[December 3, 2020] A piece of sage counsel was given to me many decades ago. Sergeant First Class Owen Roberts said, “Sir, please allow me to give you some advice. Every order you give your men will create action, and every action they take will have consequences.” It took me years to figure out what he meant. He… Read More »
[December 2, 2020] Is this good advice? Of course, it is. The problem is that we generally ignore it. An old psychology professor I especially liked told me that we could analyze the human mind all our lives, but the easiest way to get to know a person’s heart is through a simple compliment. “Give me enough ribbons… Read More »
[November 30, 2020] “I’m giving you an opportunity to excel.” The Infantry Battalion Commander welcomed me to his unit with dry wit and a bit mysteriously. A commander is a special duty, one of great trust and honor. This particular commander had a reputation for perfection and was very conscientious about doing his job correctly. A command selection… Read More »
[November 26, 2020] The study of war is something that I do. The majority of my studies and articles I’ve written are about the “how” to conduct war. However, two crucial questions arise; what causes war, and what can we do about ending war. In this article, I will discuss U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen-Points to end all… Read More »
[November 25, 2020] My best Italian friend goes by the name Marco Polo. He’s a real go-getter, Vietnam veteran, and family man. In Vietnam, he was with the 1/4th U.S. Marines. Their motto, Whatever it Takes. In a nutshell, that describes the U.S. Marine Corps and my friend Marco. His life’s story should someday be a book. If… Read More »
[November 24, 2020] While writing an article yesterday on Good Sense, I was simultaneously thinking about the issue of morality and its impact on leadership. A host of questions sprung up that I was not prepared to answer. I will address one of the crucial questions here today. Leaders are granted certain powers and responsibilities. If we were… Read More »
[November 18, 2020] Just the other day, a note was sent to me from a long-time friend from my days as a young man. At my friend’s request, I mailed him a list of books that I had recently read. These were books that required a bit of thinking to understand fully. He asked because he was starting… Read More »
[November 17, 2020] In 2003, after the start of the Iraq War, several of my friends attending the U.S. Army War College (AWC) dropped out of the school to go with their unit to Iraq and fight. It was noble of them to do so, but there was a problem; none were allowed back into the AWC. As… Read More »
[November 16, 2020] As children, we learn at an early age that we are part of a family and with that comes both duties and responsibilities. Often we are given odd jobs around the home. I was fortunate to have many of these jobs outside the house, where I learned about hard work, saving my money, and leadership. … Read More »
[November 15, 2020] Just after midnight on May 1, 1898, the USS Olympia led a squadron of warships into Manila Bay. Spain and the U.S. had been at war for only a few days. As morning dawned, Commodore George Dewey hailed Olympia’s captain and spoke the now-famous words; You may fire when you are ready, Gridley. The ensuing… Read More »