[December 13, 2017] In the movie Aliens (1986), there is a scene where highly-trained colonial marines are about to be airdropped into a facility where they are to fight against the sinister extraterrestrials. When asked by Ripley how many combat drops Lieutenant Gorman has under his belt, he replies, “uh, two, including this one.” It did not inspire… Read More »
[December 11, 2017] Of course, the answer is that there are many leaders in the Middle East and each with his own brand of Islam and with his own ideas about the Sunni-Shiite divide. That, however, might be changing. The Middle East is a complex region with dynamics that confuses Westerners. One thing we should know is that… Read More »
[December 10, 2017] If we were to look for arrogance, hubris, and lack of concern for others, then look no further than what happened at the Battle of the Meuse-Argonne in 1918. World War I was a gory affair; the battle that began in September that year would become the bloodiest for the new American Expeditionary Force (AEF). … Read More »
[December 9, 2017] A few years ago one of the U.S. Army’s best machinegun crews was hurt when their gun blew-up. Why was it, that the best crew could have made a mistake that caused such a preventable accident? After an internal investigation (required whenever there are serious injuries) it was determined that the crew had taken unauthorized… Read More »
[December 7, 2017] The attack on Pearl Harbor on this date December 7, 1941, by the Imperial Japanese Navy is a day in infamy for many reasons. But it was also on this date that Americans began to find out about being tough, determined, and knowledgeable about freedom. In other words, they learned about winning. “A lot of… Read More »
[December 6, 2017] In September last year during the U.S. presidential elections, candidate Hillary Clinton referred to supporters of her opponent Donald Trump as “deplorables.” Some say that comment helped doom her campaign. Yet, politicians are not the only ones who say stupid things. For her campaign, it was one of those moments when clear-headed folks just shook… Read More »
[December 5, 2017] The girlfriend of one of my best friends is a hard person to get along with; even on her best days. She is a hardcore New York Yankees fan and only associates with like-minded baseball enthusiasts and other such devotees. Every conversation revolves around her team and, of course, they can do no wrong. She… Read More »
[December 4, 2017] Like the proverbial genie in the lamp, wishful thinking is at best a feel-good fantasy and at worse a flight of the imagination gone wrong. When I joined the U.S. Army I had the idea that my money problems would go away and I could relax in a stateside barracks with a bunch of fun… Read More »
[December 3, 2017] Hands-off leadership, incorrectly referred to as Laissez-Faire leadership, is a topic of intense debate in senior military circles. Today, I refer to hands-off leaders as those leaders who know what is happening, are not directly involved, trust others to do a good job, but also are who are unwilling to make decisions. This type of… Read More »
[December 2, 2017] As a 5-year old child I told a fib about a large catfish I’d caught in a nearby pond but somehow my grandmother, a great lady, knew I was exaggerating. As a child, I could get away with a little padding of my fishing résumé but as an adult, the effect can be unexpected and… Read More »