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

Your honor and integrity are first and foremost. Careers come and go, but your reputation concerning whether you maintain your honor and integrity lasts a lifetime.

Our careers are molded by all these values and we cannot have a GOOD career without them. IT all works hand in hand. It is only when we start to sacrifice any one of them to further our career that we veer off the path. It is not always easy to do the right thing rather than try the quick easy way. I raised my hand to be part of something bigger than myself. Not for money or glory. This is where our NEW military has begun to falter. We need to bring new emphasis on these simple principles before our beloved military gets turned into corporate America. If you are an NCO now it is your job to accomplish this. Us old dinosaurs did our best, now it is your turn.
Loyalty - Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit and other Soldiers.
Duty - Fulfill your obligations.
Respect - Treat people as they should be treated.
Selfless Service - Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own.
Honor - Live up to all the Army values.
Integrity - Do what’s right, legally and morally.
Personal Courage - Face fear, danger, or adversity [physical or moral].

I think that first and foremost is Integrity.... doing what is right, even with nobody watching. If you have integrity, you live with honor. These 2 go hand in hand. Once you live with both integrity and honor, EVERYTHING else will fall into place....Family, Career.....everything. It takes a lot of work, but if you live with integrity and honor, you will always sleep well at night knowing that you did the right thing.

PO1 Steven Kuhn Integrity and Honor is more important. Without that you can have a job, but not a career.

In my kitchen above the door I have this motivational inspiration hanging to see every day.

Integrity and honour -- the career will follow. Disabled veterans struggle to maintain their sense of honour, and often get side-lined. Today, I mentored a retired MGySgt, who is also a Deacon in thesis completion -- although I am in desperate need of computer assistance technology -- I helped, and suffered the eye pain and now massive headache to accompany it. Honor: I will not ask Voc Rehab again for three simple cost-effective tools to help me get back to what I do best -- research methodology and being a professor... Please see previous comments for that wonderful experience...

I loved becoming a grunt in the 82nd, and looked forward to moving into SF. In the latter part of my assignment to the 82d we had moved from Viet Nam officers to post Viet Nam officers. There were good officers and some dysfunctional officers. We had a CO who embarked on Article 15 contests with other Company commanders. I grew up behind the Iron Curtain, so seeing the abuse of the judicial system for prurient kicks by dysfunctional people who were destroying young men's careers with this stupidity went against my grain and I began to write their defenses. The Brigade legal NCO let me know what was happening, and a group of NCO's worked together to try to defuse this atrocious behavior. I eventually lost a stripe because the CO could not force me to stop writing defenses. I also refused to call him sir, but that's another story. Eventually I became a highly respected litigation support specialist and expert witness in my civilian career - skills that are an excellent addition to our arsenal as we challenge the VA and other Agencies in their pursuit of ill-advised and illegal policies. One of our other NCO's retired as a highly decorated soldier after a 40 year career.

To answer your question, what kind of career would you have without integrity and honor. Everyone knows your career will be defined my your love of country, devotion to duty, integrity, honor, selflessness and professionalism. I do not mind listening to a differing opinion. I might not agree with you and we may debate but I will not criticize you. I will not call you vulgar names and be derogatory. It is in these differing opinions that we as individuals can learn. So be strong in your beliefs and ideas but open your ears to listen before condemning and criticizing.

I HATE politics! I all about honor, and integrity. I did not, and would not follow an unlawful order. For me, I respect EVERYONE in the military, AND civilian. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me! If someone stabs me in the back, they are DONE! I don't care who they are, military or civilian. I am NOT afraid. I had this happen to me.

I do not believe that anyone will admit that their career would come before integrity and honor. However, I have seen this up and down the ranks in my small time in the Army. As a leader your integrity and honor is the most important thing one can have. Once a leader loses their honor and integrity they can no longer be an effective leader. In my opinion, any leader who is focused on themselves and not on taking care of their Soldiers and accomplishing the mission has already lost the right to be called a leader.