[June 11, 2021] Many folks look on the bright side of life, and they are the very ones who help make our daily routines worthwhile. I’m taking horse riding lessons. Yes, I’m from Texas and never took a riding lesson in my life. What I discovered at this horse farm was finding leaders who took the time to… Read More »
[June 10, 2021] If we were to look back into time, it would be easy to pick out great wartime leaders. We can name many of them quickly – Ramesses II, Hannibal, Caesar Augustus, Charlemagne, etc. Today, we can still learn from these ancient leaders and what advanced traits they possessed that helped make them so successful. We… Read More »
[June 9, 2021] On several occasions, I noted a tendency for Western media toward an anti-democratic bias (see links here, here, and here). Whether it is honoring dead Islamic terrorists or advocating for looting, rioting, and murder, many news organizations have failed at their most basic task – providing impartial information to the public. A recent example of… Read More »
[June 8, 2021] Decades ago, my first job after promotion to Sergeant in the U.S. Army was to be a mortar crew chief. It didn’t take long for our crew to become proficient at our jobs, but one day something unexpected happened. When my loader put a round into the tube, it didn’t come out. When this happens,… Read More »
[June 5, 2021] The Ancient Chinese General and philosopher Sun Tzu once wrote, “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” He was referring to the fact that no matter what happens on the battlefield to military forces, there is always a way to hold off defeat to the nation-state. War is not always won on the… Read More »
[June 4, 2021] During World War I, 103 years ago, a U.S. Marine said one of the most audacious things ever. Retreat? Hell! We just got here! Leading up to June 6, this is the kind of subject matter on which I like to write. I’m convinced that all of us can learn lessons from combat, regardless whether… Read More »
[June 1, 2021] Seventy-Nine years ago today, the world was to first hear of the systematic, formally authorized extermination of Jews. Near the small town of Chelmno, a Nazi-operated death camp in Poland, began the gassing of Jews and other “undesirables.” Sadly, much of the history of the Holocaust is now being lost to indifference and willful ignorance.… Read More »
[May 29, 2021] Can a century’s old brutal leadership provide us with critical lessons today? In an award-winning movie, The Patriot starring Mel Gibson, the story is told of events in the Revolutionary War. British Colonel Banastre Tarleton provided surprising successful battlefield leadership but also failed ultimately in his leadership role. As told in the movie, the story… Read More »
[May 28, 2021] In 1969, Johnny Cash’s song, “A Boy Named Sue,’ hit Number 1 on the country charts. The song is about a young man’s quest for revenge on his father, who abandoned him and whose only contribution was to give him the feminine name Sue. We teach our boys to be strong, independent, and honest. How… Read More »
[May 27, 2021] We often learn from the writers of the past, those who could help us understand ourselves better – as leaders – and who draw attention to the most useful of virtues. One person in antiquity that we look to today is Marcus Tullius Cicero. He famously wrote that ‘Gratitude is not only the greatest of… Read More »