The Importance of Holding Army Values for US Cadets

An individual is often driven by a myriad of different inspirations and motivations, each aiming to lead to the path of who he or she desires to be. A goal is a statement of what an individual hopes to achieve or accomplish. Goal setting gives the direction he or she needs and helps to choose where to go in life. It provides a series of challenges that will ultimately lead to who he or she wishes to become. It gives vision to an ideal future and turns it into reality. When a goal is achieved, the individual’s life improves and encourages that individual to become a better version of himself or herself.

In Army JROTC, cadets are taught the seven army values that are called LDRSHIP: Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. In this essay, I will be discussing how loyalty, duty, and personal courage may be applied to goal setting.

An American motivational speaker, Leslie Calvin Brown, once said, “You must remain focused on your journey to greatness.” There are a variety of different definitions and perceptions of loyalty. In the dictionary, it is defined as “the state or quality of being loyal; faithfulness to commitments or obligations.” It does not only apply to a nation or to a person, but may also apply to one’s goals.

An individual’s focus on his or her goals can be considered loyalty because people are devoted to performing their best to make sure that not many mistakes are made, and that they can stay on top of their game. When applying loyalty to my personal goals, I make sure to commit to my goals and work against falling astray from the path I wish to take. When setting a goal for myself, I make sure to pursue the path towards achieving my aspirations before establishing another, which is how I stay loyal to my goals.

In the United States Army, a soldier with duty fulfills his or her obligations. Completing one’s duty means more than accomplishing his or her assigned tasks, but also having the ability to complete these tasks as a group. Obligations are fulfilled in the army when individuals refuse to take the easier way of achieving a task that might undermine the integrity of the final outcome. The dictionary defines “duty” as, “a moral or legal obligation; a responsibility.” Responsibility is the act of taking accountability for one’s own actions and making a commitment to it. When it comes to my personal goals, I make sure to balance both school and priorities outside of school, because I hold the duty of living up to the choices I make as well as my success.