Loyalty

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​LEADING WITH CHARACTER!
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​“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

(United States Uniformed Services Oath of Office)

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Listen to Story 1.

Introduction

Among Marines there is a fierce loyalty to the Corps that persists long after their uniforms are in mothballs. Included in the makeup of each Marine, like a strand of steel fiber, is a sense of belonging to an elite organization and being committed to the mission of that organization. 

“Once a Marine, always a Marine!” According to General Amos, USMC, there is no such thing as a former Marine. If one has once been a Marine, one will always be a Marine – just, at times, in different uniforms.

It all starts with the Uniformed Services Oath of Office, wherein each Marine pledges allegiance and makes a commitment to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Marines are then trained to live up to their pledge, even at the risk of death, if necessary.

It is through being part of an elite organization, whose members would willingly sacrifice their lives for each other in carrying out their commitments, that this fierce loyalty is developed.

“Loyalty means nothing unless it has at its heart the

absolute principle of self-sacrifice.”
Woodrow T. Wilson

Loyalty

According to dictionary definition, loyalty means unswerving allegiance to:

     1) one’s sovereign or government (the United States of America),
     2) a private person to whom fidelity is due (citizens of America), and
     3) a cause, ideal or custom (democracy). 

The definition above implies (at least to One Marine) that to what or whom we are loyal should be deserving of our loyalty. That translates to:
     1) If we feel that we cannot be loyal to the United States of America, we        are welcome to, and should, leave.
     2) If we feel that we cannot be loyal to our teammates, we should find          another team to join.
     3) If we feel that we cannot be loyal to the cause of democracy, we                should find another form of government under which to live. 

In the ensuing paragraphs, we will examine what it means to be loyal: to pledge our Allegiance and make a Commitment to Support and Defend.

Allegiance – According to definition, allegiance means giving a promise to be loyal, or the action of actually being loyal to someone or something. Swearing to follow the laws of our country (and then following them) is an example of giving our allegiance to our country. 

To One Marine, making a pledge, a binding promise of allegiance, devotion, and loyalty is a serious matter. It is very personal because it binds us to honor that allegiance which we pledge to give. Any pledge of allegiance should be made with our full understanding of what it means, its significance, and the full range of sacrifices it demands of us. 

Listen to Story 2​.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation (under God), indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Francis Bellamy

Commitment - A commitment is a binding pledge that obligates us to assume a position or carry out a course of action. Making a commitment to what we do, whether in our personal lives or our professional lives, is one of the most fundamental principles of making our lives respectable. 

Making a commitment involves dedicating ourselves to something, like a person or a cause. Before we make a commitment, we should carefully consider what that commitment will require of us. A commitment obligates us to do something. We should be ready, willing, and able to do that something which the commitment requires us to do. 

When we take a job, we're making a commitment to show up and do the job to the best of our ability. There are smaller commitments, too. If we said we would meet a friend at a certain time, that's a commitment and we should show up at that certain time. We can also commit ourselves to our goals – it is a good way to ensure that we will reach those goals. 

Listen to Story 3​.

“Commitment means that it is possible for a man to yield the nerve center of his consent to a purpose or cause, a movement or an ideal, which may be more important to him than whether he lives or dies.”
Howard Thurman

Support and Defend – Support is the act of showing that we believe someone or something is good, that we approve of the someone or something we are supporting, and that we stand ready to help the someone or something in any way we can.

To defend means to protect someone or something against someone or something. What we are protecting against doesn’t only include bodily harm. We can be protecting against such things as slander, criticism, or unfair treatment. 

Consequently, to support and defend means not only to show that we believe in someone/something, but that we actually “stand in readiness” to protect that someone/something from physical or verbal attack. 

Listen to Story 4​.

“Growing up, I was taught that a man has to defend his family. When the wolf is trying to get in, you gotta stand in the doorway.”
B. B. King 

Conclusion

As we have seen, loyalty means being faithful in allegiance to one's lawful sovereign or government; being faithful to a private person to whom fidelity is due; or being faithful to a cause, ideal, custom, institution, or product. 

We have also suggested that, if we do not believe that the something or someone, to which/whom we are expected to pledge our allegiance, is worthy of our loyalty, we are welcome to find another something/someone somewhere else which/whom we feel is worthy of our loyalty. 

On the other hand, if we believe that we are in a situation in which our government, organization, and teammates deserve our allegiance, we should remember that: 

          Loyalty is unwavering in good times and bad.
          Loyalty is what we do, not only what we say.
          Loyalty is in our hearts. It is a willing gift we give.
          Loyalty can be demanding.
          Loyalty, most likely, will involve sacrifice.

“My definition, the definition that I've always believed in, is that esprit de corps means love for one's own military legion - in my case, the United States Marine Corps. It means more than self-preservation, religion, or patriotism. I've also learned that this loyalty to one's corps travels both ways: up and down.”
Chesty Puller

Listen to Story 5.​

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“Patriotism is voluntary. It is a feeling of loyalty and allegiance that is the result of knowledge and belief. A patriot shows their patriotism through their actions, by their choice.”
Jesse Ventura

 

 

 

 

 

 

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