Written by Jenifer Chrisman on November 19, 2020.
SOLDIER’S CREED
I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America, in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.
A reflection of the Army Values, the U.S. Army Soldier’s Creed defines the principles to which Soldiers aspire: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage.
Whether as an individual or part of a team, the Creed, taught to all enlisted personnel during basic training, highlights different parts of the Army with each line. It was rewritten by members of the Task Force Soldier’s Warrior Ethos Team as part of the ‘Warrior Ethos’ program in May of 2003 at the behest of then Army Chief of Staff Eric K. Shinseki. It was approved for use on November 3, 2003, by the next Army Chief of Staff, Peter Schoomaker, effectively replacing the old Soldier’s Creed:
I am an American Soldier.
I am a member of the United States Army – a protector of the greatest nation on earth. Because I am proud of the uniform I wear, I will always act in ways creditable to the military service and the nation it is sworn to guard.
I am proud of my own organization. I will do all I can to make it the finest unit in the Army. I will be loyal to those under whom I serve. I will do my full part to carry out orders and instructions given to me or my unit.
As a soldier, I realize that I am a member of a time-honored profession—that I am doing my share to keep alive the principles of freedom for which my country stands. No matter what the situation I am in, I will never do anything, for pleasure, profit, or personal safety, which will disgrace my uniform, my unit, or my country. I will use every means I have, even beyond the line of duty, to restrain my Army comrades from actions disgraceful to themselves and to the uniform.
I am proud of my country and its flag.
I will try to make the people of this nation proud of the service I represent, for I am an American Soldier.
The new Creed kicked off the ‘Task Force Soldier’ campaign, a leadership commitment to the soldiers. The commitment embodies the Warrior Ethos within the Creed and ensures soldier preparedness for combat.
The creed is cited at the conclusion of training and during public ceremonies, with soldiers standing at attention during formal recitation. Although the Soldier’s Creed is not a legally-binding oath, all noncommissioned officers and enlisted personnel are expected to live up to its standards.
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