2 July 2008
Honor Codes are for Everybody
Posted by Bryon under: General .
I was surfing the internet on my Google board and I found an awesome site for survival and military gear. It is www.specialforces.com. I was looking with envy at a lot of cool gear when I saw they had a news letter. I was hoping for some insider info on what I should buy if I wasn’t broke but I found something else entirely. This guy is a former Green Beret. This means he is very smart and tough. The article is about adopting personal honor codes.
Warriors live by a Code of Honor
“And for the support this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutally pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred Honor”
~ Thomas Jefferson
Honor
Our founding fathers, with a lot of help from God, broke the chains of tyranny and formed one of the greatest nations of freedom the world has ever known and unified its diverse citizens from many different countries and cultures with the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights our nations honor code.
I have often asked myself where all our honor has gone.
I think the answer to that question lies in the changing values of the citizens of this country. It seems the emphasis is off of our Nation’s Code of Honor, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights and now on multiculturalism, language, environmentalism, special interest groups, social engineering, rights and privileges for illegal aliens, socialism and more. All devices designed to divide and conquer our nation.
Instead of uniting us they stress and cater to differences forcing everyone to think and act as they want instead of the respect for the freedom our Nation’s Code of Honor gives us with the live and let live attitude of respect for others. Our politicians reflect the current values of our nation—they will say anything and promise anything to advance their self-importance and the masses often choose who they think will give them the most. For examples of this all one needs to do is turn the news on, it is truly amazing.
“The high minded man must care more for the truth than for what people think.”
~ Aristotle
Freedom’s enemies: Ignorance and Arrogance
The principals of freedom this country was founded on and grew to its greatness on are still here, but our values have changed and I ask “why?” Values change but the principles of freedom are the same and will always hold true. They stand the test of time but they have two enemies: ignorance and arrogance.
Most people in this country are ignorant of the principles of freedom, of our Constitution and Bill of Rights our national Code of Honor, they call it a living document but the truth is the principles our Code of Honor was built on, are as true then as today. Arrogance replaces reality with false values. The result of this is what we are now witnessing today.
Our nation’s Code of Honor is the US Constitution and Bill of Rights united this country under principals of freedom allowing it to prosper and grow into greatness.
This nation was founded by extraordinary men of great achievement and patriotism and as they passed down their heritage from generation to generation sometimes their descendents did not share their energy or strength of Character leaving a vacuum to be usually filled by some form of self indulgence. One of the hardest tests for a nation is prosperity people take things for granted and lose touch with reality and as the nation becomes degenerate it destabilizes and all unity is lost leaving us vulnerable to predators capitalizing on our weaknesses. The answer to the perseveration of those lost values and bring them back to stabilize our nation is accomplished through a code of honor. This is why I chose this topic this month, because I feel we have lost our way as a nation.
Can you name today’s great soldiers, criminal detectives, doctors, inventors, the people that have the greatest impact on our lives? Probably not—but in contrast we give honor and fame to rock stars, rappers, movie actors, and athletes we even solicit their opinions on world affairs, if you think on this objectively you can only conclude our values are upside down. I hear all the time we are a nation of laws and I am beginning to believe it. I thought we were a nation with a Constitution and a Bill of Rights our nation’s Code of Honor for all United States Citizens. But every time something happens someone wants to pass a law and regulate. I ask you: what happened to responsibility and honor? At one time there was Honor in this country, there had to be because there was no law on the frontier only Honor , but now laws and regulations have replaced Honor. Honor doesn’t figure into anything anymore.
“It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them.”
~ Mark Twain
Ranger Creed
Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of my Ranger Regiment.
Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move farther, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.
Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one-hundred-percent and then some.
Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.
Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor
Rangers Lead The Way!
Although it was our mission statement it was also our Code of Honor for us to uphold and live by. Honor Codes are important to institutions and most have them. LTC Leuer was smart to initiate the Ranger Creed because a code of honor can bring people from all walks of life with vastly different backgrounds together to unite them. Our unit filled up with people from all walks of life, different parts of the country some from farms, some from big cities, others from various Units like Ranger Companies, Special Forces, 82nd Airborne, 1st Cav, 101st and 173rd Airborne, etc. So everyone was tasked with learning the Ranger Creed and constantly drilled and tested on it, I and my fellow Rangers gave a lot of pushups to that creed. The Ranger Creed united us and gave us Esprit de corps. The danger was only that after awhile we would recite it from rote so my Sergeant would reinforce the meaning of those words by relating life experiences in combat to deepen the understanding of the Ranger Creed. I am sure all the Rangers that have served in combat honorably have nothing but respect for the Ranger Creed. We should all have a family or personal Code of Honor to live by along with our nation’s Code of Honor.
Written by: The store owner, Dave Thomas.
I would strongly suggest you read the rest of the article at, “http://www.specialforces.com/newsletter/2008_06/index.html”
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9 Comments so far...
Bryon Says:
2 July 2008 at 11:37 am.
The website is a top notch special gear store. Dave has 21 years as a Green Beret and has used, approved and even modified all the gear. He also carries manuals for wilderness survival and other things. I would also recommend you read all the other articles he has. I read another one and it was valuable advice.
Cameron Says:
2 July 2008 at 11:44 am.
This guy is a straight shooter. (pun intended) He says it like it is. I hadn’t really nailed it down to honor but he is right. It’s obvious once you read it.
Pickles Says:
2 July 2008 at 11:49 am.
Hey Stumpy, were you a Ranger? I want to marry a Ranger. This guy is cool and smart.
The Realist Says:
2 July 2008 at 12:42 pm.
My cousin was a ranger. I’ve known for a long time that honor is what is missing in America lately. Good blog Bryon.
This says it all:
At one time there was Honor in this country, there had to be because there was no law on the frontier only Honor , but now laws and regulations have replaced Honor. Honor doesn’t figure into anything anymore.
Bryon Says:
2 July 2008 at 1:52 pm.
This guy was one of the first Rangers. In his words, “I grew up in the Rangers.” He then went on to the Green Berets. The Green Berets are a very special type of elite solder. They are the guys who you would send behind enemy lines to gather info or blow up a target or they could go to a village and use their public relation skills to befriend the natives by helping them improve their lives. They can teach basic infantry tactics or proper dental hygiene, marksmanship or construction techniques. They are an extremely intelligent and capable unit. They aren’t primarily gun fighters but if pressed they will show expert fighting skills. They are trained to use every weapon they might come across, they even are expert knife fighters.
These are some of our best in arms. If you want pure fighting skills you want the Navy SEAL. They are the modern Ninjas. NOBODY trains harder or better than a SEAL.
Benjamin Says:
2 July 2008 at 1:55 pm.
Always wished I could be a SEAL.
Hawk Says:
2 July 2008 at 2:10 pm.
Ignorance and arrogance are definitely the big challenges right now. This site is good to fight the ignorance. Schools are no longer teaching patriotism or the Constitution. I can’t believe how ignorant most young people are about the principles of freedom and even a lot of older ones. It is so easy to mess with people when they don’t understand the basic concepts that built this country.
Ghost Says:
2 July 2008 at 9:17 pm.
Glad to see this up. Great blog.
AMAZING DAVE » Blog Archive » Honor Codes are for Everybody Says:
3 July 2008 at 6:59 pm.
[...] Honor Codes are for Everybody …of this all one needs to do is turn the news on, it is truly amazing. … Written by: The store owner, Dave Thomas. [...]
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