The Army Core Values

loy⋅al⋅ty
–noun, plural -ties.
1. the state or quality of being loyal; faithfulness to commitments or obligations.
2. faithful adherence to a sovereign, government, leader, cause, etc.
3. an example or instance of faithfulness, adherence, or the like: a man with fierce loyalties.

du⋅ty
–noun, plural -ties.
1. something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation.
2. the binding or obligatory force of something that is morally or legally right; moral or legal obligation.

re⋅spect
–verb (used with object)
9. to hold in esteem or honor: I cannot respect a cheat.
10. to show regard or consideration for: to respect someone's rights.

self·less (slfls)
adj.
1. Having, exhibiting, or motivated by no concern for oneself; unselfish

hon⋅or
–noun
1. Honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions

in·teg·ri·ty
n.
1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.
2. The state of being unimpaired; soundness.
3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.

cour⋅age
–noun
1. the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery

Now I understand that when a group establishes values, it's more of an ideal to try to follow. We're all human, and to err is to be human because we are imperfect being. I don't expect anyone to follow all of these values all the time. Yet, since Sam has joined the Army, I can't particularly say I've seen too many examples of these values. The worst part is, I see less of these values in our officers, the ones in charge, than in anyone else. I'm not one to generalize, I do recognize there are truly valiant men and women in our Army who deserve the respect and admiration from people, so forgive me when I say soldiers. The Army has done a lot for us, it's given us stability (in a very stretched definition of the word...) during financial instability, it allowed Sam and I to get married and it's opened up a lot of opportunities we wouldn't necessarily have otherwise. However I've learned a lot about human nature and today's society by how both Sam and I have been treated. I have seen very little loyalty, first hand we have seen the opposite of respect (yes both of us), I have never seen selfless service, I have very rarely seen honor and honesty, I can't particularly say I've seen a shred of integrity, and Sam has quite a few stories on officers and courage... What I have seen is dishonesty, selfishness, disrespect, lack of follow-through, complete lack of organization, complete lack of common sense, cowardice and petty drama. I know, welcome to the real world, right? Am I an idealist? I'd have to say so. As a Christian I strive to follow the majority of those values (and a few others), and although I will never be perfect, it's just hard for me to look at the world and not cringe in disgust. Even before I truly opened my spiritual eyes and saw the world for what it was, I can't particularly say I was happy with what I saw. That's a whole different rant though.

Admittedly this is provoked by my recent upset with on-post housing. Sam and I decided that on-post housing would be the easiest, most convenient option that left us the ability to look for other housing options in case we didn't like what we were able to get. Before I moved back to Wisconsin/Minnesota, we were offered a house. We explained our situation, how I was already planning on moving because Sam was deploying, and they told us they would freeze our position and if I called 30 days before I planned to return, they would have something available for us. I left thinking nothing of it. I decided to call 2 months before I was planning on moving (better safe than sorry, right?) and they told me they would put us back on the list, made a few revisions in regards to Sam's rank, and was told it should still be no problem and to call back in mid-January. This of course was after 2 weeks of trying to get a hold of ANYONE from the housing office, only receiving a reply after Sam sent a very frustrated e-mail to them. So I go about my planning, once again thinking nothing of it. I start trying to get a hold of them again in mid-January. I finally (on January 26th) receive a call from an actual person and speak with them. However I did not get the answer I was expecting. I was told that there is absolutely nothing available, there won't be anything available at this point to have something by the time I move, nor will there be anything available for quite awhile. .... They tell me this NOW, when I'm 2 1/2 weeks away from my move. Really? So after a year of being led to believe we would have a house available with no issues or hassles, I'm now left to find a place to live and to let my husband come back from Iraq to in less than 2 1/2 weeks on top of packing, working and finishing last minute things with the apartment I'm currently living in. Did I mention this is also all by myself? Saying I'm unhappy is the understatement of a century. However, after figuring out plan C with Sam, we're thinking this is definitely for the better in the long run, just a very big hassle for me presently. At the moment though, I will be officially homeless as of February 11th...

In conclusion, I guess I just really need to learn from these things. Too many times I've been presented with this situation, I should just expect it at this point and try to make the best of it. I'm really disappointed it even has to be this way, but to save my sanity I have to think like a cynic. Also, NEVER TRUST ANYTHING UNLESS YOU HAVE IT IN WRITING (duh...) because apparently no one will follow through on their word unless legally bound to do so.