“I am committed to excellence and the fair treatment of all.”
That is the last line of the Sailor’s Creed.
The word creed is from the Latin word credo which means “I believe.” The Sailor’s Creed is supposed to articulate what we believe as sailors. We are sailors first. We are not our racial, gender, or ethnic classification. We are sailors. Too many within the ranks hold onto their individual identities and tribes outside of the Navy. Even within the Navy, too many base their identity around their rating, community, and rank. There is not one cohesive sailor identity.
The issue of diversity and inclusion does not lie in a lack of programs and policies. The issue is those seeking to undermine diversity and inclusion efforts by holding onto to their outdated belief systems. We have too many within the ranks who know the textbook answers to give when it comes to diversity and inclusion, but whose actions are completely contrary. To paraphrase the Bible, they have the appearance of supporting diversity and inclusion but deny its power.1
Too many times throughout my career I have attended diversity trainings taught and attended by those who attend merely to fulfill the requirement, not because they agree with the subject matter. Often, I hear comments such as, “No one really cares about this stuff” or “I can listen with a closed mind.” It reminds me of the infamous Marshawn Lynch interview at Super Bowl Media Day in 2015 where he repeatedly answered every question with, “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.” Too many within the ranks have that same mentality when it comes to diversity and inclusion, they are there because they have to be; not because they want to be. They sign the roster and go on about their lives. Nothing has changed.
There are also those who will learn the information taught within the course just to use the program’s language to undermine it. Therefore, the real battle is not with a lack of adequate programs and initiatives. The problem we are fighting is firmly held internalized belief systems.
The question is, how do we combat the subculture that is seeking to undermine diversity efforts?
The Sailor’s Creed
The answer lies in the Sailor’s Creed. According to the Naval History and Heritage Command:
The Sailor’s Creed governs virtually all aspects of a sailor’s existence while in the Navy. It is a staple of Navy culture, often recited like a pledge of allegiance, reminding all service members of whom they are, and why they serve.
The Blue Ribbon Recruit Training Panel wrote the Sailor’s Creed in 1993 under the direction of Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Frank Kelso. Also, in 1993 under the direction of Admiral Kelso, the Navy changed its core values from “Professionalism, Integrity, and Tradition” to “Honor, Courage, and Commitment.”
The year 1993 was pivotal for the U.S. Navy. It may have had something to do with the changes happening in the United States at the time. President Bill Clinton had just assumed office ushering a time of sweeping social change in the country. Under his administration, Janet Reno became the first female Attorney General of the United States. The high-profile trial of the officers who beat Rodney King was underway. Also, “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell” was announced, which allowed gays and lesbians to serve without discrimination, though not openly.
Perhaps Admiral Kelso recognized that with the nation’s changes, the Navy needed to change as well. Or the changes may have been in response to events that preceded the Clinton years; events that happened between 5–8 September at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the 35th Annual Tailhook Association Symposium in 1991. At this event, “U.S. Navy and Marine Corps officers and defense contractors committed sexual harassment and sexual assault.” This scandal brought great shame to the United States Navy. Tailhook was a symptom of a larger problem. A culture existed in which this behavior was permissible, if not expected. But what the participants failed to realize is while their internal culture had not changed, the times surely had.
We were in the information age. Cameras were more readily available. It was the genesis of modern-day social media. The world’s scrutiny fell on the Navy. A change needed to happen. The Navy needed a new belief system; hence, the Sailor’s Creed and new core values.
According to retired Master Chief Petty Officer John Hagan:
We gathered to discuss a proposal to modify our published core values to achieve one set of core values for the naval services for use by sailors and Marines. At that time in 1992, the Navy’s official banner words were Tradition, Integrity, and Professionalism; the Marine Corps’ were Honor, Courage, and Commitment.
A few tentative remarks were made before General Walter Boomer, then the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, said, emphatically but without a trace of arrogance, “Marine Corps values are honor, courage, and commitment. Marines learn them in boot camp. They identify with them and remember them. We like them; they are working for us; and we are not going to change them!”
There was no similar defense of the Navy’s banner core values, and, in truth, the words were never well known among sailors. The words were not working for us. Mostly they were gathering dust in some lofty places where sailors rarely ventured. There really was no reason to object to adopting new words to inspire and guide the sailor.’”
The Marines understand the power of a cohesive identity. Future Marines receive indoctrination from the very beginning of what it means to be a Marine with reinforcement throughout their career. Marines know their history and are proud of it. It does not matter if they are ground, air, or logistics, they are ALL MARINES! You earn the title through blood, sweat, and tears. Once earned, you can proudly wear it for life unless you bring shame to it.
