Core Values Defined
Integrity is a character trait. It is the willingness to do what is right even when no one is looking.
Integrity is the very fiber of all core values, without it all other core values cannot prevail. It is the cornerstone for all that is moral and just in our society. It is more than simple honesty. It embraces other attributes such as courage, responsibility, accountability, justice, openness, self-respect, and humility. Practically, it involves keeping commitments, being sincere, being honest in word and deed, and expecting the same of others. Integrity also involves accepting responsibility for one’s actions, and being a morally upright person. Former Air Force Chief of Staff, General Charles A. Gabriel said, "Integrity is the fundamental premise of service in a free society. Without integrity, the moral pillars of our military strength--public trust and self-respect--are lost."
Integrity ordinarily means forthright honesty. It means being the kind of person others can rely on for accurate, complete, and timely disclosure of facts. All of this is true but as a moral ideal, integrity demands more than being the kind of person who can be counted on to tell the truth. Integrity also demands we be persons of good character. This, in fact, is the original sense of the word "integrity" as "integratedness," "wholeness," or "wholesomeness."
The following quote is from an article by former Secretary of the Air Force, Sheila Widnall, and former Air Force Chief of Staff, General Ronald Fogleman:
"Integrity is essential. It’s the inner voice, the source of self-control, the basis for the trust that is imperative in today’s military. It’s doing the right thing when nobody’s looking."
Voluntarily giving of oneself, over personal desires, to provide for the welfare of others.
The Air Force has a similar value called "service before self." We embrace this core value and reflect it in our spirit of volunteerism. It is the willingness and ability to give of
Integrity is the very fiber of all core values, without it all other core values cannot prevail. It is the cornerstone for all that is moral and just in our society. It is more than simple honesty. It embraces other attributes such as courage, responsibility, accountability, justice, openness, self-respect, and humility. Practically, it involves keeping commitments, being sincere, being honest in word and deed, and expecting the same of others. Integrity also involves accepting responsibility for one’s actions, and being a morally upright person. Former Air Force Chief of Staff, General Charles A. Gabriel said, "Integrity is the fundamental premise of service in a free society. Without integrity, the moral pillars of our military strength--public trust and self-respect--are lost."
Integrity ordinarily means forthright honesty. It means being the kind of person others can rely on for accurate, complete, and timely disclosure of facts. All of this is true but as a moral ideal, integrity demands more than being the kind of person who can be counted on to tell the truth. Integrity also demands we be persons of good character. This, in fact, is the original sense of the word "integrity" as "integratedness," "wholeness," or "wholesomeness."
The following quote is from an article by former Secretary of the Air Force, Sheila Widnall, and former Air Force Chief of Staff, General Ronald Fogleman:
"Integrity is essential. It’s the inner voice, the source of self-control, the basis for the trust that is imperative in today’s military. It’s doing the right thing when nobody’s looking."
Voluntarily giving of oneself, over personal desires, to provide for the welfare of others.
The Air Force has a similar value called "service before self." We embrace this core value and reflect it in our spirit of volunteerism. It is the willingness and ability to give of