Ethical and Moral Leadership in the Military Saving Private Ryan Case Study Part 1 From the Beachhead to the Village Leadership Authority and Responsibility Were the Orders by Capt Miller Ethical Within the Limits of Authority Related to Military Duty Clear and Unequivocal Received and Understood Article 1 of the Geneva Convention states Persons taking no active part in hostilities including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness wounds detention or any other cause shall in all circumstances be treated humanely without any adverse distinction founded on race color religion or faith sex birth or wealth or any other similar criteria The Law of Armed Conflict states NONCOMBATANTS These people include medical personnel chaplains POWs wounded and sick shipwrecked parachutists escaping disabled aircraft and civilians NONCOMBATANTS are NOT legal targets A noncombatant poses no military threat to us Therefore there is no military necessity principle I in targeting them Explain the math of this one to me what s the sense of risking the lives of the eight of us for just one guy Pvt Reiban Military Priorities 1st Mission 2nd Higher HQ 3rd Collateral Units 4th Unit Welfare 5th Individuals 6th Yourself 7th To Act Decisively 8th Community Mission vs People Capt Miller in response to Pvt Reiban There s a duty as soldiers We have orders we have to follow them and that supersedes everything else A Leader s Decision for the People or for the Mission Group Egoism to group acts are judged according to a whether their consequences are beneficial or harmful for the entire group family tribe nation to which they belong Under any form of egoism the costs and benefits to others outside of the group or the leader are given subordinate status or are ignored entirely b Deontological to duty comes from the Greek word deon or duty since it emphasizes foundational duties or obligations A moral obligation that a person has towards another person Duties are actions that are due to someone else such as paying money that one owes to a creditor Right vs Right Right vs Wrong Many of the decisions made in combat are made on the basis of consequences weighing the costs and benefits of various alternatives Dr Larry Hinman Part 2 From the Village to the Glider The decent thing to do Military Priorities 1st Mission 2nd Higher HQ 3rd Collateral Units 4th Unit Welfare 5th Individuals 6th Yourself 7th To Act Decisively 8th Community A Leader s Rationalization Capt Miller When one of your men is killed you tell yourself it happened to save the lives of 2 3 10 maybe 100 others We ve lost 94 men I ve saved the lives of maybe 10 times that That s how simple it is that s how you rationalize b w mission and the man 1st Sgt Horvath Sir sometimes the mission is the man Capt Miller Well this Ryan better be worth it he better go home and cure some disease or invent a longer lasting light bulb or something Chaplain Col Maloney s 3 Ethical Pressures Faced by Military Professionals 1 Rule Oriented 2 Goal Oriented 3 Situation Oriented Part 3 Moving out from the Glider to the Decision at the Bridge Balancing Considerations An Unnecessary Risk To The Mission To The People Balancing Considerations Sir are you gonna let them kill him Sir this isn t right Cpl Upham Balancing Considerations An added twist with the decision we later see the freed soldier returns to fight against them again Balancing Considerations Disobeying Orders Dissention When do you fire on your fellow soldier Summary Officers Provide Sanity Check Leadership Authority and Responsibility Principle Purpose People Blind Obedience is Dangerous Illegal Immoral Unethical Orders Dissention Disobeying Orders The End does not Always Justify the Means Ethical Pressures Balancing Considerations Right vs Right or Right vs Wrong APPENDIX OF CHARACTERS Captain Miller Private Ryan Sergeant Horvath Private Reiban Private Jackson Medic Wade Corporal Upham Private Melish Private Caparzo Captain John Miller Actor Tom Hanks Private James F Ryan Actor Matt Damon Sergeant First Class Horvath Actor Tom Sizemore Private Reiban Actor Ed Burns Threatens to walk away from mission after letting the POW go Private Jackson Actor Barry Pepper Competent Sniper T 4 Medic Wade Actor Giovanni Ribisi Killed in attack on radar station Corporal Upham Actor Jeremy Davies Private Melish Actor Adam Goldberg Private Caparzo Actor Vin Diesel Killed by sniper in the village trying to save the girl