[September 13, 2017] Several years ago, a small group of us “grunt” Infantrymen were invited to attend a formal U.S. Marine Corps’ Mess Night with the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines (Infantry). We had much in common as our primary job in defending the nation has always been to “close with and destroy the enemy.” That night U.S. Army… Read More »
[September 11, 2017] When we speak of past events it should be noted that people remember things differently and attach many levels of meaning and emotion to them. Like most of us in the United States, things changed for my military peers after the Islamic attacks on September 11, 2001 (aka 9/11). For senior leaders 9/11 meant seeing… Read More »
[September 3, 2017] Happy “4th” Anniversary to theLeaderMaker! Special thanks to all my regular and new readers who have all made this leadership blog successful. As every regular reader knows, I post usually once per day on a topic of relevance to leaders across the world. There is never a shortage of topics and although most of those… Read More »
[August 31, 2017] We don’t hear much about American core values anymore and we certainly don’t see them on television, read about them in the news, or have politicians discuss them. But we do see them in action. The latest are values shown by volunteers who have come out to help those in the state of Texas where… Read More »
[August 7, 2017] The many stories of World War II bring us closer to the veterans of that war and to their families … and so it should be. One story involves a crewmember of the “Wongo Wongo” which participated in Operation Tidal Wave. The operation was the costliest mission in U.S. Army Air Force history within the… Read More »
[July 3, 2017] As we look back across time it is difficult to ascertain the qualities of most of humankind’s best leadership except for those who have made deep contributions. Davy Crockett is one of those who tackles our imaginations and pricks our interest in many ways. He is a true American folk hero and fits that mold… Read More »
[June 7, 2017] As I traveled about several states over the past four days, I was lucky to come across the Freedom Center in the North Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. My wife and I have traveled in nearly every major airport in the continental U.S. and look forward to stopping by to visit USO facilities. The Freedom… Read More »
[May 29, 2017] Annually, on Memorial Day I give a speech about the meaning of this very special day. This day is special not just for those citizens of the United States but also for those in foreign lands where our military has gone to protect them from evil. Today, my speech is about what Memorial Day is,… Read More »
[May 8, 2017] Those of us not adults on May 8, 1945 have no idea the rejoicing that took place on this date 72 years ago. Victory in Europe was achieved at enormous cost in lives; so much given the price paid is simply beyond human imagination. Yet when Nazi Germany unconditionally surrendered, and later Imperial Japan, the… Read More »
[April 24, 2017] The thumbnail picture gives some hint to the identity of this man Georges Thenault. Americans won’t know the name but will recognize his story as Captain Thenault commander of the Lafayette Escadrille;1 a French organization made up mostly of American fighter pilots during World War I. The few American pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille (Escadrille… Read More »