The Soldier's Creed is a standard by which all
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
personnel are expected to live. All U.S. Army enlisted personnel are taught the Soldier's Creed during basic training, and recite the creed in public ceremonies at the conclusion of training. Both the Soldier's Creed and the
Noncommissioned Officer's Creed are required knowledge at enlisted promotion boards to compete for the rank of
sergeant and above, as well as 'Soldier of the Month' boards. It is also common practice to recite the Soldier's Creed at the graduation ceremony from
Army ROTC
The Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AROTC) is the United States Army component of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It is the largest Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program which is a group of college and university-based offic ...
. Unlike the
U.S. Uniformed Services Oath of Office or the
Oath of Enlistment, the Soldier's Creed is not a legally-binding oath and can be affirmed by both commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers.
History
The current version of the Soldier's Creed is a product of the 'Warrior Ethos' program authorized by the then
Army Chief of Staff Eric K. Shinseki in May 2003. It was written by members of Task Force Soldier's Warrior Ethos Team, and was first approved in its current format by the next Army Chief of Staff
Peter Schoomaker
Peter Jan Schoomaker (born February 12, 1946) is a retired four-star general of the United States Army who served as the 35th Chief of Staff of the United States Army from August 1, 2003 to April 10, 2007. Schoomaker's appointment as Chief of S ...
on 13 November 2003. The introduction of the Soldier's Creed kicked off a campaign known as 'Task Force Soldier'. This is a leadership commitment to soldiers ensuring they are prepared for combat and embody the Warrior Ethos contained in the Soldier's Creed.
SMDC – CSM Homepage
It seems to have been discussed in Congress in a 'Hearing on Army Issues' held by Senator John W. Warner
John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to ...
on or about 19 November 2003. It was first published in the magazine ''Infantry'' on 22 December 2003.
Soldiers stand at attention
The position of at attention, or standing at attention, is a military posture which involves the following general postures:
* Standing upright with an assertive and correct posture: famously "chin up, chest out, shoulders back, stomach in".
* Ar ...
when formally reciting the Soldier's Creed as part of an official ceremony.
Current version
U.S. Army Warrior Ethos
The U.S. Army Warrior Ethos has been incorporated into the Soldier's Creed and is italicized in the text above (as is quite common in any print version supplied by the U.S. Army itself).
Pre-2003 version
See also
*Airman's Creed
The Airman's Creed is a creed for members of the U.S. Air Force. It was introduced in 2007 by General T. Michael Moseley, Chief of staff (military), Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force. In a letter introducing the creed, Moseley wrote that one of ...
(U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
)
* Code of the U.S. Fighting Force
* Creed of the United States Coast Guardsman (U.S. Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mul ...
)
* Infantryman's Creed (U.S. Army, Infantry Branch)
* Noncommissioned officer's creed (U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
)
* Quartermaster Creed (U.S. Army, Quartermaster Corps
Following is a list of Quartermaster Corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties:
* Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army
* Hellenic Army Quartermaster Corps (''Σώμα Φροντιστών ...
)
* Ranger Creed (U.S. Army, Rangers)
*Rifleman's Creed
The Rifleman's Creed (also known as My Rifle and The Creed of the United States Marine) is a part of basic United States Marine Corps doctrine. Major General William H. Rupertus wrote it during World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor bet ...
( U.S. Marine Corps)
*Sailor's Creed
The Sailor's Creed is a code of ethics of the United States Navy, originally developed for the promotion of personal excellence.
While other regulations, codes, and standards may apply to the United States Armed Forces writ large, the Sailor's Cre ...
(U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
)
References
External links
New values cards, Warrior Ethos ‘dogtags’ available to Army units
Web Version of U.S. Army FM 3-21.75 The Warrior Ethos and Soldier Combat SkillsArmy slide show on the Warrior Ethos
{{US military navbox
United States Army traditions
Warrior code
2003 works
Works originally published in American magazines