[September 14, 2017] My young son loved watching early morning television and his favorite show was Barney & Friends (see official site link here). In addition, he had a Barney stuffed animal which he slept with until he was about 8 years old. The character Barney, like some leaders today, spends his time playing it safe. For a… Read More »
[September 13, 2017] Several years ago, a small group of us “grunt” Infantrymen were invited to attend a formal U.S. Marine Corps’ Mess Night with the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines (Infantry). We had much in common as our primary job in defending the nation has always been to “close with and destroy the enemy.” That night U.S. Army… Read More »
[September 12, 2017] The media has reported extensively on the damage caused by Hurricane Irma, the strongest hurricane so far recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. As the Category 5 hurricane slammed into the north side of Cuba, little is being reported from that country. What we do hear from news outlets is that the island run by a… Read More »
[September 11, 2017] When we speak of past events it should be noted that people remember things differently and attach many levels of meaning and emotion to them. Like most of us in the United States, things changed for my military peers after the Islamic attacks on September 11, 2001 (aka 9/11). For senior leaders 9/11 meant seeing… Read More »
[September 10, 2017] On August 20, 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama used the phrase “red line” in the context of warning Syrian President Assad that the use of chemical weapons was a point at which the United States would take firm action against that country. A relatively new term –but old concept –the idea of red lines means… Read More »
[September 9, 2017] They say that senior leadership is all about big issues and that is true in its most literal sense when it comes to major hurricane preparation and recovery. Anybody can make easy decisions. Anybody can travel down a path traveled before by others. But being a great leader can mean making difficult decisions where lives… Read More »
[September 8, 2017] One of the more mundane facts about being in a senior leadership position is that they have greater awareness of the brutal truths of leadership and life than the ordinary person. That, in itself, explains why they have climbed to a higher level and are more likely to remain there as long as they obey… Read More »
[September 7, 2017] Those who have fought in war possess a unique perspective on the duty one holds when in combat with the enemy. War has a deep impact on those who are involved in the violence, more so than commonly understood. Success, however, is determined by those traits we possess prior to battle, not those developed within. … Read More »
[September 6, 2017] Greatness comes in many forms; as well as leadership exhibiting courage, sacrifice, and honor. Many words of prominence have also described the heroic efforts of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II and rightly so. Their motto … Go for Broke.1 “The Nisei troops are among the best in the United States Army… Read More »
[September 5, 2017] Those familiar with the dictatorship of North Korea and its socialist system know that its leadership can be unpredictable, bellicose, demanding, and as of late has practiced nuclear brinkmanship.1 Since the armistice was signed in 1953, ending three years of bloody warfare, Americans have consistently put off any real solution to the hermit nation. Strategic… Read More »