Comparison: US Navy & Dr. Martin Luther King's Core Values

The core values of a valued life

Honor, Courage, and Commitment; every sailor knows these words. They are the primary words uttered at our nautical births in boot camp. They are also some of the last amorous words expressed as we retire from service. When we live a full life embracing the meaning of these words they become more then just a slogan, they become epitaphs of who we were.  In drawing parallels between the Navy's core values and those of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we find that these tenets are not just proper values for a “squared away” sailor but values for a dedicated and meaningful life.

Many will find it a bit perplexing to compare our Navy combat team’s core values to a man dedicated to peace. Pacifism is often viewed as cowardice, while warfare is viewed as courageous.  However these are distorted surface views. When we look at it in truth, they both can accomplish the same goals. President Theodore Roosevelt once said: “A good Navy is not a provocation of war. It is the surest guaranty of peace.” In point of fact, Dr. King’s principles of non-violence state that non-violence is not passive it is aggressive, dedicated, uncompromising, just, and takes great courage. No matter how it is accomplished there is honor in doing the right thing. 

In the Navy: Honor is the first of our Core values. With honor we show pride in our Navy, our country, and ourselves. We commit ourselves to being honest, of good character, integrity and loyalty. In his value system, Dr. King called this our incorruptible “Drum Major” instinct. It is what allows us to lead from the front without ego seeking the common good for all people. With honor we want to show ourselves to be worthy of the tasks put in front of us. It is what helps us face down tyrannical injustice or even certain death. Honor gives us purity of ego and sanctity of purpose. Those who honor others are thus honored themselves.

How is this Navy sense of honor different from Dr. King’s principle?  It is not.  We remember him today for his unimpeachable honesty in the cause of race relations, his desire to ask why instead of accepting the status quo. We also remember his loyalty to his followers which empowered him with the moral responsibility to give his all despite the possibility of untimely death. Dr. King understood and ascribed to the same rudimentary rules we cherish as a Navy: Honor is sacred and it is earned by first honoring those we work with. Those who are honored are leaders, and true leadership comes from the followership of honoring others.

When we remember Dr. King we are shook by his courage.  Courage is the second of the Navy core values. In many ways it is the most important because it helps to shape our character. Without character one is without purpose or meaning.  The Navy Core Values define courage as meeting the demands of the Navy and the mission entrusted to us despite all danger. We meet every challenge with honesty and careful efficiency while holding ourselves to the highest personal level.  As a sailor we understand that courage is not the absence of fear but the bravery to overcome fear to reach our goals. We may lose the support of friends, incur some injury, or even risk death.  Courage is mark on the high calling we are all trying to attain. It is what helps us to persevere despite all peril. 

Dr. King is one of the greatest examples of courage in American history. His life and the life of his family were threatened throughout his campaign for equal human rights. In 1954 while making a speech his house was bombed. His wife and baby were home and just missed being killed. Additionally, In 1962 a deranged women stabbed him in the chest within an inch from his heart. He was told that if he sneezed he would surely die.  Every march he participated in there was the threat of death from snipers, radical revolutionaries, and bombs. Peril was everywhere yet he courageously fought on.  These threats are very similar to the threats we face in our Navy service. Our shipmates doing IA tours in the Iraq and Afghanistan or the sailors who lost their lives on the USS Cole all experienced examples of evil. The threat is always clear and present in our lives out to sea. 

What keeps us fighting for the dream of freedom? The same value that Dr. King had: Courage. He saw beyond the limitations of the mortal man and relished the dream of equality inherent in all men. He understood that through the furnace of fear and hate our courage becomes manifest. It helps us to purpose a thing in our heart and commit to it with our soul. No man or threat can hinder you, and no task is too arduous. Dr. Martin Luther King had this courage. We as sailors must have this courage. We must strive to daily meet all missions and hazards with a purposeful heart, a sound mind, and righteous moral strength.  The gain is greater then the loss.  We are made stronger from our courage.

The last of the Navy core values is commitment.  In the Navy this means fostering respect up and down the chain of command. We are committed to the personal, professional, and spiritual well-being of our people regardless of race, orientation, or gender.  Sailors exhibit this commitment with their service to this great nation. Can we question the commitment of a Sailor who gives 20 years service to this nation? For over 20 years they commit to the belief that every thing they do adds to the greater good of our Navy and country.  This is the mental mandate that one must have in order to serve.  Dr. King believed in this trait.  He demanded our country honor it for all her citizens. He once said: "It may be possible to understand mistreatment by a totalitarian country, the denial of certain basic privileges may even be forgivable for these countries, because they never committed themselves to do better. America is not one of these countries. Since her founding she has committed herself to providing everyone their basic human rights."  Dr. King held America and himself to this promise.

In the Navy we profess our commitment when we recite the last few lines of the Sailor’s Creed: “I proudly serve my country’s Navy combat team with Honor, Courage, and Commitment. I am committed to excellence and the fair treatment of all."  Sailors understand that to live a committed life is to serve and to serve is to be committed to a greater purpose. We can look at Dr. King as an exemplar of this very value. He was committed to his dream and his purpose, even if it meant his life. This is the commitment ascribed to sailors who go above and beyond the call of duty. Without commitment a hero has no reason to be brave. It is the commitment to this nation that gives a sailor his purpose.  Purpose gives him the drive to do that which is courageous and beyond himself.

In closing, Americans like Dr. King allow us to see what a life lived with these core values can accomplish. They provide us clarity of vision in the haze of corruption, audacity in the face of death, and purpose beyond the sadness of sacrifice. Through his life we are shown what our CORE VALUES can achieve. We can serve with Honor, by being honest in our day to day activities without ego or malice. We can serve with Courage and not cower in fear but inspire others to do all that is righteous for the greater good of his fellow man. We can serve with Commitment by always considering what our actions contribute to the excellence and the fair treatment of all mankind. In the end we can be proud to say we serve our families, country, and Navy with HONOR, COURAGE, and COMMITMENT.

© 2013 Eddie K. Phillips

Author's Note

I wrote this several years ago for a Navy essay presentation. I read it once a year to remind myself that these Values are not alien. They are the values of a honorable life. It is a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King's desire to affect change in this world by utilizing these basic tenets.