Selected Reference Documents
National Conference on Ethics in America
3-5 February 2014
United States Military Academy
CONTENTS
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
The Honor Code
The Respect Creed
Cadet Prayer
Alma Mater
Schofield’s Definition of Discipline
ROTC Creed
Soldier Creed and Warrior Ethos
NCO Creed
West Point Honor Code
A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.
West Point Respect Creed
Cadets will treat others and themselves with dignity and worth and expect the same from those around
them.
Cadet Prayer
O God, our Father, Thou Searcher of Human hearts, help us to draw near to Thee in sincerity and truth.
May our religion be filled with gladness and may our worship of Thee be natural.
Strengthen and increase our admiration for honest dealing and clean thinking, and suffer not our hatred
of hypocrisy and pretence ever to diminish. Encourage us in our endeavor to live above the common
level of life. Make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content
with a half truth when the whole can be won.
Endow us with courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns to compromise
with vice and injustice and knows no fear when truth and right are in jeopardy.
Guard us against flippancy and irreverance in the sacred things of life. Grant us new ties of friendship
and new opportunities of service. Kindle our hearts in fellowship with those of a cheerful countenance,
and soften our hearts with sympathy for those who sorrow and suffer.
Help us to maintain the honor of the Corps untarnished and unsullied and to show forth in our lives the
ideals of West Point in doing our duty to Thee and to our Country.
All of which we ask in the name of the Great Friend and Master of all.
AMEN
Alma Mater
By Paul S. Reinecke
Hail, Alma Mater, dear!
To us be ever near,
Help us thy motto bear,
thru’ all the years.
Let Duty be well performed,
Honor be e’er untarn’d,
Country be ever armed,
West Point, by thee!
Guide us, thine own, aright,
Teach us by day, by night,
To keep thine honor bright,
For thee to fight.
When we depart from thee,
Serving on land or sea,
May we still loyal be,
West Point, to thee!
And when our work is done,
Our course on earth is run,
May it be said, “Well done.
Be thou at peace.”
E’er may that line of gray
Increase from day to day;
Live, serve, and die, we pray,
West Point, for thee!
The Corps
THE CORPS! THE CORPS! THE CORPS!
The Corps, bareheaded, salute it, with eyes up, thanking our God.
That we of the Corps are treading, where they of the Corps have trod.
They are here in ghostly assemblage. The men of the Corps long dead.
And our hearts are standing attention, while we wait for their passing tread.
We sons of today, we salute you. You sons of an earlier day;
We follow, close order, behind you, where you have pointed the way;
The long gray line of us stretches, thro' the years of a century told
And the last man feels to his marrow, the grip of your far off hold.
Grip hands with us now though we see not, grip hands with us strengthen our hearts.
As the long line stiffens and straightens with the thrill that your presence imparts.
Grip hands tho' it be from the shadows. While we swear, as you did of yore.
Or living, or dying, to honor, the Corps, and the Corps, and the Corps.
Schofield’s Definition of Discipline
“The discipline which makes the soldiers of a free country reliable in battle is not to be gained by harsh
or tyrannical treatment. On the contrary, such treatment is far more likely to destroy than to make an
army. It is possible to impart instruction and to give commands in such a manner and such a tone of
voice to inspire in the soldier no feeling but an intense desire to obey, while the opposite manner and
tone of voice cannot fail to excite strong resentment and a desire to disobey. The one mode or the other
of dealing with subordinates springs from a corresponding spirit in the breast of the commander. He
who feels the respect which is due to others cannot fail to inspire in them regard for himself, while he
who feels, and hence manifests, disrespect toward others, especially his inferiors, cannot fail to inspire
hatred against himself.”
Major General John M. Schofield
Address to the Corps of Cadets, U.S. Military Academy
August 11, 1879
ROTC Cadet Creed
I am an army cadet.
Soon I will take an oath and become an army officer committed to defending the values which make this
nation great. Honor is my touchstone. I understand mission first and people always.
I am the past—the spirit of those warriors who have made the final sacrifice.
I am the present—the scholar and apprentice soldier enhancing my skills in the science of warfare and
the art of leadership.
But above all,
I am the future—the future warrior leader of the United States Army. May God give me the compassion
and judgment to lead and the gallantry in battle to win.
I will do my duty.
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.
NCO Creed
No one is more professional than I. I am a Noncommissioned Officer, a leader of soldiers. As a
Noncommissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a time honored corps, which is known as "The
Backbone of the Army". I am proud of the Corps of Noncommissioned Officers and will at all times
conduct myself so as to bring credit upon the Corps, the Military Service and my country regardless of
the situation in which I find myself. I will not use my grade or position to attain pleasure, profit, or
personal safety.
Competence is my watchword. My two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind -accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my soldiers. I will strive to remain technically and
tactically proficient. I am aware of my role as a Noncommissioned Officer. I will fulfill my responsibilities
inherent in that role. All soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership. I
know my soldiers and I will always place their needs above my own. I will communicate consistently
with my soldiers and never leave them uninformed. I will be fair and impartial when recommending
both rewards and punishment.
Officers of my unit will have maximum time to accomplish their duties; they will not have to accomplish
mine. I will earn their respect and confidence as well as that of my soldiers. I will be loyal to those with
whom I serve; seniors, peers, and subordinates alike. I will exercise initiative by taking appropriate
action in the absence of orders. I will not compromise my integrity, nor my moral courage. I will not
forget, nor will I allow my comrades to forget that we are professionals, Noncommissioned Officers,
leaders!