Duty

Fulfill your obligations.

I go anywhere in the world they tell me to go, any time they tell me to, to fight anybody

they want me to fight. I move my family anywhere they tell me to move, on a day’s notice,

and live in whatever quarters they assign me. I work whenever they tell me to work….

And I like it.

James H. Webb

Former U.S. Marine and Secretary of the Navy (1987-1988)

Duty extends beyond everything required by law, regulation, and orders. Professionals work not just
to meet the minimum standard, but consistently strive to do their very best. Army leaders commit to
excellence in all aspects of their professional responsibility.

Part of fulfilling duty is to exercise initiative—anticipating what needs to be done before being told
what to do. Army leaders exercise initiative when they fulfill the purpose, not merely the letter, of the tasks
they have been assigned and the orders they have received. The task is not complete until the intended
outcome is achieved. When a platoon sergeant tells a squad leader to inspect weapons, the squad leader
only fulfills a minimum obligation when checking weapons. If the squad leader finds weapons that are not
clean or serviced, a sense of duty alerts the leader to go beyond the platoon sergeant’s instructions. To
fulfill that duty, squad leaders must correct the problem and ensure that all the unit’s weapons are up to
standard. When leaders take initiative, they also take full responsibility for their actions and those of their
subordinates. Conscientiousness is a human trait where duty is internalized. Conscientiousness means
having a high sense of responsibility for personal contributions to the Army, demonstrated through
dedicated effort, organization, thoroughness, reliability, and practicality. Conscientiousness consistently
alerts the leader to do what is right—even when tired or demoralized.

In rare cases, a leader’s sense of duty also has to detect and prevent an illegal order. Duty requires
refusal to obey it—leaders have no choice but to do what is ethically and legally right