What Is The Infantryman’s Creed? What Does It Mean?

When recruits join the US army, particularly the US infantry, they begin turning their focus off themselves and onto the country, the people, and the country they serve. When you study this document, it becomes apparent that to be successful in the infantry, the recruit is required to assume a “servant” heart.

Every organization has a mission statement and a definition of the company’s core values. The same is true of the US military, where every branch has a statement that defines the ethos of that branch. In military culture, this is known as the creed of the branch.

The creed’s intent is to define a true warrior’s underlying motives and actions. In pursuit of this, the warrior must assume the traditions and values of the military branch in which the warrior is deployed.

What Is The Infantryman’s Creed?

The infantryman’s creed reads as follows twenty sentences.

1. I am the infantry.
2. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace.
3. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever.
4. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies.
5. I am the Queen of Battle.
6. I am what my country expects me to be, the best-trained soldier
7. in the world.
8. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous,
9. armed with a fierce will to win.
10. Never will I fail my country’s trust.
11. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall.
12. If necessary, I will fight to my death.
13. I have won more than 200 years of freedom by my steadfast courage.
14. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds,
15. For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight.
16. I forsake not my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty.
17. I am relentless.
18. I am always there, now, and forever.
19. I AM THE INFANTRY!
20. FOLLOW ME!

What Does The Infantryman’s Creed Mean?

By assuming these principles, the incumbent is motivated to make a personal commitment to align themselves with the following values.

The Infantryman’s Creed Means The Soldier Must Be Loyal

The infantry must display complete loyalty.

1. The US. Constitution.
2. The Army.
3. The unit the soldier is deployed to.
4. Any other soldier or US military personnel.

The Infantryman’s Creed Means The Soldier Must Do His Duty

An infantryman who is doing his duty means.

1. He must fulfill all of their obligations.
2. It means they must be able to complete a task as a useful team member.

The Infantryman’s Creed Means The Soldier Must Show Respect

The infantry’s focus on respect means

1. Each soldier should treat anyone else with dignity and respect the same way they want to be treated.
2. Respect allows the infantryman to see and expect the best in other people.
3. The soldier must trust that other people have done their duties.
4. The infantryman must respect themselves.

The Infantryman’s Creed Means Selfless Service

Selfless service means.

1. Put the country, the Army, and the infantryman’s subordinates before themselves.
2. Selfless service means no expectation of receiving thanks, honor, or personal wealth.

The Infantryman’s Creed Mean Means Honor

The honor which the creed seeks means.

1. To live up to the values and intent of the creed.
2. It is defined in the awarding of the nation’s highest award, “The medal of honor.”
3. Honor means living the values of respect, duty, loyalty, selfless service, integrity, and personal courage in every aspect of an infantryman’s life.

The Infantryman’s Creed Means Integrity

The creed’s commitment to integrity means.

1. Always trying to do what is correct, legally and morally.
2. It also means living by the very tenants of the creed.
3. With integrity comes trust being placed on the infantryman.

The Infantryman’s Creed Means Personal Courage

By personal courage, the infantryman means is

1. To face fear head-on and act with personal courage.
2. Being able to endure physical hardship.
3. Always striving to face moral fear and move on the correct path irrespective of the adversity.

The intent is that the infantry recruit will become the best version of themselves, which, in turn, is intended to be one of the key differentiators of a soldier in the US forces compared to any other military force across the globe.

This commitment to the behavior, the set of standards, and personal growth detailed in the creed also drive the ethical behavior of the incumbent.

It also demands that the soldier place the country’s interests ahead of any personal interest, to the point where, ultimately, the soldiers may have to sacrifice their lives to achieve the goals required by the company.

What Is The US Infantry?

The US Infantry, known as the “Queen of Battle,” consists of three main components.

1. The light infantry.
2. Stryker infantry.
3. Mechanized infantry.

The Light Infantry

The light infantry is made up mainly of foot soldiers who can be transported by motorized equipment and are trained and equipped to conduct assault by air.

Within the grouping termed light infantry are four subdivisions.

Light Infantry

Any infantry person who is not qualified or designated as Airborne Infantry, Air Assault Infantry, or Ranger Infantry is included in the grouping known as light infantry.

The light infantry units are divided into battalions, which are divided into three companies.

Each battalion is made up a

1. Headquarters
2. Headquarters Company (HHC)
3. three rifle companies.

Three battalions make up the core components of a light Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

Airborne Infantry

The soldiers in the airborne infantry are all parachute qualified and have to be a current capability for nighttime, low-level parachute insertion.

They are deployed on the air force strategic or tactical transport aircraft or by the Army Aviation aircraft.

Each battalion is made up a

1. Headquarters Company (HHC)
2. Three rifle companies.
3. An antiarmor company

Three battalions comprise the core components of an airborne Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

Air Assault Infantry

The air assault infantry is trained and qualified in the air assault mission role and is transported by the air force or the Army Aviation aircraft.

Each battalion is made up a

1. Headquarters Company (HHC)
2. Three rifle companies.
3. An antiarmor company

Three battalions comprise the core components of an air assault Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

Ranger Infantry

Ranger Infantry is qualified as parachute infantry, and their training and responsibilities are focused on special operations and normal light infantry tasks.

Each battalion is made up a

1. Headquarters Company (HHC)
2. three Ranger companies

Three battalions comprise the core components of the primary maneuver component of the 75th Ranger Regiment.

Stryker Infantry

The second of the three main infantry components is the Stryker unit.

As the name implies, they are trained and equipped to use the M1126 Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicles (Stryker).

They are designated medium infantry (as opposed to light infantry.

While they could be defined as mechanized infantry, the Stryker vehicles fall between the light infantry and heavy armor equipped as mechanized units.

It is because they are more heavily armored and have more powerful weapons than light infantry, but they don’t have the shear toughness as heavy armor-equipped mechanized infantry.

Each Stryker Infantry battalion is made up a

1. Headquarters
2. Headquarters Company (HHC)
3. Three Stryker infantry companies

Three battalions form the primary maneuver component of a Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

Mechanized Infantry

These are the heavy hitters of the infantry units.

They use the M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, and their purpose is to operate alongside and as a team with the tank units.

In other forces, the Mechanized Infantry units would be “heavy” or “armored” infantry.

The mechanized infantry units are made up of battalions which consist of.

1. Headquarters Company (HHC)
2. Two tank companies.
3. One mechanized infantry company

Or

4. Two mechanized infantry companies
5. One tank company

Three Battalions make up a maneuver component of an armored brigade combat unit.

Soldier’s Creed

In contrast to the infantryman’s creed, the American soldier’s creed consists of only thirteen sentences. It does not include any requirement to sacrifice the soldier’s own life in the interest of the country.

1. I am an American Soldier.
2. I am a warrior and a member of a team.
3. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.
4. I will always place the mission first.
5. I will never accept defeat.
6. I will never quit.
7. I will never leave a fallen comrade.
8. I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained, and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
9. I always maintain my arms, my equipment, and myself.
10. I am an expert, and I am a professional.
11. I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
12. I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
13. I am an American Soldier.

The Infantry Creed Presents A Unique Set Of Values

The US infantry’s creed is an amazing document laying out the core values of the infantry and how the soldiers in that command are expected to conduct themselves. It is intended to remove the soldier’s focus on self and instead point to a higher purpose, where the soldier’s life is spent in the country’s service.

When personal values are constantly being attacked and demeaned, the infantryman’s code is a breath of fresh air. It offers a set of standards that would be well emulated in civilian life.