[November 23, 2020] And so it began. My best childhood friend, Wilson, and I would fight over the most trivial matter. Often, we couldn’t even remember what the fight was about. One fistfight, the one I do remember, was when Wilson said I had no good sense. I wouldn’t say I liked the insult, so I slugged him… Read More »
[November 22, 2020] Today’s article is not about dogs and ponies. Some readers might be disappointed because they interpret the title of my articles quite seriously. I’m using the phrase as a colloquium to mean “some elaborate or overblown affair or event.” I retired from the U.S. Army, and, unsurprisingly, I have witnessed many dog and pony shows,… Read More »
[November 19, 2020] I remember being called a lunatic by several of my commanders. I was an Infantry Company Commander when it first happened. My boss at the time, a Lieutenant Colonel, said that I was a “crazy man and lunatic” when it came to battle tactics. I ran across a poem by Vietnam War correspondent Joe Galloway… 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 »
[November 14, 2020] One of my personal interests has been understanding the way successful leaders think. I do this as a way to improve show up-and-coming leaders how to improve their leadership skills. A recent article by Andrew Stone, MD, at Eternal Soldier piqued my interest. It was titled, Did King Paul have PTSD? Dr. Stone proposed a… Read More »
[November 13, 2020] A successful Army 2-star general once told me never to let anyone control my schedule. Instead, he advised that I develop my own routine and stick by it. Having a routine and following it has many advantages, which I address below. I discovered that senior leaders must plan adequately, husband their time resources, and develop… Read More »
[November 9, 2020] A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a short article that outlined what I believed to be the 20 top characteristics of a great leader.1 A week later, political reporter Byron York at the Washington Examiner wrote that “exit pollsters” listed four qualities of a President. We both compared Joe Biden and Donald Trump.2 “If… Read More »
[November 6, 2020] Yogi Berra famously said of baseball games, “It’s not over till it’s over.” Like baseball games, the U.S. presidential election is not yet decided. With lawsuits, recounts, and other legal actions underway to sort out the real vote count, it’s hard to be optimistic about our country’s direction. Joe Biden may eventually be president of… Read More »