[February 17, 2025] This article is the first in a new series on how to succeed in life as a military service member. Over the past few months, I’ve spoken with many Soldiers and Marines and asked them what they believe is the secret to their success. Success does require sacrifice, much of which I will discuss as… Read More »
[October 11, 2024] Advice for Boys: a primer for succeeding. This article is a rough draft. The focus is on young boys but will be invaluable to girls also. Here are the advice that I would give to kids today. Your comments will be helpful Seek to be the dumbest person in the room,,, surround yourself with people… Read More »
[October 5, 2024] Show your respect. Respect is like the lubricant in a car engine that allows the pistons to continue firing. Without it, everything would come to a screeching halt. The Golden Rule is a practical application of the idea of respect; it tells us that we should treat others like we would like to be treated.… Read More »
[May 15, 2022] In my experience, happiness1 is not one of the goals we should pursue. When happiness hits us, yes!, that is something to appreciate. But the notion that happiness is a proper measure by which to judge a successful life2, is the weakest of beliefs. The rule of life is to go after the noble goal… Read More »
[January 7, 2022] An often-quoted rule in combat is to don’t assume nuttin’. As soon as you do, your world will begin to fall apart, and people will know you failed to do your homework. Facts matter; suppositions don’t count for anything. Making assumptions in combat will get you or your buddy killed. “Don’t assume nuttin’ … the… Read More »
[September 8, 2021] From George Washington to George Patton, all had something in common with the great leaders across history. Each had the strength of self-discipline in their lives. Self-discipline helps people connect today’s behavior with tomorrow’s results; allowing a leader to know what is the right thing to do. Good leaders live by their ability to establish… Read More »
[December 28, 2020] As we approach the New Year, I am reminded of my dad who used to say that the upcoming year is like a great movie waiting to be written. This year 2021, there are promises that I have made. Perhaps others should be making similar promises. I had a friend in the 1st Cavalry Division… Read More »
[April 17, 2020] I was told by my second-grade teacher that I had a lot of bad habits that “needed fixin.” Like all the other kids in the class, I was deathly afraid of her, so I just nodded my head in agreement. Truth be told, I did have plenty of bad habits in school, like not studying,… Read More »
[March 2, 2019] One day upon discovering a cache of 1st Grade papers my mom had saved, I looked upon several marked papers with poor grades. My wife, who I had been telling that I never got good grades in school, saw them and remarked how amazed she was at my ‘terrible performance.’ The reason was that procrastination… Read More »
[January 23, 2019] This past weekend I was at a Boy Scout “Klondike” event. The idea of Klondike is to demonstrate teamwork and test scouting skills. While sitting around the campfire with other adult scout leaders, we discussed the upcoming year and what we could do differently or do better as leaders. My leader resolutions for 2019 are… Read More »