We do not want to lower the moral standards just because the high moral standards are not being lived out. Neither do we wish to court-martial every violator. Therefore we must find a way to raise the practice of moral living. This will be doubly difficult when much of American society is living immorally and our people come out of that society. It used to be that the society was more moral, and the Navy was the place to take a moral man and make him unmoral. Now it is the other way around. We must take immoral men and try to make them moral. As a fighting unit, we do not care how they become moral, but the ways to do it are limited.
There are five basic ways to accomplish this:
1. Example of the officer and petty officer corps
2. Teaching
3. Requirement by force of moral leadership
4. Peer pressure
5. Religion
The military has been weak on all five of these. We should consider each in turn.
1. Example. All of us are examples. We have no choice. We are good ones or bad ones. It is easier to be a good professional example than it is to be a good moral example. We would like to think that if we knew the difference between right and wrong, of course we would choose the right and be able to perform it. In reality this is not true. We do know the difference between right and wrong. Even so, the majority will choose the wrong. A minority will choose the right, but still perform the wrong anyway. A smaller minority will choose the right and perform the right. There are three aspects of this.
3. Requirement by force of moral leadership. I know of a young Army officer who took his unit from Korea (during the war) to Japan for R & R. When he returned with his men, none of them had gotten into trouble. I know of another young naval officer who had a detachment of twenty men for four months. He informed the chief (at the beginning of the four months) that he had been in the Navy for nine years and he had heard four-letter words every day for nine years. He told the chief to inform the men that there would be no profanity during the next four months. The officer heard no profanity during those months. These are examples of moral requirements by strong moral leaders. This was not accomplished by threatening.
Officers should therefore be graded by their moral fitness just as stringently as by their professional fitness.
4. Peer Pressure. As the first three begin to take effect, there will be an increasing number of men who will place pressure on the men who are speaking and acting in a profane way for the approval of their shipmates. When they do not get approval, their language will improve.
In recent years, peer pressure has been considered very negative and dangerous. When we think of teen-age street gangs or young kids starting to smoke or do drugs, it is mostly the result of peer pressure. However, there is a peer pressure that works in the opposite direction. "Without peer pressure, there would be no teams” (Lt. Col. Tom Hemingway USMC (Ret.), Spring Canyon Lodge, Colorado, November 15, 1993). We have thousands of sports teams that are held together by nothing more than positive peer pressure.
As a result of peer pressure and for the sake of "reputation" for years fighter pilots had to be "tigers" in the air and "tigers" on the beach. The latter included hard drinking, hard talking, and hard women, and ended up with the scandal at Tailhook. However, other nations do not all follow this pattern. Below is an example of a Japanese Navy fighter pilot ace, Sabero Sakai. This is a paragraph from his autobiography Samurai. "During my stay in China I had sent the better part of my salary home to the family. There was little use for money in that country. I never drank, or indeed, entertained any girls. Both were considered vices for fighter pilots, and I wished no criticism leveled at me" (Sabero Sakai, with Martin Cardin and Fred Saito, Samurai, 1957).
This was peer pressure, only it worked in a positive direction. The same thing can be done in the U.S. Navy. The immoral officer or petty officer should not be assigned to training billets, regardless of how proficient he is professionally. If we think that we cannot afford to do this, then we should test it for two years. We will find that it is well worth the trade. We will end up with moral professionals.
5. Religion. In many commands, chaplains are, 1) in the way, 2) a necessary evil, 3) an object of comic wit, 4) there to do unpleasant duties that line officers do not want to do, and 5) loaded down with dumb administrative duties. In most cases, chaplains are moral men. They are moral because of their religion. They are capable of communicating that religion (not just at church call). If they are given the opportunity to teach, one of the results will be a moral change (for the better) in the crew. This will be a change in what they are, as well as a change in what they do.
There is a difference between what a person is and what he does. What he is affects what he does. On November 15, 1993, Stephen Covey spoke as part of the Forrestal Lecture Series. Mr. Covey is the author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. This text is used in the Naval Academy's Leadership and Law Department. At the end of the lecture Mr. Covey offered to field two questions. One of the two questions was offered by a midshipman. This midshipman had been trying to live by these seven habits for four years, as had a lot of other midshipmen. In his opinion, things were getting worse, not better. Morale was terrible and leadership was poor because people were discouraged after trying so hard. There was a murmur of agreement in the Brigade. The fifth point, religion, will make the difference in the people who "cannot” do what they know they should. Their being will change, and consequently, their morality will change also.