We are missing that in the Navy.
A Cohesive identity
To have a cohesive identity, we must all be willing to relinquish our old beliefs and embrace our identities as sailors.
I admit, this is difficult. As a step toward that goal, I created and taught a program on my ship called “Dignity and Respect.”
The course starts with an activity where I have the sailors put playing cards on their foreheads. Without looking at the cards they line themselves up from the highest to the lowest card. They cannot look at the card on their heads or talk to one another. They must line themselves up based on non-verbal communication.
At the end when I ask the sailors on the high end (often mostly men) what made them think they were supposed to be on that end, they often say people bowed to and looked up to them. Some would say, “I just felt like I should be on this end.” When I asked those on the lower end why they put themselves there (mostly women and people of color), they often said because people would not look at them or scoffed at them.
Afterward, I have them remove the cards from their foreheads, look at them and then realign themselves. The sailors are surprised. Some who had placed themselves on the low end had high cards and some who placed themselves on the high end had middle or low cards. This exercise teaches perception and nonverbal communication. Every day, we communicate verbally and nonverbally in and out of the Navy. We treat others how we perceive them.
We then go into a discussion about how our home environments shaped our thinking. Sometimes we play a modified version of “Heads Up” where we put a topic on a person’s head and have the group shout out stereotypes until the person figures out the topic. For example, the topic could be “Southerners.” The answers range from sweet tea and “bless your heart” to slow talkers and cotton. From there we discuss how the media and our environments shape stereotypes and how stereotypes can be simultaneously true and untrue.
After establishing how our environments have shaped our thinking we then go into the sexual assault and harassment portion of the course which the command Equal Opportunity Officer teaches. We kick this portion off with the “Tea and Consent” video. From there, we help the sailors to understand why certain comments and actions that may be permissible in some contexts are not permissible in the Navy. The command Psychological Technician then discusses the psychological impact of harassment and discrimination on individuals.
Finally, we conclude the course with the story of the six blind men and the elephant. Each man touches a portion of the elephant then attempts to describe the elephant based on the portion they touched. They each have a different description of the elephant based on the piece they touched. They are all right and they are all wrong.
So, it goes with life. We each have a portion of the information, but not the entire perspective. But when we put our perspectives together, we get the fuller picture.
I intentionally keep the groups small to better facilitate discussion. I noticed through teaching this course, this was the first time many of the sailors confronted their belief systems, regardless of rank or time in service.
Of course, there will always be those who will continue to hold fast to their contrarian beliefs. Their hearts will remain hardened to all efforts to be inclusive. When raised to believe you are superior and are now learning that the very people you believe are inferior are equal and capable of surpassing you in areas you excelled in, that will create an identity crisis. When confronted with this reality there are different responses:
Some become enlightened and embrace change. These tend to be the younger sailors.
Others withdraw because it is too overwhelming to reconcile their beliefs with this new reality and they exit the services.
Then there are those who become hostile and will do everything to resist change.
Publicly these duplicitous individuals will say the right things while their actions will be completely contrary. They will feign ignorance of their wrongdoing regardless of training. This is a character issue, and no amount of education can change this person. “Neither is new wine put into old wineskins . . .”2 The only antidote to a hardened heart is accountability. We must not allow individuals to exploit the gray areas. Our leaders should not feel comfortable saying, “I can listen with a closed mind” or “No one really cares about this stuff.” We must make those who practice discrimination as uncomfortable as we do those who violate any other law within the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Too often, minorities in leadership positions are set up for failure because of a lack of support. Often, it is the teams who are supposed to support them who are the ones undermining them. And then when that leader fails, the commentary is [insert a minority group] are not ready to hold these positions. The truth is, they were set up to fail before they even got to the position. They are scapegoats.
It is quite Machiavellian. The mental exhaustion caused by discrimination is enough to bring some to the brink of madness. Microaggressions are real and proliferating within the ranks. No wonder so many sailors are unwilling to reenlist, failing to adapt, or resigning their commission. The mental gymnastics and lack of support are too exhausting. We need accountability for those undermining the mission or we will continue to battle this internal war of attrition.
I am committed to excellence and the fair treatment of all.
Either we believe these words, or all discussions and trainings about inclusion and diversity are perfunctory gestures and we are all “just here so we won’t get fined.”
- 2 Timothy 3:5 (NIV).
- Luke 5:37 (NIV).
