Bloghttp://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/en-US2012-02-24T07:07:08ZSquarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/)Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.http://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/2012/1/16/remembering-dr-martin-luther-king-jr.htmlMichael2012-01-16T18:35:47ZConscience Cowardice Expediency Jr. Martin Luther King Vanity"Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?'

Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?'

Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?'

But, conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?'

And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right."

 

"Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution" (31 March 1968)

  Martin Luther King Jr.

]]>Civilians get a taste of Marine Corps ethicshttp://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/2012/1/12/civilians-get-a-taste-of-marine-corps-ethics.htmlMichael2012-01-12T15:58:06ZCommitment Courage Ethics-values based training Ethos of the Marine Corps Honor IED Leadership Mission Morals Responsibility 

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. - Thirteen executives from industries such as national security, telecommunications and an international beverage conglomerate, went through simulated ethics training here at TBS on Jan. 5. The participants came to The Basic School to learn how the Marine Corps teaches ethics in everything they do, using honor, courage, and commitment as the pillars to their foundation of decision making.

 

This group of civilians twice previously visited MCRD Parris Island, S.C., to see how ethics-values based training is taught to Marine recruits. The civilians are from the master of business administration program and executive members of the Center for Ethics and Corporation Responsibility J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.

 

“It was suggested to us, after our second visit, by Col. Eric M. Mellinger, head of the recruit training regiment, that we go to Quantico to The Basic School to see how the same principles are then taught and training to the lieutenants as a leadership function,” said Dr. Steven D. Olson, the center director.

 

The civilians were split into three fire teams and had to hike through a marked trail at TBS to accomplish different missions along the way. With every mission faced, there was an ethical challenge thrown into the mix.

 

For example, during one challenge they had to secure a water point where they were confronted with a mother whose daughter who was injured by an IED. The group had to make a decision to help the daughter and how to do that without offending the customs of the local tribe.

 

 “Inaction is a form of action,” said Maj. Dan M. Dowd, command section head war fighting at TBS. “We accomplished our mission of securing the water point but when it came to the courage of helping the girl, we didn’t do so well.”

 

After the exercise was completed, the group discussed what they did and didn’t do, and how they could have done things differently. Many of the participants agreed that, even though they met their goal of securing the water point, they didn’t accomplish the overall goal of building good connections with the tribe.

 

“You can learn a lot about people by what they don’t do and don’t say,” Dowd said to the group. “If you are the person in charge, you have to make the choice of taking action or not taking action. The leader isn’t the only person who can say something. We all have morals and values. We all know the right thing to do, so why wouldn’t you say something? Are you going to just take orders and have no real responsibilities, or are you going to say something when the right thing isn’t being done.

 

“It’s difficult to figure out how to go about doing the right thing,” continued Dowd. “But that’s why we do the training.”

 

The training didn’t end there. After the discussion, the group was split in half and sent on separate missions, where they encountered a simulated genocide and an IED explosion which injured one of their own.

 

With each mission, they were faced with ethical choices and the challenge of adhering to the ethos of the Marine Corps: honor, courage and commitment.

 

“One of the things we want people to take away from this is a duty and obligation,” said Olson. “We want them to have responsibility that pulls them forward to a higher ethical structure rather than, ‘what’s the minimum I can do to get the advantage.’ We knew we couldn’t teach it and that it would have to come from experience, so that’s why we came here.”

 

“Ethics is essential to mission accomplishment,” said Olson. “The Marine Corps has been showing that for years. Now it’s time for the corporate world and business students to see and appreciate that.”

 

Story by Lance Cpl. Tabitha Bartley forwarded by Tom Esslinger

http://www.dvidshub.net/news/82214/civilians-get-taste-marine-corps-ethics#.Tw7e3Bw72HC

