What is more important, your career or your integrity and honor?

PO1 Steven Kuhn. My patients first . . . last . . . and in between. Sandy

No way anyone will answer career.

Honor. Integrity. Career. In that order. Most recently I have been called on the carpet for supporting a 1LT who was seriously wronged in Afghanistan. I wrote a very strongly worded letter of endorsement for him to remain in the Army and have his record cleared of some egregious and inflammatory administrative action that was taken against him when there were others who should have shouldered the blame. He was a scape goat and a head on a pike. It was an empty mission though...I knew it had no chance of being overturned as it was done by a sitting Division Commander with a significant name. I was questioned for the language I used and for writing it in the first place. I was asked why it was worth putting my reputation on the line for someone like that. My answer seemed obvious to me. If not me then who? If not for this 1LT, then for who. Why are we here as leaders? The answer..."Well, it damaged your credibility." You fight every day for what is right. No matter the consequence. Sometimes your idea of right ain't going to match your boss' idea of right...or more aptly...smart. It's then when you will have to determine what matters more to you. That 1LT's opinion of me mattered much more than my rater or senior rater's opinion of me. Still does. Might not work out for me in the end though, and that 1LT will be out of the Army soon...but I will always remember his inability to thank me for trying to catch as many bullets as I could. One got through. There's a great quote out there...don't know if it's real or not..."Once, a young man lie bleeding on the battlefield. He was screaming for his buddy. His buddy asked his officer if he could go get him and the officer said no. He went anyway. Dodging bullets and shrapnel he made it and drug his friend from the battlefield. On the way back he was shot multiple times but stumbled back into his own lines. When he arrived his officer was furious. I told you not to go...now I've lost both of you...it wasn't worth it. The Soldier cradled his friend's head in his lap and as he died he said, 'But it was, sir. Because when I got to him he said, 'Jim...I knew you'd come.'

I was forced out of the Navy because I refused to testify at a Captain's Mast that I saw some friends throw a rock through the window of a truck at a party. They may have done it. I just didn't see it. The Skipper tried to hang my prior alcoholic incident over me saying, if you don't testify, we'll call this a second alcoholic incident and discharge you. Well, the moment that my chain of command tried to blackmail me into falsely testifying against fellow sailors, that's when I said, fine. I'll take my discharge please.

Let me think. Retired after 21 years an E-6. You think I stepped on a few toes? LOL! Yeah I may not have been "Correct" as far as some of my Senior NCO's were concerned but I carried my head held high.

PO1 Steven Kuhn, do you honestly expect anyone to answer the question without saying their integrity and honor is the most important?

Somehow I don't think you'll get many answers like, "My career is the most important. I cozy up to my superiors and never express a view that I think they won't like. Integrity and honor are great words for me to use, but I won't let them get in the way of doing what's right ... for the advancement of my career."

Having said that, I absolutely agree with the points you made after the question.

Integrity and honor without a doubt! I completely despise when my integrity is questioned. That has caused some...shall we say, delays in my career. I will not 'stand down' when my integrity is questioned. Call it a character flaw or maybe I am just to old and grumpy to be a old junior enlisted. I digress, my apologies...

I would rather be broke than have no integrity or honor...is that worded better? lol

Integrity and honor beyond any shadow of a doubt. Your service is your job, your career, your livelihood. You integrity and honor is who you are as a person and a human being. I would never give up how people felt about me just to save what is ultimately a paycheck.

With that being said, I love the Army since being a hardworking man of integrity is well accepted and get me far.

My integrity and honor is far more important than my career. The problem with words in a forum is that not knowing the individual allows the intent of the post to be misread or misconstrued. I know I have had quite a few heated dicussions on Rallypoint where the individual thought I was personally attacking someone. When honestly, they just did not understand the post in question. Being politically correct helps prevents these personal arguments. Once someone understands you and knows you, the need to be politically correct no longer applies. We all have different education, backgrounds, and experiences so our communications will never be perfect, but at least we are trying to understand one another.

I'm suprised that so many of these responses say that no one would put/say career first. For many individuals on rallypoint I can see this might be true, but from experience I know many leaders who will put their career above their integrity and honor anyday. I am not one of those individuals and continue to be perceived as a troublemaker for standing up for my values, but I would rather be hated by everyone then hated by myself.