in the Marine Corps Hymn. His triumph gained freedom for the American hostages and newfound respect for the young United States, but for Eaton, the aftermath wasn't sweet. When he dared to reveal that the president had abandoned him, Jefferson set out to crush him.”  – Audible.com

 

I have been asked on more than one occasion what I considered the best time I had while in the Marine Corps Reserves. I always tell them Toys for Tots. For whatever reason I have a heart for kids. I think the kids shouldn't have to worry about grown up problems like the mortgage payment or where they will get the money for groceries. They should be able to have fun and play without worries. Toys for Tots, in a small way, helps during the holiday season. 

I was fortunate this year to have met the co-founder of Toys for Tots John Hampton at his 100th birthday party. The moment reminded me of the long tradition of service Marines have. As Marines, we served in every clime and place. We have served in time of peace and time of war. From the sands of Iwo Jima to the shores of Pelilu, to the jungles of Vietnam, to the cold of Korea, to the hot deserts of Afghanistan and Iraq, from the Horn of Africa to here in the United States. As Veterans, we continue this rich tradition of service. Among other deeds, we serve our community and deserving children with the Toys for Tots program. I am honored to serve with such an exceptional group of men and women.

 

Now as a veteran, I continue in the legacy of John Hampton and others. I collect toys for children in need. Working long hours before and after work. Running from place to place collecting up toys. I never see the smile these toys bring to a child's face or the warmth in a parents heart to see their child happy in the midst of a sad situation. Although I do not see the smile, I continue on knowing the smile is there.

 

In the Marine Corps, we never had an army of one. It was always a team effort. I know my fellow Marine Veterans are at my side and helping to pull the load, and I am never alone. I cannot forget the generous donations of toys left by caring hearts in a simple run down barrels. Together all of us are able to make a difference in the lives of millions of children each year.

 

Thank you for your generosity.

 

 

(Picture is form one of our 2008 toy drive events, the SBF stunt Bike Show and Toy Drive at Freedom High School, Oakley, CA)