Commander's Corner
Garrison Commander
Fort McPherson & Fort Gillem
We who serve and support our armed forces as Civilian employees, military members or Family members are fortunate to serve at a time when the American public appreciates and supports America's servicemembers and their Families.
Routinely, we experience public appreciation for our service to our nation, and we are especially grateful for this support.
Quite often, members of our community reach out to us to offer their support in a tangible way.
Private individuals and organizations frequently offer money, time, tangible property and discounts. In many cases, these offers of support will promote the health, comfort, convenience and morale of our Soldiers.
In this climate of support, I want to remind leaders at all levels that we can do the right thing for our Soldiers by ensuring the Army's acceptance of such benefits is done lawfully and ethically.
We all want our Soldiers to benefit to the maximum extent and as often as the mission allows, but our moral compass must include strict adherence to the guiding rules of ethics and the Army's gift regulations.
Unless we do so correctly, we fail to truly take care of our Soldiers to the extent that we subject them to inadvertent ethics violations. Fortunately, every commander on Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem has ethics counselors available to assist with these matters. I strongly encourage all leaders to use these assets.
Generally, Army personnel, including their Families, are prohibited from directly or indirectly accepting gifts from any person or entity. There are many exceptions to this rule, more than I can summarize in this column.
Often, these gift offers catch us by surprise, such as a restaurant manager deciding not to charge a Soldier for lunch - a pleasant surprise when it happens once, but awkward when it starts to happen frequently.
Each of you is reminded that the Army - and its personnel - are prohibited from soliciting gifts from any entity.
There are various avenues by which we can provide unsolicited benefits to our Soldiers ethically and properly.
As the garrison commander, I have certain authority to accept donated property on behalf of a unit or group of Soldiers.
I will do so only in situations where the proposed donation will promote the health, comfort, convenience and morale of our Soldiers and is offered unconditionally for the benefit of Soldiers. If I accept such a gift, I must then ensure it is distributed in a fashion that is fair, equal and irrespective of rank and position.
We are often faced with outside organizations that seek to donate money or property to benefit Soldiers in general. An appropriate avenue for this type of donation is the Directorate of Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation.
Specific regulations apply to FMWR which enable it to accept and distribute donations for the benefit of all Soldiers.
The rules and regulations governing our acceptance of gifts make sense because public service is a public trust.
The American people expect us to show the highest levels of integrity and faithfulness at all times. Solicitation or acceptance of gifts can create the appearance of improper influence in the performance of an official act.
It can also create the appearance of endorsement, which is not permitted under the ethics regulations that apply to all government employees - servicemembers and Civilian.
We are fortunate to serve at a time of public support to the military. We must never take advantage of those good graces, or give the appearance of doing so.
Even if the acceptance of a particular gift is perfectly lawful, I encourage our leaders within our community to take a step back and consider how the acceptance of an otherwise "legal" gift might appear to an outsider.
If a perfect stranger walked by your area and saw your personnel enjoying a particular benefit, would that stranger think something questionable was happening'
If that is the case, look for a better way. Sometimes, it might mean not accepting a donation or benefit. More often than not, it simply requires that we work together to ensure we accept such donations lawfully and ethically, and that we distribute benefits appropriately.
Passing along the gratitude and support of the American people is the right thing to do in most cases. If someone contacts you to donate a benefit to Soldiers, notify your chain of command and contact your ethics counselor.
With a little planning and teamwork, we can do the right thing for our Soldiers.
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