[July 4, 2021] It seems like a long time ago. Eighty-two years ago this day, July 4th, 1939, Lou Gehrig gave his farewell speech, saying he was the luckiest man on Earth. His speech came just after Gehrig was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, Lou Gehrig was a special man, and he recognized that his accomplishments… Read More »
[July 3, 2021] A military study was conducted by the Israeli Army back in the early 1980s. Military leaders wanted to improve their ability to succeed on the battlefield. After reviewing new technologies and supply systems, the most significant improvement was found in better training of its soldiers. They learned an old lesson – train as you fight.… Read More »
[July 2, 2021] The military salute is a sign of respect and recognition of another military member.1 On the flip side, we know that warfare is complex and all about defeating an enemy. We also know the advantage of killing leaders. Such an act can create chaos. Therefore, we regularly discourage saluting in combat environments. It was standard… Read More »
[July 1, 2021] I’ve been reading my notes from 2003 to 2005 on my first combat tour in the Iraq War. Mostly these five notebooks are filled with to-do lists, but they also have poignant messages to me about what I saw and what I thought and felt. Despite this, I am humble enough to know that those… Read More »
[June 30, 2021] I have always had the personal philosophy that if something can go wrong, it will. There is nothing bad about it; the fact is the world is an imperfect place and, well, I like it that way. Challenges are what make us better, force us to adopt responsibility to be more – certainly not less… Read More »
[June 29, 2021] Some of us remember the “Iranian Hostage Crisis” in 1979, where 52 American diplomats and citizens were held hostage after Iranian militants took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran for 444 days. In 1979, poor American leadership was an invitation to rogue actors to hit against the interests of the U.S. American leadership at the… Read More »
[June 28, 2021] When I wrote yesterday about how courage comes in many forms (read that as kids showing adults how to be courageous), I had no idea that there is a new organization that is bravely taking on “woke” education. They are providing a lesson in leadership at its best. Free to Learn has as its mission,… Read More »
[June 27, 2021] I live in a relatively rural area of Southern New Jersey. It is where you can feel safe walking in a local park and watch children playing on the playground. But the number one issue is exploding crime. The number two issue is the decline of our school system and its infection by Critical Race… Read More »
[June 26, 2021] Earlier this month, I wrote a book review of Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds. Today, I’ll be highlighting some of Robin Olds’ thoughts about how to improve your situation when given a leadership mess. Leaders interested in improving their organizations are often assigned positions where things are bad, sometimes very bad. … Read More »
[June 25, 2021] Flipping through an old notebook that I carried with me in the war with Iraq, I came across several lessons I learned from combat, mostly learned the hard way. Readers of my blog know that I am a big fan of being prepared. That is not the main lesson to take away from combat. Those… Read More »