Following two crashes in 2000 which killed 23 Marines, it was soon discovered that several Marine Corps generals may have been involved in a scandal to cover-up the aircraft's obvious shortcomings. In addition to this, many officers of rank 0-6 and below were also believed to be involved. This kind of activity is completely unacceptable and became so serious that it eventually cost several Marines their lives. In addition, officers, especially those of flag rank, must be hold themselves to the highest possible standard, a

In conclusion, I have found that a total prohibition of lying cannot be accepted because it fails to recognize certain situations such as the hiding of Jews or a white lie told to protect your mother's feelings. Lying is not always wrong. It is not the communication or knowing of a falsehood which makes lying wrong. Rather, it is the intent to deceive and harm a person who has not given up their right to the truth that is not acceptable. This is where the MV-22 Osprey scandal fits in, as this situation is determined to be wrong in accordance to the ethics of all three great minds aforementioned: Kant, St. Augustine, and Aquinas. Although the Marines involved believed they had valid reasons to lie, their actions still fail the Categorical Imperative of Kant and ethical explanations of Augustine and Aquinas. As a result of their failure to act properly in the face of the adversity they faced in the problems with the program, they brought dishonor to themselves and the Marine Corps. Most importantly, their lies caused the deaths of many men who should not have died. Lying is not always wrong, but it definitely was in this case.

Kant's Universal Imperative is obtained through his search for the "supreme principle of morality." His conclusions significantly involve one's duties and how someone's actions are motivated by duty alone. It was the Marines duty to properly document the testing of the MV-22 Osprey. Even after failing to do this, it was still their duty to tell the truth and own up to their mistakes. Honor and integrity are necessary values to military effectiveness and functionality. This idea of duty is defined as an imperative, and, in turn, separated into two kinds of imperatives, hypothetical and categorical. Hypothetical imperatives state, in terms of X and Y, that, "If you want X, do Y." For example, if you want to make money, then get a job. On the other hand, categorical imperatives are much more direct, saying, "Do X!" An example of this would be the orders given by God in the Ten Commandments, such as, "Thou shalt not lie." Kant concluded that his supreme principle of morality takes the form of a categorical imperative, or universal imperative.

Despite the validity of the arguments made by Kant and St. Augustine, their hard-nosed approach to the acceptance of lying is not always logical or applicable to all situations. St. Thomas Aquinas agreed with St. Augustine and Kant that lying constitutes a wrong or a sin respectively; however, he further categorized three different levels of lying. First are lies of an officious, or helpful, nature. Secondly, jocose lies are considered those told in jest. Lastly, and most serious are the mischievous lies which are told maliciously to harm o

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1848
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)