First In, Last Out! Heroic stories of Army operations always have Scouts as the ‘First In’ and the battled embittered infantry holding down the fort as the ‘Last Out.’ True, perhaps, for many historic battles. But lesser known and more frequent military engagements begin with Logisticians forming the advancedRead More →
Sometimes Interservice scorn is deserved Soldier’s Stories often turn into Soldier’s ‘bitching and moaning’ stories! This is one such story of earned Interservice Rivalries. Traditionally most service members enjoy engaging in inter-service rivalries. We love to hate the other services and deride them for perceived weaknesses and not measuring upRead More →
Leadership through Tough Love? Sometimes when in a leadership position you find yourself preserving your sanity by being an Ass. I’m not sure it’s always a good thing, but sometimes it’s not bad. Soldiers come and go from platoons. On one occasion while leading a platoon in the 82d AirborneRead More →
‘Ass Chewing’ A time-honored tradition in the Services is the art of ‘Ass Chewing.’ Ass Chewing, or ‘on-the-spot correction’, or critical critique of one’s actions, performance or behavior is a normal, day to day occurrence, it’s just how seniors let their juniors understand in a very clear way where theyRead More →
Self Delusion? Most Officers flatter themselves by thinking of themselves as commanders, and the occasional staff officer. For most, they believe time as a staff officer is just a holding pattern until the next command comes along! For most Officers, this is self-delusion! Although many officers will serve wonderfully longRead More →
Leadership Maturity It’s strange how some minor, seemingly trivial memories remain with us long after they occurred. One must conclude that deep down, they actually hold some value that sways our outlook today. I vividly recall one such memory highlighting my low standards and immature leadership at the time. ItRead More →
Exceptions to Rules? Rules are Rules, however, sometimes there are exceptions. While serving in a Truck Platoon in the 82d, we worked all hours of the day and night supporting units with truck transport. We had the Platoon rule that if you worked after 2100, you didn’t have to comeRead More →
Conventional Wisdom When I was a young Lieutenant in the 82d Airborne Division,’Weak minds build strong bodies’ seemed to be a very popular phrase. It was generally exhorted in the form of giving wisdom, just before administering corrective action to a soldier who broke faith with his chain of command,Read More →