[July 15, 2014] Thirty-five years ago today on July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter gave what has been called the “malaise speech.” Others called it his greatest speech and likewise many have called it the worst speech ever given by a U.S. president. The New York Times said the speech “struck a chord” and that it was on-target… Read More »
[July 14, 2014] It was 1916. If you were part of General Pershing’s punitive expedition against Poncho Villa, you may have been riding one of the U.S. Army’s Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Motorization of bicycles in the early 1900s started a movement that has never gone away. Any person who has spent time on a motorcycle understands that “it gets… Read More »
[July 14, 2014] “War solves nothing.” Of course, for those with a knowledge of history, we know that is not what the rest of the world thinks. The popularity of war and conflict is self explanatory – it works. In Part 1 (link here), I proposed that the de facto policy of the United States regarding our allies… Read More »
[July 13, 2014] While attending an advanced officer course in the mid 1980s, I had the pleasure of meeting a friendly Ukrainian doctor. He was “as old as Methuselah” but was taking his time ensuring all the Army captains were in sound physical health. When my turn came to speak with him, I asked about his origins. He… Read More »
[July 13, 2014] “War solves nothing.” Well … at least that is what we’ve been told in America over and again many times. By that logic, both World Wars and the Korean War should not have been fought. America was a big participant and, of course, neither war was started by us. Yet, today’s de facto policy of… Read More »
By guest blogger Sadako Red [see disclaimer] [July 12, 2014] Howdy folks! My column today is based on the premise that when race is a factor in anyway, leadership fails … at least in America. There is a lot to be said about how norms have changed in a positive way about race over the last century. My… Read More »
[July 12, 2014] The first snowman I built for my 4-year old son was to be a monument to our father-son relationship. An 8-inch snow and just the right kind of snow had fallen the night before. Living in the Northeast but being from the South, I was unprepared for the results of the snowman we attempted to… Read More »
[July 11, 2014] The field of scientific inquiry has made enormous advancements in our quality of life for hundreds of years. “Scientists” are highly regarded as meticulous, smart, hard working, and honest. Today, their work is peer reviewed by other scientists to ensure the work is accurate. Yet, we have just learned that a scientific journal discovered a… Read More »
[July 11, 2014] The reading and study of military history is one of the pillars in a well-rounded education for military professionals. This includes both officers and enlisted personnel. This concept applies to any leader in any organization. While magazines from professional associations are helpful to see the most recent topics at hand, they also allow us a… Read More »
[July 10, 2014] The New York Post headlines read, “Nuke Attack” [in all capital letters].1 They are referring to the terrorist group Hamas firing rockets into the city of Dimona and home of an Israeli nuclear power plant. The implication here is that the terrorists were targeting the “nuke plant.” Senior U.S. leadership did not have much to… Read More »