The midshipmen in this example were trying. At least some of the “triers” were not succeeding. Leadership is not like mathematics; giving the right answers on the exam does not mean that the person has the habits of leadership. In other words, teaching is not enough. We must also seek to change what the person is. Imposing habits from the outside only works with some people.
Chaplains should therefore be given a free hand. They should be given encouragement, and not just tolerated. In particular, chaplains who are serious about their religious beliefs should be actively encouraged. They represent life-changing, activist religion. We all know that the 1% to 10% of the crew who are serious religious officers and men are usually, 1. good officers and men, and, 2. moral leaders. I know of a situation on a submarine where the percentage of practicing Christians went from about one to ten percent of the crew within a period of two years. When one of the sailors involved in this finished his enlistment and was honorably discharged from the Navy, the CO (who was not a Christian), told the sailor that the moral tone of the entire crew had been transformed. In this regard, it would not be a mistake for us to study Cromwell's New Model Army.
Before we draw a conclusion, I would like to bring in the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and an interpretation that is seldom mentioned.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…
1. Congress is the only one that can violate the First Amendment. Congress is the only one that make laws. They are not allowed to make a State church as in European countries.
2. Congress is not allowed to prohibit the "free exercise" of religion. A major free exercise of religion is evangelism or making converts or proselytizing. It is the right of every citizen to proselyte or be proselytized. If he is a Christian, he is under God's commandment to "make disciples."
Not only should chaplains be given a free hand but every other religious person should also be given a free hand. If he is a Christian he has been morally changed. We find this moral change described in the New Testament.
Conclusion
We would be better off with a relatively small Naval Force that is moral than a large Naval Force that is immoral. In time of war, the expansion would come under the influence of the moral men already in uniform. In such a time of crisis we would learn that morality is, indeed, a military necessity.
There are five basic ways to accomplish this:
1. Example of the officer and petty officer corps
2. Teaching
3. Requirement by force of moral leadership
4. Peer pressure
5. Religion
The military has been weak on all five of these. We should consider each in turn.
1. Example. All of us are examples. We have no choice. We are good ones or bad ones. It is easier to be a good professional example than it is to be a good moral example. We would like to think that if we knew the difference between right and wrong, of course we would choose the right and be able to perform it. In reality this is not true. We do know the difference between right and wrong. Even so, the majority will choose the wrong. A minority will choose the right, but still perform the wrong anyway. A smaller minority will choose the right and perform the right. There are three aspects of this.
• Knowing the difference between right and wrong. This can be inherent or taught.2. Teaching. The small minority who choose and perform the right should be selected as teachers of morality at professional schools for all rates and ranks. Preferably, these men should not be chaplains. The content of what is taught can be taken from our present regulations. We should not object to moral law like the Ten Commandments being taught. Jews, Christians, Muslims, and many others accept the moral standard even if they are not religious.
• Choosing the right. This can be the result of a requirement, positive peer pressure, or religion.
• Being able to obey our own choice. After we know the difference and make the right choice, we need much support to perform the choice we make. This is where we need God's help. Before we can provide positive examples for the men, we need leaders who have mastered all three.
3. Requirement by force of moral leadership. I know of a young Army officer who took his unit from Korea (during the war) to Japan for R & R. When he returned with his men, none of them had gotten into trouble. I know of another young naval officer who had a detachment of twenty men for four months. He informed the chief (at the beginning of the four months) that he had been in the Navy for nine years and he had heard four-letter words every day for nine years. He told the chief to inform the men that there would be no profanity during the next four months. The officer heard no profanity during those months. These are examples of moral requirements by strong moral leaders. This was not accomplished by threatening.
Officers should therefore be graded by their moral fitness just as stringently as by their professional fitness.
4. Peer Pressure. As the first three begin to take effect, there will be an increasing number of men who will place pressure on the men who are speaking and acting in a profane way for the approval of their shipmates. When they do not get approval, their language will improve.
In recent years, peer pressure has been considered very negative and dangerous. When we think of teen-age street gangs or young kids starting to smoke or do drugs, it is mostly the result of peer pressure. However, there is a peer pressure that works in the opposite direction. "Without peer pressure, there would be no teams” (Lt. Col. Tom Hemingway USMC (Ret.), Spring Canyon Lodge, Colorado, November 15, 1993). We have thousands of sports teams that are held together by nothing more than positive peer pressure.
