[May 18, 2016] Throughout 1940, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Congress debated and delayed preparing the country’s military for the war raging across Europe and Asia. Fortunately, armament production began in earnest late that year. Only the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 brought the America into the war. For leadership, it’s never too late to correct a wrong or to change course.
Due to the push from American senior leadership for change in 1940 and the authorization to expand the military was the country even remotely ready for war. Since World War I, the U.S. had disarmed its forces and failed to upgrade or maintain its existing military equipment and ships. With a few minor exceptions in the U.S. Navy, the demilitarization had gone on for such an extended period that a culture of decline had descended upon it.
Leaders know that it’s never too late to fix a problem, apologize for a mistake, to revisit an old idea, or to push for something better. Those leaders who are willing to entertain only the status quo are those same leaders that will fail and fail magnificently when under pressure to make bold changes. Great leaders are quick to recognize this but even the average leader should know that it’s never too late to do something right.
American leadership finally had allowed the nation to prepare for war. Despite the inadequate measures taken, if it had not been for modest growth of its military infrastructure and personnel, the U.S. participation would have been much less effective. In the 20th Century, the greatest event was World War II and America’s part, notwithstanding entering the war late, was what tipped the balance toward victory against a totalitarian vision and Axis powers that planned to impose their will on others.
It’s never too late, even when all odds and obstacles have stacked against you for a person to make a change or do something to fix a problem. Too many college students, many of them military veterans, think that their past decisions have locked them into a future of failed expectations. However, I’ve found that in spite of a history of making bad decisions, it is never too late to begin today to take corrective measures.
When President Roosevelt began his campaign to prepare America for war, he knew that the public would oppose him and politicians would scorn and ridicule him for those views. But he persisted and eventually won the backing of most Americans. Their contribution to the war effort helped the Allied cause of victory over tyranny in its many forms. It’s never too late.
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