[July 3, 2019] Tomorrow is the 4th of July and a special time for all Americans. As a tribute to the many that fought for our freedoms, from the U.S. Revolutionary War to present, I’m providing a short story about WWII veteran Staff Sergeant Bernard Friedenberg. I’m fortunate to live in a part of the country that acknowledges… Read More »
[March 22, 2019] Before I graduated from High School, I went to see the movie Patton (1970) with friends I would never see again. My takeaway from the movie was that the Germans were not that good and British General Bernard Montgomery was both egotistical and a highly overrated commander.1 American filmmakers routinely portray WWII as being won… Read More »
[January 13, 2019] The famous leadership expert, John C. Maxwell, once said that “You are the only person who can label what you do a failure. Failure is subjective.” I’m sure that if Mr. Maxwell had been a part of British General W.G.K. Elphinstone’s army in retreat and its subsequent massacre in the narrow Khyber Pass, Afghanistan, Mr.… Read More »
[October 17, 2018] Yesterday I was speaking with a medically-discharged soldier who had received horrible wounds in Afghanistan. He told me that he survives his awful wounds because of his belief in the principles espoused by the Dalai Lama. Those who can carry on after such traumatic events are only those who find a deep spiritual faith within… Read More »
[August 8, 2018] It was a hot summer in 1969 when I was delivering newspapers in Abilene, Texas, a neighbor told me about a massacre in California. Later police determined the murders to be by an unheard of cult and lead by a man named Charles Manson. I remember it clearly, almost like it was yesterday. “From the… Read More »
[April 21, 2017] Growing up in the Deep South of the United States never stunted my intellectual growth because I was surrounded by military veterans who told of their experiences. Once such story was relayed to me by my father, who spoke with retired U.S. Army General “Black Jack” Pershing. Pershing told my father of the story of… 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 »
[June 3, 2017] In December last year I profiled U.S. Army General Raymond Odierno. Senior military Flag Officers in the U.S. are similar in many of their key traits, but also differ significantly in other areas of leadership. One that differs is James Mattis, retired U.S. Marine four-star general and current Secretary of Defense under U.S. President Donald… Read More »
[May 19, 2017] British Royal Navy officer Lionel Crabb was a frogman (underwater diver) who served with distinction during World War II and for a time afterwards. He was described as tiny and a poor swimmer with a long nose, bright eyes, and with his miniature frame he might have been an aquatic garden gnome.1 Lionel Crabb is… Read More »
[April 15, 2017] We deserve a little levity today. In the United States, this date is when our annual taxes are due. Today is also the anniversary of the RMS Titanic sinking, U.S. President Lincoln dying from an assassin’s bullet, and terrorist bombing the Boston Marathon; among other infamous events. It is also the day that Molly Brown… Read More »