Ethical Dilemmas In The Military

Ethical Dilemma: Health vs Integrity
David Vanik
ORGL 2300
Fall 2016

Ethics and morality is the cornerstone of the military mindset. How do decisions affect not only the individual, but the team. Does the individual act professional and consider the ramifications of their actions when viewed against the larger organization and the core value instilled in the individual since basic training? Without discipline, ethics and morality guiding the hand of a military machine, the military is nothing more than a highly weaponized mob. But like any other career field, the individual can still be confronted with ethical dilemmas. Placing the team and the service over your own needs is necessary in combat, however it must also be tempered
The first two core values conflict many times when dealing with the medical status and flying status. For an active duty Airman, the idea of being grounded due to medical is easy to absorb, the office is typically fully staffed, another crew member is usually on standby as a backup and most importantly, the grounded flyer is paid regardless, crews are staffed according to availability with their civilian career, there are no backups in the event of a call off, and most importantly, the Reservist’s pay is directly impacted by their flight status. This presents a dilemma to the airmen flying as a reservist, “I am supposed to be honest and report to medical any sickness or injury. If I do this, they will cancel the flight, I will not get paid, and the rest of the crew will lose training opportunities.” This quandary leads many individuals to take the path is most beneficial to themselves and the team as opposed to the actual rules and
It can be something as complex as an order issued that you oppose due to personal morality, like firing on area that may contain friendly forces due to that area being a threat to the overall mission. It can also be something as simple as a clerical or administrative classification that may be incorrect and benefits you individually, while creating challenges for others on the team. Medical clearances for aircrew members present a unique problem for reserve aviators. By attempting to be forward leaning and attempting to complete the mission, even training missions, the individual puts service before self but lapses in integrity. The individual may be injured or ill in a way that can negatively impact the whole crew while performing flight duties if they do not follow established procedures for medical clearance, yet they will lose out on pay and their removal from flight status due to this illness or injury could cancel any future training missions this person is assigned too. The underlying message of this ethical dilemma can be describe as this; perform your duties to the best of your abilities, if your illness or injuries hinders this ability, you must follow the medical grounding procedures, regardless of its impact on you personally. The crew is counting on you in flight to be able to make the right decisions, sometimes those decisions can me the difference between life and death, not