A Survivor of the Bataan Death March

By | September 24, 2025

[September 24, 2025]  After a week of activities honoring those who fought in the Vietnam War, I was privileged to speak with a woman whose father was a survivor of the Bataan Death March in April 1942.  This is his story, reprinted with permission from his daughter, Barbara. Bataan Peninsula is a mountainous promontory of Luzon Island, part… Read More »

A Turning Point: the Charlie Kirk Memorial

By | September 23, 2025

[September 23, 2025]  I couldn’t let this opportunity go by without commenting on the Charlie Kirk memorial, held this past Sunday.  Attendance was massive by any measure; something like 200,000 with about 70,000 in the stadium. Millions more, like myself, watched online and on television.  The memorial represents something more profound than perhaps we can imagine. Long before… Read More »

The Virtue of Being a Monster

By | September 20, 2025

[September 20, 2025]  This morning, in the early hours as I prepare for the last day of honoring our Vietnam Veterans, I watched a clip of Dr. Jordan Peterson discussing the virtue of being a monster.  I thought to myself, how appropriate his comments were, because that is what our heroes from that war created, virtuous men who… Read More »

Thoughts on Senior Leader Thinking

By | September 19, 2025

[September 19, 2016]  A few years ago, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., there was a discussion at the most senior levels of the U.S. military on “emerging leaders” and senior leader thinking.  I was there.  About a dozen new General/Flag officers were being advised on what would be expected of them in their roles.   Much is expected… Read More »

Trust in Leadership

By | September 17, 2025

[September 17, 2025]  A recent Gallup poll in the United States found that almost half say that the government is an “immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens.”   While the polling data only goes back to 2003 when the question was first asked, it’s no new revelation.  I’ve also written about the decline in the… Read More »

Last Week, the World Changed

By | September 16, 2025

[September 16, 2025]  Since the assassination of Charlie Kirk last week, we are witnessing an unexpected outpouring of hate. Many Americans, I’m sad to say, have exposed themselves as morally depraved as they openly, shamelessly, and vigorously mock the murder. Many are posting words, images, and videos that claim Charlie Kirk was a hater who spread lies and… Read More »