| U.S. Army
Obligation To Country
Source
Duty
Doing your duty means more than carrying
out your assigned tasks. The work of the United States Army is a complex
combination of missions, tasks, and responsibilities—all in constant motion.
And the work, inevitably, is a matter of building one assignment or task on
work that has been done previously.
Doing your duty is a very important
responsibility.
Duty also means being able to accomplish
tasks as part of a team. You must fulfill your obligations as a part of your
unit. Examples include: voluntarily assuming your share of work load,
unwillingly serving as a member of a team, or assuming a leadership role
when appropriate. You demonstrate the value of duty when you complete a task
even when no one is looking, or when you resist the temptation to take
"shortcuts" that might undermine the integrity of the final product. You do
your duty as a soldier every time you do something that needs to be
done—without being told.
Historical Vignette
GEORGE MARSHALL – DUTY
PERSONIFIED
In the history of this nation and its
Army, the Army has never had so fine a Chief of Staff as General George C.
Marshall. While others were content to merely hope for the best in the late
1930s, he began preparing the Army for a war he knew was coming – World War
II. His major strength lay in his administrative ability and dedication to
DUTY above all else.
When it came time for selection of the
major Allied ground commander in Europe, General Marshall hoped that he
would be given the opportunity to lead in battle the largest assemblage of
U.S. military personnel ‑‑ Army, Navy, and Air Force – ever in the history
of this nation. It would have been the final achievement in an already
stellar career. However, President Roosevelt selected General Dwight D.
Eisenhower for the job.
Those who knew Marshall best described him
as deeply disappointed. He had wanted the job badly, and his experience and
expertise would have no doubt made him a great Allied Commander. But
President Roosevelt did not want Marshall to leave Washington because, as
the President said, “I don't sleep well when you are out of town." As a good
soldier, and a man who had dedicated nearly 40 years of his life to duty,
Marshall hid his deep disappointment and soldiered on.
When President Truman needed a Secretary
of Defense and later Secretary of State, Marshall again saw that it was his
duty to accept the President's mandate. During his stint as the Secretary of
State, Marshall was in poor health, but he did his duty throughout with no
thought of shirking. If one wants an epitome of what "duty" really is, he or
she should look no further than George Catlett Marshall.
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