[October 12, 2020] Shortly after the terror attacks on U.S. soil, September 11, 2001, I was sitting on an Army bus when I overhead two buck Sergeants talking. The red-headed Sergeant said that he had wished he was on one of the commercial jets that had crashed into the World Trade Center a few days earlier. He believed that he could have made a difference and helped save those doomed passengers. He believed that by charging into danger, you could overcome any obstacle.
My first thought was that he was exaggerating. No one would wish to be on a doomed airliner, but he clearly said he wishes he could have been there. As the conversation progressed, I got a better understanding of his thinking. He told his friend that there were a few things the military teaches, and that is never to take a situation for granted, make no assumptions, be bold, and be aggressive if you want to succeed. For example, during an ambush, the best tactic is to charge directly into the heart of the ambush. History shows that aggressive tactics win most encounters.
That got me to thinking about the history of battles I had read about while a young soldier. Many are aware of the exploits of Union Colonel Joshua Chamberlain during the Battle of Gettysburg (1863) in the U.S. Civil War. Outnumbered two to one and running low on ammunition, he ordered his men to fix bayonets and charge down from the hill of Little Round Top. It worked; he won the skirmish.
Another famous example is the Charge of the Light Brigade. During the Crimean War at the Battle of Balaclava (1854), a tiny British light cavalry force was ordered to charge into an army much larger than theirs with no chance of victory. The force led by Lord Cardigan courageously charged into the center of the Russian army yet succeeded in breaking through and disengaging.
It takes courage and outstanding leadership to charge into great danger. Like the New York firefighters and police officers who charged into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on 9/11, they knew they were in mortal danger, but they went in anyway. They save thousands that day, a real miracle. If they had not done so, many more would have died.
Charge into danger! If possible, know your risks. History shows clearly that being bold, aggressive, and courageous brings about the greatest chance of success.
Oh, and let’s not forget that today is Columbus Day; a celebration of Italian-Americans and the symbol of courage and greatness from humble beginnings.
Very interesting article, Gen. Satterfield. Here in America we love the brave and the strong.
Excellent commentary!
Yes, not just great but supercaladoshesexpialladoshes. ❤️❤️
Yes, Happy Columbus Day to everyone. More than anything else, I wrote that just to provoke some of the weak minds of our youth and the old, crudgity politicians who haven’t had an original thought in decades.
Yes, me too. Growing up “in the old days” meant learning about WHY Christopher Columbus came to what is now America. He came here four times in leaking old wooden ships. He came from nothing and was self-taught. I wonder if the pantiwaisted, commie adult children of our generation would pee their pants if they did what Columbus did.
Ha Ha, tell us what you think of the immature adult children today! Loved it, Randy. Thank you for making my day.
HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY, yes, I wrote that. I have to admit that part of me wanted to stick it to those crazies out there who want to tear down statues when they don’t believe in what that famous person did or even why the statue is there in the first place. Or, those who use it as an excuse to loot, burn, and destroy. Too many politicians are supporting them by their silence or weak responses. Classic is Joe Biden and Kamala Harris who support the destruction. Yeah, Yeah, I know they recently said they don’t support violence but they really do. Proof, is in the fact that it took them both more than three months before they condemned those acts of violence.
Yes, the Democrats support violence in the streets because it furthers their cause to condemn Pres Trump. No other reason but to show that the Republicans cannot govern so the sheeple of Americans can be suckered easily into voting Democrat.
Easy to be stupid, hard to be smart.
This is not, IMHO, about political party but about a few wanted political power and stopping at nothing to get it.
Columbus Day, I will be celebrating with my wife and kids by wearing buttons that say “happy Columbus Day” on them. Maybe we will be told not to be “haters.” You just can’t hid the stupidity of those who complete our dumbed-down educational system today.
Welcome, Descendent of Columbus!
Excellent story that captured my attention. BTW, I am a big fan of this leadership website for many reasons and one of them is reading the comment forums section. So many people are writing to show that they appreciate being pushed to THINK and STUDY and READ, ghee, imagine that.
Hi Harry, you got that right. Or, you could dumb yourself down and go to school.
Not enough of us are willing to do the hard work and “think”. That is a big shame on us. 👍
It requires effort and the big elites don’t want us to make the effort to fight back.
Loved today’s article, General Satterfield. You’re the best. 😊😊😊😊
Well written, thanks Gen. Satterfield for a great subject that should be taught in school from the earliest grades but will not be because they conflate it with war and killing. Simpletons galore!
I call this COURAGE. What else could it be? The young man was not a crazy person like so many of our newspapers and other media call them. Or knuckle draggers like our super educated professors say they are.
Courage is an understatement. Thanks Yusaf. Good point about the professors and media people (I’m being kind here, notice?) who think they are better than the rest of us. Their belief in their moral superiority and wish to dominate and imprison us in “flyover country” will eventually be their downfall.
Charge! I remember as a child saying that when playing cowboys and indians. How crazy were we? No, we were just normal kids having fun. No PC for us, just plain old-fashioned harmless fun. Living in Oklahoma I had friends who were Cherokee Indians and they played with us too. Nobody was a nutjob like the liberal city-dwelling nutjobs we have today running our country.
Yeah, we were too and turned out to be productive members of our communities, had families that help others (and didn’t get arrested for looting, arson, murder, etc like the kids of liberals today), and went to church to try to be good, moral folks.
Good to see that there are still good people around that haven’t been brainwashed in school.
Remember today is Columbus Day, so CHARGE into work and let everyone know you stand for Christopher Columbus. The reason so many “elites” hate him is because he was a Christian.
You got that right, Karl …… thank you!