FReeper Canteen ~ Sunday Chapel ~ INTEGRITY: THE HEART OF NAVY CORE VALUES ~ 14 November 2021

Serving the Best Troops and Veterans In The World !! | The Canteen Crew

[Kathy in Alaska]

 

 

 

 

INTEGRITY: THE HEART OF NAVY CORE VALUES
by a Submariner

The following essay was written by a young enlisted submariner as a disciplinary assignment after a Captain's Mast for taking a shortcut in a maintenance procedure. Both the author and his Commanding Officer have agreed to its publication.

Integrity is the heart and the very essence of each Navy Core Value, but more importantly, it is the foundation on which every aspect of submarine operations is built. Integrity must be the standard instilled within the innermost heart of every man who takes a submarine to the uttermost depths of the sea. It is integrity that bonds the crew of a submarine so tightly together that when faced with any circumstance, each individual can trust his shipmate to meet the needs of the moment. Integrity comes from within each man's heart and is revealed through his respect for the standards of conduct. As a submariner, it is my duty and responsibility to maintain the highest degree of integrity while serving my country with honor, courage, and commitment in the United States Navy.

When I think of the word "integrity" as a submariner, I think naturally of the phrase watertight integrity. When we shut the hatches, we value the assurance that no water is going to enter into the people tank, because those hatches have been inspected, both during PMS, and just before shutting them. As a member of the Auxiliary Division, I have been taught the importance of taking care of our hatches and ensuring the quality of their condition whenever we inspect and conduct maintenance on them. Every one of my shipmates' lives depends on my personal integrity in ensuring that our hatches are squared away. And even when they are rigged for dive, they are second-checked to guarantee their water-tightness.

I say all of this to illustrate the importance of integrity on a submarine. Every submariner is entrusted with the responsibility to operate this vessel of war according to the procedures established for each ship's system. This ensures the safety of our operation and our ability to complete each mission successfully. No matter how big or small the task I am entrusted with, one mistake could threaten the lives of every one of my shipmates. The procedures that we use today have been written through trial and error in the blood of submariners who have served before me. Following these procedures is not just a recommendation; it is our duty to use them. There is not always someone looking over my shoulder to make sure that I use required procedures to operate a system or conduct maintenance, nor should there need to be. It is only my personal integrity that guarantees I will accomplish an assigned task properly.

There is no room for compromise in the integrity of our word and deed. We are faced with important decisions every day of our lives. It is vital that we evaluate every detail of every situation before we make a decision. I have learned that rushing myself in that process usually results in poor judgment. When I rush to accomplish a job, I lose sight of both what is important and the possible consequences of my actions. The focus becomes only getting the job done by any means possible. Looking back at the mistake I made in attempting to accomplish PMS without a procedure, I see that the time I saved was not worth the compromise of my integrity. Trying to rush my work actually cost my shipmates and me more time and effort than if I had done it properly the first time, not to mention the consequences of my actions if something had gone wrong.

As a submarine sailor I must adhere to the Core Values of the Navy to maintain the military standards of responsibility, order, and discipline. I must have the Honor to deal rightly with all that is entrusted to me - to be loyal, obedient, and respectful to all those appointed over me and to accept my duty of service. I need to have the Courage to stand up for what is right, even when faced with adversity. Courage accompanied with honesty will guide me to the right decisions. I need to be committed to my responsibility and duties as I obey the orders given to me. Commitment requires self-discipline and a devotion to maintain the highest standards of integrity in my profession. An outstanding submarine crew is one that operates consciously as a team to protect the freedom of their country, while observing Core Values within their hearts. In closing, I would like to say that writing this essay has given me the opportunity to meditate on what it means to be a submariner. Integrity is the key essential of the submarine service. I believe we must focus on being consistent in word and deed to maintain our integrity with responsibility, order, and discipline. I have worked hard to build a reputation for being a trustworthy auxiliaryman, but it only takes one mistake to destroy the respect for my integrity that I worked so hard to gain. It is my duty to set the standard for integrity as a member of the Auxiliary Division, and as a submariner on board my ship. I do realize that I am not perfect and will make mistakes, but it is from those mistakes and the mistakes of others that we can learn and grow in our experiences throughout life. I thank God, the author of integrity, for the wisdom to discern its value and for showing the need to apply it to every area of my life.

 

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Mayor, and thank you for today’s sustenance for body and soul.

A Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

Did you have a good rest today? Is apartment hunting going ok?

[radu]

Howdy, luvie.

Have you had a good weekend so far? I hope you’ve had nicer weather than we have.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Dear God:
I ask that no Airman, Coast Guardsman,
Marine, Sailor, Soldier, Reservist, National Guardsman, or Merchant Marine
feel alone or forgotten.