As a result of peer pressure and for the sake of "reputation" for years fighter pilots had to be "tigers" in the air and "tigers" on the beach. The latter included hard drinking, hard talking, and hard women, and ended up with the scandal at Tailhook. However, other nations do not all follow this pattern. Below is an example of a Japanese Navy fighter pilot ace, Sabero Sakai. This is a paragraph from his autobiography Samurai. "During my stay in China I had sent the better part of my salary home to the family. There was little use for money in that country. I never drank, or indeed, entertained any girls. Both were considered vices for fighter pilots, and I wished no criticism leveled at me" (Sabero Sakai, with Martin Cardin and Fred Saito, Samurai, 1957).
This was peer pressure, only it worked in a positive direction. The same thing can be done in the U.S. Navy. The immoral officer or petty officer should not be assigned to training billets, regardless of how proficient he is professionally. If we think that we cannot afford to do this, then we should test it for two years. We will find that it is well worth the trade. We will end up with moral professionals.
5. Religion. In many commands, chaplains are, 1) in the way, 2) a necessary evil, 3) an object of comic wit, 4) there to do unpleasant duties that line officers do not want to do, and 5) loaded down with dumb administrative duties. In most cases, chaplains are moral men. They are moral because of their religion. They are capable of communicating that religion (not just at church call). If they are given the opportunity to teach, one of the results will be a moral change (for the better) in the crew. This will be a change in what they are, as well as a change in what they do.
There is a difference between what a person is and what he does. What he is affects what he does. On November 15, 1993, Stephen Covey spoke as part of the Forrestal Lecture Series. Mr. Covey is the author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. This text is used in the Naval Academy's Leadership and Law Department. At the end of the lecture Mr. Covey offered to field two questions. One of the two questions was offered by a midshipman. This midshipman had been trying to live by these seven habits for four years, as had a lot of other midshipmen. In his opinion, things were getting worse, not better. Morale was terrible and leadership was poor because people were discouraged after trying so hard. There was a murmur of agreement in the Brigade. The fifth point, religion, will make the difference in the people who "cannot” do what they know they should. Their being will change, and consequently, their morality will change also.
The midshipmen in this example were trying. At least some of the “triers” were not succeeding. Leadership is not like mathematics; giving the right answers on the exam does not mean that the person has the habits of leadership. In other words, teaching is not enough. We must also seek to change what the person is. Imposing habits from the outside only works with some people.
Chaplains should therefore be given a free hand. They should be given encouragement, and not just tolerated. In particular, chaplains who are serious about their religious beliefs should be actively encouraged. They represent life-changing, activist religion. We all know that the 1% to 10% of the crew who are serious religious officers and men are usually, 1. good officers and men, and, 2. moral leaders. I know of a situation on a submarine where the percentage of practicing Christians went from about one to ten percent of the crew within a period of two years. When one of the sailors involved in this finished his enlistment and was honorably discharged from the Navy, the CO (who was not a Christian), told the sailor that the moral tone of the entire crew had been transformed. In this regard, it would not be a mistake for us to study Cromwell's New Model Army.
Before we draw a conclusion, I would like to bring in the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and an interpretation that is seldom mentioned.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…
1. Congress is the only one that can violate the First Amendment. Congress is the only one that make laws. They are not allowed to make a State church as in European countries.
2. Congress is not allowed to prohibit the "free exercise" of religion. A major free exercise of religion is evangelism or making converts or proselytizing. It is the right of every citizen to proselyte or be proselytized. If he is a Christian, he is under God's commandment to "make disciples."
Not only should chaplains be given a free hand but every other religious person should also be given a free hand. If he is a Christian he has been morally changed. We find this moral change described in the New Testament.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Gal. 5:19-23)There is a moral change in a person when he becomes a Christian, the kind of moral change that we want in the military establishment. This change only happens "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." The Christian should be given freedom to pass this on. Ministries like The Navigators, Campus Crusade for Christ, Overseas Christian Service Men's Centers, Christian Military Fellowship, The Officers' Christian Fellowship and Missions to Military Inc. should be encouraged. This "free hand" should not be allowed if it interferes with the good order and discipline and operation of any military unit. Some of these "Christians" may not be good examples; they may take advantage of the freedom to the detriment of the operational readiness of the unit.
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:9-11)
Conclusion
We would be better off with a relatively small Naval Force that is moral than a large Naval Force that is immoral. In time of war, the expansion would come under the influence of the moral men already in uniform. In such a time of crisis we would learn that morality is, indeed, a military necessity.
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