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The Effect of Rumors on an Army Unit

Every time the Army has someone deploy, it is their unit who will be their social ties overseas and their support system upon their return home. These are also the men and women who will have each other’s back should the unit be called to combat. This is why unit cohesion is so important in the Army. Although there are many things that can effect unit cohesion, few are as pervasive and hard to deal with as rumors.
Since one of the most important elements of a unit is trust, it is understandable that rumors can be devastating to an Army unit. When members of a unit spread a rumor, they are violating the trust of the individual or individuals the rumor is about. Also, an environment is created where unit members fear doing anything that might possibly be misconstrued. After all, if unit members are willing to spread rumors about one person, they are willing to spread rumors about anyone. With all of the other issues a unit faces, creating an untrusting environment to work in should not be one of them. This creates a unit that cannot trust one another, meaning critical mistakes may be made at critical times.
Rumors often do not stay within the unit. Many times they spread to spouses and other units. While on deployment, a soldier has little he or she can do to defend themselves against the rumors spread by others. It is all too easy to share how one member of the unit has been rumored to sleep with another member while e-mailing or on a phone call with a loved one. Since most military families socialize and support each other while their loved ones are deployed, inevitably the rumor will spread much further than expected. When the person or persons the rumor is about are confronted by their loved ones via e-mail or phone, they will be hurt and discouraged. This in turn will affect the cohesion of the unit. A real life example of this was shared on Military.com. “There was a rumor that a commander's wife reported that a deployed Soldier was having an affair. Members of the FRG, who were very upset, related the details to their deployed spouses. Senior unit leaders decided not to tell the commander because the allegations were deemed too inflammatory. Unfortunately, unit morale and cohesion began to suffer greatly as the rumor spread throughout the ranks. A month later, the commander finally learned of this destructive rumor, which had been undermining his authority to lead. He immediately confronted his wife, senior leaders and the Soldier about whom the allegation had been made. Evidence about the validity of these allegations, or how the rumor started in the first place, could not be found. In response, the commander issued a very firm policy regarding exposing all rumors - whether they be true or false. Unit morale and cohesion, although badly bruised, then began to recover.” ("The Emotional Cycle of Deployment: Sustainment.").
This leads into the next reason rumors can be bad for unit cohesion. Even if the rumors are not about the leadership in the unit, they can affect the leadership’s ability to effectively lead the unit. The people in the unit will be concerning themselves with the rumor, thereby ignoring the leadership, or they will be sharing rumors about the leadership. Either scenario negatively affects the unit. By undermining the leadership, every activity the unit takes place in will be less effective and more risky. This could be so serious as to be life or death, depending on the situation. If leadership is ignored or undermine in a combat situation, the results could be catastrophic.
Unfortunately, since units are made of people, rumors are inevitable. Even Military.com acknowledges they are inevitable. While giving advice to those considering a military career, the website states, “You will quickly learn that military runs on rumors. Unfortunately, rumors are usually wrong, and can be deadly for morale. If you hear a rumor, take it for what it's worth, not much! Since you don't know the truth, don't spread the rumor; and whatever you do, don't let rumors mess with your head. Again, rumors are about 10 percent truth and 90 percent fiction.” ("10 Tips To Ensure a Successful Military Career."). What is not inevitable is how they are handled. It is imperative to unit cohesion that rumors be dealt with swiftly. This means that as soon as a member of a unit hears of a rumor, they should confront it directly. If they are uncomfortable doing so they should go to a member of leadership. As soon as leadership hears of a rumor, they should call it out. They should find out the truth behind it, how the rumor began, and take any action necessary for the given situation. By quickly pinpointing the issue and handling it directly, unit cohesion will begin to mend itself.
Being part of an Army unit also means living up to the Army values of, Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless-Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. By allowing or continuing to spread a rumor, Army personnel violate every one of these. They violate their loyalty both to the Army and to their own unit. Rumors can cause a person not to do their duty. Spreading rumors shows a serious lack of respect for the people the rumor is about, the unit, and the leadership in the unit. It is also very selfish to derive pleasure from sharing on someone else’s misfortune or mistake. The honor and integrity of an Army personnel who hears a rumor and does nothing to bring it to light is in serious question. By not continuing to spread the rumor, and instead helping to shed light onto the rumor one also helps restore their fellow unit members to the honor and integrity they should have upheld. Finally, it takes courage to go against the grain and report a rumor instead of simply passing it on to the next willing listener. The Army values are important, since they also help create a safe, cohesive unit. It would be a shame to violate them to simply spread a rumor.
Suffice it to say, rumors and how they are handled can make or break and Army unit. If a unit allows rumors to be spread without taking action, unit cohesion will inevitably suffer. This will create a lot of issues with the unit. A unit that takes the initiative to ferret out rumors and handle them professionally will see greater unit cohesion. This will lead to a better experience for the unit no matter where they are.

Works Cited

"The Emotional Cycle of Deployment: Sustainment." Military.com. Military.com, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
"10 Tips To Ensure a Successful Military Career." Military.com. Military.com, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.