The Sailor's Creed is a code of ethics of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
, originally developed for the promotion of personal excellence.
While other regulations, codes, and standards may apply to the
United States Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
writ large, the Sailor's Creed is specific to the Navy. It focuses on self-respect, respect for others, and the Navy's core values of honor, courage, and commitment. Recited by units almost daily, the Sailor's Creed reinforces the notion that personnel are sailors first (i.e., before their
rating
A rating is an evaluation or assessment of something, in terms of quality, quantity, or some combination of both.
Rating or ratings may also refer to:
Business and economics
* Credit rating, estimating the credit worthiness of an individual, c ...
) and seeks to build
esprit de corps
Morale, also known as esprit de corps (), is the capacity of a group's members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value ...
throughout the Navy as a whole.
History
Original version
The first version of the Sailor's Creed came from an idea in 1986 by Admiral James D. Watkins,
Chief of Naval Operations
The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...
, to form a group that would create a Code of Ethics for the Navy. The result of this meeting at the
Naval War College
The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...
was the eight-point ''The Navy Uniform'', and was later scaled down to a shorter version called the Sailor's Creed.
The original text was as follows:
Current version
The current version of the Sailor's Creed was a product of many Blue Ribbon Recruit Training Panels in 1993 at the direction of
Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
Frank B. Kelso II
Frank Benton Kelso II (July 11, 1933 – June 23, 2013) was an admiral of the United States Navy, who served as Chief of Naval Operations from 1990 to 1994.
Early life
Kelso was born in Fayetteville, Tennessee, on July 11, 1933. He attended public ...
, Chief of Naval Operations. It has been revised twice, once in 1994 under the direction of Chief of Naval Operations Admiral
Jeremy Boorda
Jeremy Michael Boorda (November 26, 1939 – May 16, 1996) was a United States Navy admiral who served as the 25th Chief of Naval Operations. Boorda is notable as the first person to have risen from the enlisted ranks to become Chief of Naval Ope ...
and again in 1997. These changes were made to make the creed inclusively descriptive of all hands.
[
] The creed is taught and recited in boot camp and at some officer accession programs.
[
]
See also
*
Hospital corpsman's pledge
*
Rifleman's Creed
The Rifleman's Creed (also known as My Rifle and The Creed of the United States Marine) is a part of basic United States Marine Corps doctrine. Major General William H. Rupertus wrote it during World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor bet ...
(USMC)
*
Airman's Creed
The Airman's Creed is a creed for members of the U.S. Air Force. It was introduced in 2007 by General T. Michael Moseley, Chief of staff (military), Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force. In a letter introducing the creed, Moseley wrote that one of ...
*
Soldier's Creed
The Soldier's Creed is a standard by which all United States Army personnel are expected to live. All U.S. Army enlisted personnel are taught the Soldier's Creed during basic training, and recite the creed in public ceremonies at the conclusion o ...
*
Quartermaster Creed
*
Ranger Creed
The Ranger Creed is the official creed of the United States Army Rangers. The Ranger Creed was written in 1974 by CSM Neal R. Gentry, the original command sergeant major of the reactivated 1st Ranger Battalion. It was initiated by the Battalion C ...
*
Creed of the United States Coast Guardsman
The Creed of the United States Coast Guardsman was written in 1938 by Vice Admiral Harry G. Hamlet, who served as Commandant of the Coast Guard from 1932 to 1936.Noncommissioned officer's creed
The U.S. Army Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer, otherwise known as the Noncommissioned Officer's Creed, and commonly shortened to the NCO creed, is a tool used in the United States Army to educate and remind enlisted leaders of their responsib ...
References
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United States Navy
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