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(U) Army Values Ingrained in Every New Recruit
FROM: MG Richard Quirk, USA
Signals Intelligence Director
Run Date: 05/19/2005
MG Quirk delivered the following remarks this week to mark Army Day. The entire text is
unclassified. (U)
It is an old saying that "War is the last argument of kings." When all else fails...and often well
before that final juncture, nations have always, and perhaps will continue to resort to war. It is
for the purpose of fighting wars that nations constitute armies, and so the United States Army
was born, on June 14th, 1775 -- even before the Declaration of Independence was signed,
almost 230 years ago.
Throughout our nation's history, the men and women of the U.S. Army have fought faithfully and
well. During our first war, the War of Independence, it was the U.S. Army that stood toe to toe
against the finest ground force in the world even though it was only in its childhood as an
organization. Facing a string of early defeats, no pay, too little food, shortages of equipment, a
lack of public support in many areas, it bore the terrible burden and fought on as it matured. Its
soldiers suffered great deprivation, and often inexperienced leaders, yet it persevered until it
had achieved its first victory.
The lessons which the Army learned in its first battles became the foundation of a deep-seated
set of institutional values that stay with the Army today; values that we deliberately build into
each new recruit. Although we have recently named and codified them, the Army Values of
Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage are so deeply
ingrained in us that they needn't be mentioned.
It is characteristic of our nation to disdain the large standing armies that were so common in
18th century Europe. Therefore, we have traditionally reduced the Army very significantly
between the wars. That tradition began after the Revolution.
Likewise has it been our habit to call on the citizen soldier, the militiamen, to come forward and
fill the ranks just in time. It was true in the Revolution and has been ever since, yet I must say,
never has the employment of our Citizen Soldiers, the U.S. Army Reserve & National Guard,
been more important or effective than it is today.
With the Revolution fought to victory, and our weapons beaten into plowshares, our Army
reduced, it was less than a quarter of a century before the U.S. found itself at war again, initially
so unprepared that it lost the nation's capital to the enemy. Again, American soldiers came to
know adversity, trial and fear, and to overcome them all.
A generation later, the Army was again called upon to fight a war with Mexico, a war that called
upon most of our foot soldiers to march over a thousand miles just to get into the fight. Many of
them made the march without shoes, and many of them fell to disease along the way.
And so the traditions of our soldiers were born, to take on the tough, distasteful missions, to
form up quickly around the day and give total loyalty to their appointed leaders and fellow
soldiers.
These are the traits of all successful armies. But the U.S. Army, as a reflection of American
society, developed unique traits as well. There was, in these early days, a certain independence
of thought and action in the ranks that you would not find in Europe.
This rugged individualism has long been a challenge to weak leaders, but has always been a
great strength for our Army, one that we depend on today on a battlefield that increasingly
demands and rewards individual initiative and judgment. Our soldiers are performing
magnificently today in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world because, even though they take
orders well, and operate as intensely loyal units, each Soldier is a general issuing orders to
himself. Each Soldier is an Army of One.
This independence has confounded all of our adversaries, from Cornwallis to Gorbechev, from
Hitler to Usama bin Laden.
By the end of the Mexican War, our Army's character had begun to take permanent form. But it
was the Civil War that showed us what we are made of. It was there that the Army committed
more men to arms than ever before, again suffering under an extremely rapid mobilization to
emerge as a terrible and glorious and effective machine of war.
Its willingness and ability to bear unbearable burdens of pain, exhaustion, and fear were taken
to a level that shocks us today when we, who are hardened by years of graphic television
violence, watch the movie Gettysburg . We shake our heads in wonder at the leaders who felt
forced to place their soldiers in such danger, but especially at the soldiers, who complied with
the orders so quickly and willingly.
It was in that war that the Army lost more killed in action than in all other wars before or since,
combined.
Yes, for those of us who are soldiers, we can watch that movie and see the Spirit of the Army
that remains with us to this day. A willingness to endure trepidation, to carry on the distasteful
fight, not for abstract glory, but as a way of dedicating ourselves and offering our lives if need
be for the common good -- the good of our nation, our family, our friends, our freedom.
This spirit has held throughout the rest of our history: in the plains wars of the 1820's, the
Spanish American War and Philippine Insurrection at the turn of the century, World War I, World
War II, Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Operations Enduring
Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
This week, we will have been engaged in the Global War on Terrorism longer than we were
engaged in World War II.
Since 9/11, elements of every major Army combat unit have deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, the
Philippines, or other theaters as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Our commitment has drawn heavily on our Reserve Component, as well as active duty forces.
Operating overseas or in Homeland Defense, our National Guard and Reserves are serving side
by side with their active counterparts.
The deployment tempo for the individual soldier in today's Army probably surpasses that of the
Vietnam War.
Our Army, and all our armed forces today, face two great challenges. First, to find and neutralize
an enemy that wears no uniform, that recognizes no national boundaries. Second, to help build
strong, free national governments and security forces, capable of defending themselves from
these same enemies. And to show the world that we Americans are not the devils that some
would cast us, but a nation of brave people willing to come to the aid of others that would be
free.
This conflict -- perhaps more than any other in history -- depends on intelligence; indeed is
often driven by intelligence. And a critical component of that intelligence is SIGINT.
In previous wars, our tactical SIGINT forces moved forward, and operated in support of their
commander, in relative isolation from the rest of the SIGINT system. Today that is no longer the
case. Our advanced communications, and our collaborative tools, have enabled us to build a
network of SIGINT professionals able to think, plan, and act as a global team. We see national
and theater SIGINT operators and analysts from all services focusing on targets important to
commanders in units as small as a platoon; this is something never before achieved.
We have a long way yet to go to perfect our global network, but we cannot relax, we cannot
falter. We have a saying in the Army, that we will "leave no soldier behind." Perhaps our motto
for the SIGINT war should be, "Let no SIGINT soldier stand alone."
Today, when we tune into the news and we watch soldiers at one moment engaging the enemy
and at the next carrying an injured Iraqi child, we are seeing men an women who are very
deeply, if subconsciously steeped in the experience of their predecessors, the soldiers of
yesterday.
And for those here at NSA, today is the day to realize that the soldier walking past you in the
halls, or working next to you... or the soldier you see in the mirror each day, is more than he or
she appears. Our Army has woven and is weaving values and strengths into that soldier that will
surface whenever the mission is urgent and the going gets tough enough. Today is the right day
to appreciate the commitment and willingness to sacrifice that this soldier has signed up to.
Today is the right day to challenge that soldier to become even better, even more committed.
And it is the right day to say thanks for all you do.
And to you soldiers, today is the right day for you to stop for a moment, and to recognize that
you have committed yourself to something truly important; something to tell your grandchildren
about some day with pride. Recommit yourself to the Country, the mission, and your fellow
soldiers.
I'll leave you with the Army's warrior ethos. May it continue to guide and strengthen us
wherever we are:
I will always place the mission first
I will never accept defeat
I will never quit
I will never leave a fallen comrade
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108