Saturday, July 2, 2011

Choosing the drum beat we march to

We must follow the tune of a different drummer.  Our vocation is one that is unlike most others, and because of this it requires different things of us.  This difference, fundamental to our profession, is nothing to be ashamed of.  It is defined by the terms that include self-sacrifice, devotion to duty, and the highest standards of personal and professional integrity, and contains the values that are among the most respected in Western civilization.

We have been through bad times before.  Unpopularity, lean budget years, and slow promotions have been characteristic problems of the armed forces in every postwar period in American history.  What has enabled us to survive these problems in the past has been adherence to our ideals and principles, and not adaptation to the social fashions of the day, regardless of their appeal.

Lieutenant Commander K.C. Jacobsen, U.S. Navy
USNI PROCEEDING
The Stranger in the Crowd
September 1974

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