US Army Eo Program Essay

U.S. ARMY EO Program

Equality

For quite some time now, the United States Army has been dedicated to the concept of equal opportunity employment and conditions for its employees to labor in. Such an environment is one devoid of sexism, racism, classicism, as well as of many of the discriminatory considerations and practices that, unfortunately, still are found in much of the country today. One of the chief areas in which such unwarranted behavior has the potential to become manifest within the military service (as well as within civilian life) is in the making of inappropriate remarks and jocular behavior based on ethnicity, sex, or several other factors that are germane to a certain demographic of people. A substantial body of literature exists that supports the notion that the military will not tolerate such behavior, and there are also fairly significant, structured steps to take to discipline anyone who transgresses the boundaries of the environment of equal opportunity which the armed services seeks to provide.

One of the stated purposes of the Equal Opportunity Program of the Army is to Create and sustain effective units by eliminating discriminatory behaviors or practices that undermine teamwork, mutual respect, loyalty, and shared sacrifice of the men and women of America's Army… The U.S. Army will provide EO and fair treatment for military personnel and Family members without regard to race, color, gender, religion, national origin, and provide an environment free of unlawful discrimination and offensive behavior (No author, 1994, p. 9-10).

There can be little doubt that the stating of remarks that are based on someone's race and ethnicity are inappropriate for a working environment, let alone an environment that strives for "fair treatment" of people regardless of their nationality, religious beliefs, sex or identity. Subsequently, the armed forces has adopted a policy of no tolerance of any such commentary, and has outlined a formal…