Sign of the Apocalypse
This is an excerpt from a post I just put up at Small Wars Journal, related items can be found here and here.
Lieutenant Colonel Paul Yingling is deploying to Iraq again this afternoon. We wish him, his family and his soldiers God speed, fair winds and following seas.
In light of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ address yesterday at the US Military Academy we thought it timely to point out another important speech on issues of leadership and “generalship”.
That speech would be Secretary of the Army Pete Geren’s address at the George C. Marshall Awards, Washington and Lee University, on 17 April 2008. The full transcript can be found at this link.
Here is an excerpt:
Each of you has been given Forrest C. Pogue’s four-volume biography of George C. Marshall. You would do well to study it. The many and varied challenges George C. Marshall confronted over his nearly 60 years of service to our Nation - you will find them all compressed into your military career, whether it be 5 years or 40 - perhaps even into a single tour in Iraq or Afghanistan. Clear-hold-build, Counter-insurgency, stability operations, combat, nation-building - winning a war, winning the peace - and laying the foundation for a sustainable peace - our Soldiers are doing all of that and more — everyday…
That is a lot to ask of you - but that is what we are asking of Army leaders today…
Our Army understands that the way we fight has changed - and is changing, and you will become the leaders who will carry this dynamic vision into this century.
And, if we are going to retain the combat edge honed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and adapt as the future requires, we must be an institution that encourages Soldiers to ask hard questions, questions that make us uncomfortable - reward not only the Soldier who risks his life, but also the Soldier who is willing to risk a promotion - encourage those who afflict the comfortable.
Recently, LTC Paul Yingling wrote a piece that appeared in the Armed Forces Journal - and sparked heated debate throughout the Army - ruffled some feathers - ruffled a lot of feathers. That is a good thing. We need more, not fewer, Paul Yinglings.
And on this point, George C. Marshall also can serve as our model. Many thought MAJ Marshall’s career was at an end in 1917 when he publicly disagreed with and angrily lectured GEN “Black Jack” Pershing at 1st Division headquarters in France during World War I. He even grabbed the general’s arm when he tried to disengage.
His anger and assertiveness did not draw a rebuke from Pershing - rather it earned his respect…
You can find articles by LTC Yingling at his SWJ Bio Page.
Topics: military
Posted by Dave Dilegge at 5:10 pm on Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Leave a Reply
Trackback URLYou must be logged in to post a comment.