]]>Frontpage’s Man of the Year: The Wounded Warriorhttp://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/2011/12/29/frontpages-man-of-the-year-the-wounded-warrior.htmlMichael2011-12-29T18:57:02ZBravery Brumpton Heroism Medal of Honor Resilience Sacrifice Sergeant Chad Sergeant Leroy Petry Spc. Brent Whitten Wounded WarriorA War Is Over But Not The Painhttp://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/2011/12/22/a-war-is-over-but-not-the-pain.htmlMichael2011-12-22T16:32:30Z000 Injured veterans 30 Bud Kennedy Character Building Project Dan Nevins Retired Army Staff Sergeant Disabled Veteran Iraq War Veteran Professional Golfers Association Star-Telegram Warriors Speak OutreachLong Walk Series Of Sgt. Raazhttp://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/2011/12/20/long-walk-series-of-sgt-raaz.htmlMichael2011-12-20T20:19:41ZBattle field Medicine Bethesda Naval Amputee Center Captain Aloysius Boyle Combat Casualty Care Gretel Kovach Marine Corps Purple Heart Sgt. Raaz Traumatic Brain Injuries Union-TribuneA Call to Servehttp://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/2011/12/19/a-call-to-serve.htmlMichael2011-12-19T18:57:38ZCaptain Aloysius Boyle Courage in America: Warriors with Character Deceased Service Members Fallen Honor Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Sacrifices Travis Manion Foundation Wounded WarriorsWounded Warriors Use Writing to Work Through the Woeshttp://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/2011/12/14/wounded-warriors-use-writing-to-work-through-the-woes.htmlMichael2011-12-14T16:26:56ZAlternative Therapies Fisher House National Endowment for the Arts National Intrepid Center of Excellence Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience Rear Admiral Alton L. Stocks Traumatic Brain Injury Walter Reed Bethesda Naval Hospital Wounded Warriors national Healing Arts SummitWounded Warriors... Harnessing Adversityhttp://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/2011/12/12/wounded-warriors-harnessing-adversity.htmlMichael2011-12-12T17:50:30ZAdversity Character Building Project Characters with Character Courage in America Erik Weihenmayer Knights of Malta Paul Stoltz Politics with Principle Suffering Wounded WarriorsWatch A Game of Honor Webisode, Help Wounded Warrior Projecthttp://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/2011/12/10/watch-a-game-of-honor-webisode-help-wounded-warrior-project.htmlMichael2011-12-10T14:59:38ZA Game of Honor Army Army-Navy Football Game Black Knights CBS Sports Help a Fallen Soldier: The Eric LeGrand Story SHOWTIME USAA Wounded Warrior ProjectCBSSports.com has teamed up with Wounded Warrior ProjectTM, whose mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors, for a special promotion to support wounded service members. For every view of the latest A GAME OF HONOR webisode at CBSSports.com from Dec. 6 through Dec. 10, CBSSports.com will make a donation to Wounded Warrior Project.

The donation tally began Dec. 6th with the release of the latest A GAME OF HONOR webisode titled: "Helping a Fallen Soldier: The Eric LeGrand Story." The episode details the Army football team's bond with former Rutgers football player, Eric LeGrand who was partially paralyzed in a game against the Black Knights in October of 2010. The donation will then continue to accumulate through Dec. 10th, the day of the 2011 Army-Navy football game presented by USAA.

CBSSports.com is currently featuring an exclusive 10-week web series leading up to the SHOWTIME and CBS Sports co-produced documentary film A GAME OF HONOR. The feature length film is a behind-the-scenes documentary that follows the cadets and midshipmen as they embark on a journey beginning with military boot camp and football training camp all the way to the singing of their respective fight songs at the conclusion of the Army-Navy game this Saturday. Much more than a story of a sports rivalry, A GAME OF HONOR will chronicle the players' daily challenge of balancing the rigors of school, service and sport at two of the most challenging universities in the world.

A GAME OF HONOR premieres on SHOWTIME on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The Army-Navy Game presented by USAA will be nationally televised from Washington D.C. on Dec. 10 at 2:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports, and streamed live on CBSSports.com and CBS Sports Mobile. The first eight online episodes of A GAME OF HONOR and the preview video, "Prelude: The Making of A Game of Honor", are currently available on demand at CBSSports.com.

]]>I am Samuel Michael Angert and this is my storyhttp://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/2011/12/5/i-am-samuel-michael-angert-and-this-is-my-story.htmlMichael2011-12-05T20:02:16ZDetermination Ft Hood God Improvised Explosive Device Killed In Action Lieutenant Joseph D. Fortin Persistence Resilience Samuel Michael Angert United States ArmyOne More From Master Sergeant Johnsonhttp://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/2011/12/1/one-more-from-master-sergeant-johnson.htmlMichael2011-12-01T18:36:18ZBethesda Naval Medical Center Corporal Paul Kim Marine Corps Medically Retired PX Physical Therapy Severe Brain Injury Veterans Administration Wounded WarriorsMore From Master Sergeant Johnson...http://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/2011/11/29/more-from-master-sergeant-johnson.htmlMichael2011-11-29T17:21:16ZArtillery Lt Col Maxwell Marine Corps Medical Retirement Sgt. Gregory Rodriguez Temporary Disability Traumatic Brain InjuryMaster Sergeant Jeff Johnson's Comments on Members of the Wounded Warrior Regimenthttp://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/2011/11/28/master-sergeant-jeff-johnsons-comments-on-members-of-the-wou.htmlMichael2011-11-28T22:02:57ZAnger Bethesda Naval Medical Center Commandant of the Marine Corps Global War on Terrorism Lt Col Maxwell Marine Corps Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom Post Traumatic Stress Wounded Warrior RegimentLt Col Maxwell: Bringing More Meaning Into All Our Liveshttp://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/2011/11/25/lt-col-maxwell-bringing-more-meaning-into-all-our-lives.htmlMichael2011-11-25T18:24:37ZAdversity Camp Lejeune Challenges Everyday Greatness Justin Constantine Lt Col Maxwell Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment Marine Master Sergeant Johnson Traumatic Brain Injury Wounded WarriorsJ.R. Martinez Converting Adversity Into Genuine Advantagehttp://www.characters-with-character.com/blog/2011/11/22/jr-martinez-converting-adversity-into-genuine-advantage.htmlMichael2011-11-22T17:35:11ZAdversity All MY Children Combat Dancing with the Stars J.R. Martinez Real War Suffer The Character Building Project Traumatic Injuries Wounded Warriors