[April 8, 2021] Valor is a word we do not often hear. Valor is showing great courage in the face of extreme danger, especially in battle. Often, I’ve written about heroes who show courage and bravery confronting many challenges that life throws our way. ‘Valor’ means voluntarily facing mortal danger to protect others. “You shall, I question not,… Read More »
[March 31, 2021] War brings the unpredictable. There are men who, we would least expect, do impossible things. This was the case of the ‘lost battalion’ of the 77th Infantry Division during World War I. The Lost Battalion is the name given to nine companies of the 77th isolated by German forces in late 1918. The allied Meuse-Argonne… Read More »
[March 23, 2021] A couple of days ago, I wrote about WWII hero Hershel “Woody” Williams. He was awarded the Medal of Honor at the Battle of Iwo Jima. Woody told me of the importance of education in developing today’s youth. And, fortunately, Woody’s mission is similar to that of the Sergeant York Patriotic Foundation (SYPF). Occasionally, I… Read More »
[March 20, 2021] There is an old saying by John D. Rockefeller that good leadership shows average people how to do the work of superior people. He was right. Conversely, weak leaders are those that cannot get their mission accomplished. The result is hard times. We’ve all witnessed this problem of weak leadership. My first assignment as a… Read More »
[March 12, 2021] Be a steadying presence. Leaders set the tone. If the leader is excited, then the team will be excited. If the leader is angry, the team will be angry. If the leader has a constant calm and steadying presence, the team will succeed in the most challenging situations. It is harder in practice than it… Read More »
[March 6, 2021] Independence. No single motivation has led to more wars than those willing to fight for independence. Independence from tyranny has inspired many, and that was the thinking of those defending the Alamo from a large Mexican force commanded by Generalissimo Antonio López de Santa Anna. On this date, March 6, 1836, Fort Alamo defenders were… Read More »
[February 12, 2021] The movie Dirty Harry (1971) came out in theaters 50 years ago to great fanfare. When a madman calling himself “the Scorpio Killer” menaces the city, tough-as-nails San Francisco Police Inspector Dirty Harry Callahan is assigned to track down and ferret out the crazed psychopath. This movie was popular because it tells an old story… Read More »
[February 9, 2021] I’ve written of many battles in my leadership blog and frequently gave accounts of heroism, lessons learned, the horrors, and the struggle of the ordinary foot soldier and basic seaman. No other battle – actually a series of battles over six months – portrays the American spirit in times of great difficulty than the Battle… Read More »
[January 10, 2021] Sociologists tell us that culture affects perception, and perceptions drive behavior. Some parts of our culture influence us in different ways, and some are more powerful than others. Growing up, like so many kids, I watched television and saw something exciting and educational. One show that I favored was The Rat Patrol (1966-1968). Starring Christopher… Read More »
[January 8, 2021] Of the many American battles to study, the Battle of New Orleans ranks right up there with the best. Lessons from the battle are many. The battle was one of the last and the most bloody of the War of 1812. This war was what many Americans saw as the “Second War of Independence.”1 By… Read More »