2.3 Ethical Standards & the Airman's Creed

Law Versus Ethics

AFH 1 opens Section 1D with a distinction the PFE tests directly:

"Although following the law is ethical, laws only tell us what we can and cannot do. Ethics, on the other hand, tells us what we should or shouldn't do."

The handbook adds the operative rule: "Airmen must follow the law, but simply doing so is not enough." Behavior and motives must not create even the appearance of impropriety. Note also the vocabulary split AFH 1 uses: moral values describe what we hold to be right and wrong; ethics is "the systematic reflection of these values enabling us to live and act according to our beliefs."

AFH 1 lists where the Air Force ethical code is prescribed. Memorize the set:

• The core values
• Our oaths
• The Airman's Creed
• Profession of Arms
• DoD and USAF guidance
• The Joint Ethics Regulation
• The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)

AFH 1 is also explicit that personal values such as happiness or stability "must not take precedence over USAF's ethical values."

Title 5, CFR, Part 2635

The governing federal rule is Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 2635, Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. Learn the citation itself — items sometimes ask only for the source. AFH 1 lists representative expectations:

The Gift Rules Between Ranks

Two related rules appear together and are easy to blur:

1. Employees may generally not accept gifts from subordinates or from employees who make less pay than themselves.
2. Employees may not solicit a donation for a gift to a superior, donate for a gift to a superior official, or accept a gift from subordinate personnel — except for voluntary gifts or contributions of nominal value not to exceed $10, on occasions of special personal significance (marriage, birth of a child) or occasions that terminate the superior-subordinate relationship (retirement, PCS or reassignment).

The $10 figure and the two qualifying occasion types are exactly the kind of specific values the PFE keys on.

Anatomy of an Ethical Dilemma

AFH 1 defines an ethical dilemma as "a situation where one is forced to choose between at least two alternatives," and names three general causes or sources:

1. Uncertainty — not having all the facts, not having enough experience for the situation, or having no clearly established policy, procedure, or rule.
2. Competing values — personal values conflicting with those of the institution, subordinates, peers, or supervisors. AFH 1 says the mark of a true professional is maintaining high professional standards despite conflicting values by locating the conflict, weighing options, and deciding on the best course of action.
3. Potential harm — the intentional and unintentional short- and long-term consequences of our actions.

Airmen "should always think through second and third order effects" of their actions.

The Three Tests

AFH 1 credits Dr. Robert M. Hicks, former Deputy Director of the Civil Air Patrol, Chaplain Services, with three tests for checking the morality of an action or decision:

The ordering inside the USA test (nation → Air Force → unit → self) is itself testable and mirrors the ordering of loyalty in Section 1C.

Honorable Characteristics

AFH 1 names three honorable characteristics and defines each:

• Valor — "the ability to face danger or hardship in a determined and resolute manner"; recognized as bravery, fearlessness, fortitude, gallantry, heart, and nerve.
• Courage — the ability to face fear, danger, or adversity. AFH 1 names three types critical in the profession of arms: personal (doing what's right even when risking one's career), physical (overcoming fears of bodily harm), and moral (standing by the core values when it is not popular).
• Sacrifice — "a willingness to give your time, comfort, or life to meet others' needs."

The three types of courage are a distinct list from the virtue of courage under Integrity First. An item that asks for "the three types of courage critical in the profession of arms" is keyed to personal, physical, and moral — not honesty, courage, and accountability.

The Airman's Creed

Section 1D closes with paragraph 1.5, The Airman's Creed, presented to the USAF in 2007 by General T. Michael Moseley, 18th Air Force Chief of Staff. AFH 1 states the intent: to enhance the building of a warrior ethos among Airmen and establish a coherent bond between members of the USAF, as part of Moseley's priority to reinvigorate the Total Force.

I am an American Airman. I am a Warrior. I have answered my Nation's call. I am an American Airman. My mission is to Fly, Fight, and Win. I am faithful to a Proud Heritage, A Tradition of Honor, And a Legacy of Valor. I am an American Airman. Guardian of Freedom and Justice, My Nation's Sword and Shield, Its Sentry and Avenger. I defend my Country with my Life. I am an American Airman. Wingman, Leader, Warrior. I will never leave an Airman behind, I will never falter, And I will not fail.

Learn the four stanza-opening roles — Warrior; Fly, Fight, and Win; Guardian of Freedom and Justice; Wingman, Leader, Warrior — and the year and attribution. Items commonly swap 2007 for 2008 or attribute the creed to Fogleman.