Patriot Games

Good morals and good character are absolutely essential to the upkeep and operation of the Army. To include people from the smallest island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the United States Army consists of a portion of every nationality in the world. With such diversity as this, there would consequently be a very diverse view of good morals and good character. What the idea of the Army values does is simple: it gives everybody in the entire Army the exact same standard to live up to. Very rarely can a soldier say, "I didn't know that I shouldn't have done that." It makes no difference whether a soldier is sleeping in class, showing up late for a formation, or something as serious as getting charged with a DWI. All three of these examples show a lack of Army values, no matter where you come from, no matter what your standards are. The Army standard says you messed up, so you did. The values create a code of uniformity for everyone to follow.

In the movie Patriot Games, the main character was a man by the name of Jack Ryan. Jack Ryan was a former member of the United States Marine Corps, and then an analyst for the CIA. After retiring from the CIA, he becomes a teacher. Following one of his speeches in Great Britain, Jack Ryan and his family witness an attack on Lord William Holmes, British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. While they were being attacked, Jack Ryan threw the thought of safety out the window and did what he believed to be right. He left the secure spot behind a car that his family was hiding behind, and ran out to fight the perpetrators behind the attack. This is one of the few things in the movie that I believe showed an efficiency of Army values. The fact that he left the safety of the protected vehicle shows that he had a great deal of Personal Courage, which is a very important part of the Army values, as are all of the values. When Jack Ryan risked his life to save that of the Secretary of State from another country, he exemplified...