Front and Center Vol. 2 No 9 September 2023

United States Marines are distinguished for many achievements, and we may reasonably say that their accomplishments follow in a direct line from the kinds of people the Marine Corps seeks to develop: men and women marked by the core values of honor, courage, and commitment. These values provide a firm foundation for the three important contributions of the Marine Corps to our country, which is to make Marines, win our nation’s battles, and return to our society quality citizens. In what follows, we will consider these core values of the Marine Corps and how they may be acquired by all Americans. We begin by quoting from the Corps itself how these values are defined and understood.

Note that a person graced with these qualities possesses the character required of a Marine, has the inner resources needed to persist and overcome in combat, and the self-possession and maturity needed for responsible participation as a citizen in a free society. Another point of interest here is that these are core values, there are others that identify a well-developed human being but for the mission of the Marine Corps, these martial virtues are indispensable. Finally, Marines are able to develop their core values because they are essentially human qualities, and thus all people, Marine or not, may develop them.

As the Marine Corps defines honor, it leads to the “ultimate in ethical and moral behavior.” This language is important because it attests to a truth known by Marines from more than two centuries of experience in warfare, namely that moral behavior is an expression of human nature, that it can be done well or badly, and that for this reason, it is not a matter of personal taste in which no actions a person may perform can be wide of the mark of moral excellence. This is indicated in the use of the word “ultimate” which identifies the pinnacle of a scale of values and not a spot on a sprawling sea of possibilities. However, the definition enjoins each Marine to abide by an uncompromising code of integrity. There are two important elements at work here. First, our English word “integrity” derives from a Latin word that means an unimpaired condition (both inner and outer), soundness, health, uprightness. Integrity is a critical component of a well-developed human being. Second, the Marine is enjoined to follow an uncompromising code. Because we share a common nature, honor, courage, and commitment will be expressed, we may say, as the same song for everyone. However, because we are each individuals with our own personalities, and because codes of integrity are personal things, we will each sing that song in our own key.

Courage is held to be mental, moral, and physical strength. This is an important part of the definition with its origin ultimately in the work of the great thinkers of ancient Greece. We have minds, wills, and bodies and there are excellences of each one, and courage requires that we work to develop those excellences. This kind of comprehensive fitness is important for every kind of human endeavor that demands focus, skill, and steadiness of purpose in the face of possible failure. The Marines’ definition goes on to acknowledge this in saying that courage allows the Marine to perform the function of a warrior in combat where for any healthy person, fear is present. That part of our psyches we call “will” may be understood as rational desire. When it functions properly, we are drawn to that which is good for us, and repelled by that which is bad for us. We can see quite readily that death at the hands of another human being is not a good for us, and so one has a natural urge to get away from such a danger. Yet every society needs disciplined warriors for its defense and independence. Courage is thus the virtue by which a Marine remains focused and skillful in the presence of fear.

It is admirably clear and concise to say that commitment is a “spirit of determination and dedication.” We can imagine someone objecting that a spirit of determination and dedication is hardly a virtue in a liar, a thief, or a bandit, but these occupations are not honorable. Determination and dedication are plainly good qualities in someone engaged in honorable pursuits. Commitment leads to the highest order of discipline, and it is important that this quality of discipline is placed in individuals first, and then units. This can’t be overstressed because in any demanding endeavor there are distractions, perhaps dispiriting setbacks, pointless criticism, weariness, and the occasional desire to be anywhere but here doing anything but this. Indeed, we want not just discipline, but discipline in its highest order, which is a great advantage in seeking “victory in every endeavor.”

Photo credits:
Marines.mil Public Domain
“Inner Strength. istock.com/wildpixel