[June 24, 2020] During my 40-year career in the U.S. military, people asked many times why I stayed in the Army. My response typically went something like this: “I don’t like being told what to do, but I like being part of something bigger than me.” Frankly, I never really gave the reasons much thought while I was… Read More »
[June 23, 2020] While training many years ago for deployment into combat, my unit participated in a live-fire exercise. When we came under fire, our job was to return fire, report, and then move out of the area if possible. My best friend’s job was radio operator. When the simulated attack took place, my friend Josh was freaking… Read More »
[June 22, 2020] Starting college was a major decision for me. No one, other than my mother, had any college time, and she only went for a short time. My family could provide no guidance or suggestions for me. My main problem, like so many, was that I had no money to pay for it. So I got… Read More »
[June 21, 2020] I grew up in a very religious household, weekly attending church services, being part of prayer groups, and associating closely with other church members. It was a time to learn and to build character; we learned to be a ‘good’ person. Love your enemies is one of the often-quoted texts of the Bible. But I… Read More »
[June 20, 2020] American Legion Magazine in its July 2020 edition, highlights drawings of Ugo Giannini of Trenton, New Jersey. Participating in the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, Ugo was haunted by the memories of that terrible day and found that his art could help his healing. His wife, Maxine, researched Ugo’s journey, traveled to France, talked… Read More »
[June 19, 2020] June 19th is the oldest nationally recognized commemoration date of the ending of slavery in the United States. The date comes after the U.S. Civil War, fought to end slavery, and where an estimated 620,000 people died. Not only were these losses higher than all other American wars, but the impact of the war also… Read More »
[June 18, 2020] Wednesday afternoon, October 5, 2005; hot, sunny, dusty, and smelly. It was just like any other day. My engineer design section was inspecting one of the large canals in southeast Baghdad, Iraq. Their task was to find out whether the canal could supply water for our military bases in the area when it came under… Read More »
[June 17, 2020] Charles Groenhuijsen is a journalist and author whose been covering world events for over 40 years.1 He sees journalism as a mirror; people look in this mirror, and they’re supposed to see the world as it is. They don’t. They don’t know the world because journalism shows, with rare exceptions, the negative side of life. … Read More »
[June 16, 2020] If you are a leader who cares about their people and getting the job done, you will immediately understand this article’s title.1 Here is an indisputable fact; bad leaders never get both of these correct. On the one hand, some bad leaders get the mission accomplished but only by sacrificing their people. On the other… Read More »
[June 15, 2020] Leaders have an ideal painted in their minds about how they want others to see them. More than anything else, they don’t want people to see them as a failure. More specifically, how do leaders want to be seen? There is no simple answer. With the many types of leaders and combined with personality, level… Read More »