[April 22, 2019] Last week I was invited to attend a special ceremony when young members advanced from Cub Scout to older Boy Scouts. The Pack advanced seven boys with many family members in attendance. To show respect (and to gain it in return) requires leaders to be present at these bridging ceremonies. We all shook the hand… Read More »
[April 5, 2019] There’s an old stereotype about high-ranking politicians; they cannot function without an entourage of hangers-on, large staffs, and a litany of helpers and attention seekers. It would seem our political leaders are out of touch with the world because they exist in a bubble, dependent upon others. In the military, we call any such person… Read More »
[April 3, 2019] I was listening to a podcast the other day with Professor Jordan Peterson of the University of Toronto. By his explanation, the talk was an exploration of the origins of religious thinking. Thinking is, of course, the one thing leaders must do and do better than others. He mentioned the story of St. George and… Read More »
[March 18, 2019] A few days ago, I attended a presentation at a local Veterans get-together. An Army veteran gave a presentation on cemeteries in Europe and what they meant to him. I was surprised to hear that his father, killed during World War II, was buried in the Margraten Cemetery, Netherlands. The 8,301 American soldiers buried at… Read More »
[March 15, 2019] I’ve known Billy Ray for close to 30 years, and he has been a feature in one of the many rural towns where I lived. Billy Ray is not the smartest guy around, and neither is he rich or famous. But he leads a small group of amateur clowns that bring smiles to be needy… Read More »
[March 9, 2019] All great leaders in human history have lived by a set of principles that focused their efforts and pushed them beyond what any normal person would go. Their principles will use different words but what they mean is the same thing; leadership in action. It should then come as no surprise that the famous U.S.… Read More »
[March 5, 2019] The Vietnam War was one of the least understood conflicts of the 20th Century. Like other wars, it also brought out the best and the worst of men. Today I will highlight the heroism of South Vietnamese Marine Colonel Le Ba Binh (Trung Tá LÊ BÁ BÌNH). His courage under fire and moral standing in… Read More »
[February 15, 2019] I’m no historian, and the subject of history was one I hated in school. Only later in life did I realize that the proper study of our history can teach valuable lessons long after an event occurred. Two years ago I moved to Southern New Jersey. Driving around the rural part of the state, only… Read More »
[December 30, 2018] As a U.S. Army Private I witnessed a strange event during one of my unit’s formations that stuck with me. Our Platoon Leader, a new Second Lieutenant, was yelling at our platoon one day. Just then, our Commander strolled out, put his hand on the LT’s shoulder, and calmly gave him some advice. I couldn’t… Read More »
[December 7, 2018] There will be times when even the most successful will suffer from significant setbacks but only from those harsh lessons can great success truly emerge. And so it was on this date, December 7, 1941, that the United States suffered greatly from the destructive attack on its naval base at Pearl Harbor.1 “It’s fine to… Read More »