[April 7, 2022] “Don’t bunch up!” Army Sergeant William Duchy yelled as a gaggle of new Privates was training how to conduct an attack on a simulated enemy position. “Spread out!” People are social creatures, and when under stress, people want to be physically close to one another. As a young adult, I read about the American Revolution. … Read More »
[April 5, 2022] The first article I wrote for my blog addressed the issue of leaders living in a fishbowl.1 By that, I meant that leaders at all levels who work in high visibility, highly competitive organizations are best served if their public and private life are open for everyone to see. This is a controversial view. At… Read More »
[February 22, 2022] I was on “Veterans Talk”1 at KDWN 720AM/101.5FM radio this past Saturday. The show’s theme was based on the question, Is Patriotism Dead? Not to give away too much, but I argue that American patriotism is not dead, and I list the reasons why. The interview format worked well as the dialogue flowed – mostly… Read More »
[February 17, 2022] With great fanfare, the CEO of Morgan Stanley investment bank announced a new Freshman Enhancement Program in conjunction with Princeton University.1 Morgan Stanley’s program excludes those who are not Black, Hispanic, Native American or LGBTQ+ freshman undergraduate class of 2025. By doing this, Morgan Stanley violated their core values. Putting aside the issue that anyone… Read More »
[February 15, 2022] Last night, my wife watched a political commentary on her Fire Tablet device. She yells over to me and says, “You gotta see this.” Two black women, Diamond and Silk, were non-stop yakking it up about freedom and liberty, how our political and legal system is failing, and making us both laugh. It was just… Read More »
[February 5, 2022] We hear, on occasion, of heroic deeds of our military personnel; those who put their lives on the line for their buddies in a display of unbelievable courage. We need heroes like that, and for reasons of necessity, we do indeed love our heroes. But, there are also many more stories of ordinary troops who,… Read More »
[January 16, 2022] For the common good. When someone asked why they visited disgrace upon those Spartans among them who lost their shields but did not do the same thing to those who lost their helmets or breastplates, the Spartan King Demaratus is said to have replied: “Because the latter they put on for their own protection, but… Read More »
[January 11, 2022] Growing up, it was a weekly event to play team sports in the elementary schoolyard. Our teacher would choose two (either a boy or girl) as the team leader. The team leaders would take turns picking team members. A basic rule was to pick the strongest first. Likewise, as a leader of Infantry Soldiers, I… Read More »
[January 10, 2022] It’s a fact; I was a wimp before joining the U.S. Army. My upbringing was not at fault. I grew up around combat veterans, had a good formal and religious education, and had plenty of freedom to fish, hunt, and camp. I had plenty of opportunities but not enough challenges. Sure, I had dirty jobs… Read More »
[December 13, 2021] A measure of a good leader is not their popularity or their intelligence, but their ability to convince others to achieve important goals and to get things accomplished (get ‘er done). Over the past year, there has been a growing consensus that Vice President Kamala Harris has failed to live up to the hype about… Read More »