O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is loving kindness,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
And He will redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.

Psalm 130:7 & 8

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

A Blessed Lord's Day and Shavua Tov to you.

[radu]

Howdy, Kathy.

I see you’ve finally gotten a break from the snow falling today. Just in time to protect your pipes since it’s mighty cold now.

Right nippy here today and it’s gotten cold fast since the sun set. Already down to 34 and it isn’t 9:00 yet. brrrrrrr

[Kathy in Alaska]

Shavua Tov.
Wishing all our Jewish troops, veterans, families, allies, friends, and Canteeners
a peaceful and prosperous week.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Prayers for our troops, veterans, families, allies, friends, and Canteeners
for a safe and peaceful week ahead.

[Kathy in Alaska]

He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - may He bless the fighters of the Israel Defense Force, who stand guard over our land and the cities of our G-d from the border of the Lebanon to the desert of Egypt, and from the Great Sea unto the approach of the Aravah, on the land, in the air, and on the sea.

May HASHEM cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our fighting men from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, and may He send blessing and success in their every endeavor.

May He lead our enemies under their sway and may He grant them salvation and crown them with victory. And may there be fulfilled for them the verse: For it is Hashem, your G-d, Who goes with you to battle your enemies for you to save you.

G-d bless and keep your children safe, Alouette.

[luvie]

Hey there, radu!

It’s been a great weekend and the weather has been picture perfect. I wouldn’t mind some rain. We haven’t had any since August 19th. sigh

What was it like there?

[radu]

Picture perfect weather sounds really nice. Wish we had some of that! LOL

Thursday started out gloomy, then train moved in around 2:00. Coming home, just as I started down the mountain the bottom let out. Couldn’t see anything even with the wipers going as fast as they could. To make matters worse, there was pea soup fog. It was a terrifying drive down that curvy mountain road but I made it in one piece, creeping along at 10 mph. If I didn’t know the road well, know where the curves are, I don’t know if I could have made it. I could only see a few feet ahead.

Yesterday wasn’t too bad. Sunshine and mid 50s.

Today was sunny again but chilly and very windy. It’s going to be a cold night - - already 32 degrees and it isn’t 10:00 yet.
But the next 7 days look to be fairly decent so there’s that to look forward to.

[luvie]

Wow! I would have been terrified, too! Winding roads are bad enough when you CAN see them! 32?? That’s way colder than we’ve had so far. It’s been getting down in the high 40s and low 50s at night, but not terrible and with little wind, not bad at all.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, radu, and a Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

Hope you had a great “last day of the season” at the museum. Feet up?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, luvie, and a Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

Thank you for the hymns.

Are your hot days of summer finally over?

[luvie]

Hi, Kathy! You’re very welcome. I hope you have a nice restful Sunday, too.

The summer stuff is over, but it’s still going to be about 82 on Monday and Tuesday. It’s crazy! And we haven’t had rain in 3 months. It’s sooo dry.

[radu]

It wouldn’t have been so bad if there were guardrails all the way down but there are only a few short ones. No shoulder and it’s a VERY steep drop-off. My nerves were rattled by the time I reached the bottom.

But I won’t be making the drive any more for a while since today was our last day at the museum until spring.

[luvie]

Aww, man! I had forgotten that this was the last weekend. You are going to miss it so much! I wish they’d put off closing for a while longer. Your weekends are going to be boring now. But it will be nice to chat on Thurs. & Friday nights. :)

[radu]

Hey there, Kathy.

It was a good day at the museum, though bittersweet. Had some fun folks to take through on tours and learned a couple of little tidbits from a couple of veterans I took through. The first one I went through with, a Vietnam vet, was loads of fun.

Walking out the door at closing time was a sad moment. I’m reeeeeeeally going to miss that place the next few months.

Yesterday, we had a fascinating visitor. She was a nifty elderly lady who had worked at Camp Forrest during WWII and she had some neat tales to tell about it. Camp Forrest was here and was where Gen. Patton brought his 2nd Armored Division troops to train.
There was also a large POW camp there and that’s where this lady worked.

It was such a pleasure to give her the tour and listen to her talk.

[radu]

Yeah, I’ve been dreading this weekend but knew it was coming. It’s going to be a long winter.

I’ll have to remember to get in the habit of looking up tunes for Friday nights again. :-)

[luvie]

Yeah...now you’ll have plenty of time to do them. LOL! But, you will not miss getting up early, I’ll bet!

[radu]

Right. Getting up early is the one thing I WON’T miss. LOL