Remarks at JSCOPE 2000 (Joint Services Conference on Professional Ethics)

January 27, 2000

By General Charles C. Krulak

We study and we discuss ethical principles because it serves to
strengthen and validate our own inner value system ... It gives direction
to what I call our moral compass. It is the understanding of ethics that
becomes the foundation upon which we can deliberately commit to inviolate
principles. It becomes the basis of what we are ... Of what we include in
our character. Based on it, we commit to doing what is right. We expect
such commitment from our leaders. But most importantly, we must demand it
of ourselves. Sound morals and ethical behavior cannot be established or
created in a day, a semester, or a year. They must be institutionalized
within our character over time ... They must become a way of life. They
go beyond our individual services and beyond our ranks or positions; they
cut to the heart and to the soul of who we are and what we are and what we
must be ... Men and women of character. They arm us for the challenges to
come and they impart to us a sense of wholeness. They unite us in the
calling we now know as the profession of arms.

Of all the moral and ethical guideposts that we have been brought up
to recognize, the one that, for me, stands above the rest ... The one
that I have kept in the forefront of my mind ... Is integrity. It is my
ethical and personal touchstone. Integrity, as we know it today, stands
for soundness of moral principle and character - uprightness - honesty.
Yet there is more. Integrity is also an ideal ... A goal to strive for
... And for a man or woman to "walk in their integrity" is to require
constant discipline and usage.

The word integrity itself is a martial word that comes to us from an
ancient roman army tradition. During the time of the 12 Caesars, the roman
army would conduct morning inspections. As the inspecting centurion would
come in front of each legionnaire, the soldier would strike with his right
fist the armor breastplate that covered his heart. The armor had to be
strongest there in order to protect the heart from the sword thrusts and
from arrow strikes. As the soldier struck his armor, he would shout
"integritas" (in-teg-ri-tas), which in Latin means material wholeness,
completeness, and entirety. The inspecting centurion would listen closely
for this affirmation and also for the ring that well kept armor would give
off. Satisfied that the armor was sound and that the soldier beneath it
was protected, he would then move on to the next man.

At about the same time, the praetorians or imperial bodyguard were
ascending into power and influence. Drawn from the best "politically
correct" soldiers of the legions, they received the finest equipment and
armor. They no longer had to shout "integritas" to signify that their
armor was sound. Instead, as they struck their breastplate, they would
shout "hail Caesar," to signify that their heart belonged to the imperial
personage - not to their unit - not to an institution - not to a code of
ideals. They armored themselves to serve the cause of a single man.

A century passed and the rift between the legion and the imperial
bodyguard, and its excesses, grew larger. To signify the difference
between the two organizations, the legionnaire, upon striking his armor
would no longer shout "integritas," but instead would shout "integer"
(in-te-ger). Integer means undiminished - complete - perfect. It not only
indicated that the armor was sound, it also indicated that the soldier
wearing the armor was sound of character. He was complete in his
integrity... His heart was in the right place ... His standards and morals
were high. He was not associated with the immoral conduct that was rapidly
becoming the signature of the praetorian guards.

The armor of integrity continued to serve the legion well. For over
four centuries they held the line against the marauding Goths and vandals
but by 383 ad, the social decline that infected the republic and the
Praetorian Guard had its effects upon the legion.

As a 4th century roman general wrote, "when, because of negligence and
laziness, parade ground drills were abandoned, the customary armor began
to feel heavy since the soldiers rarely, if ever, wore it. Therefore, they
first asked the emperor to set aside the breastplates and mail and then
the helmets. So our soldiers fought the Goths without any protection for
the heart and head and were often beaten by archers. Although there were
many disasters, which led to the loss of great cities, no one tried to
restore the armor to the infantry. They took their armor off, and when
the armor came off - so too came their integrity." It was only a matter
of a few years until the legion rotted from within and was unable to hold
the frontiers ... The barbarians were at the gates.

Integrity ... It is a combination of the words, "integritas" and
"integer." It refers to the putting on of armor, of building a
completeness ... A wholeness ... A wholeness in character. How
appropriate that the word integrity is a derivative of two words
describing the character of a member of the profession of arms. The
military has a tradition of producing great leaders that possess the
highest ethical standards and integrity. It produces men and women of
character ... Character that allows them to deal ethically with the
challenges of today and to make conscious decisions about how they will
approach tomorrow.

However, as I mentioned earlier, this is not done instantly. It
requires that integrity become a way of life ... It must be woven into the
very fabric of our soul. Just as was true in the days of imperial Rome,
you either walk in your integrity daily, or you take off the armor of the
"integer" and leave your heart and soul exposed ... Open to attack.

My challenge to you is simple but often very difficult ... Wear your
armor of integrity ... Take full measure of its weight ... Find comfort in
its protection ... Do not become lax. And always, always, remember that
no one can take your integrity from you. You and only you can give it
away!

The biblical book of practical ethics - better known as the book of
proverbs - sums it up very nicely: "the integrity of the upright shall
guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them."
(pr 11:3)

Thank you.