In the past 12 years there have been over 6500 U.S. lives lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each soldier lost has their own back-story. With-in those stories you will find the stories of their family, friends, and loved ones. My story is about the first Company Commander I served with in combat, Captain Michael J. MacKinnon. My first experience with Capt. MacKinnon was after transferring to Fort Stewart, GA. I walked through the doors of my unit, known as “The Bandits”. I noticed two soldiers standing outside his office with their heads and eyes strait forward, hands firmly behind their backs and their bodies ridged as boards. I assumed the two soldiers had done something wrong and where waiting to be reprimanded. As I walked past them to hand the clerk my paperwork, I noticed they were both Lieutenants which was odd. Generally, in the Army, officers don’t get treated like new privates fresh from Basic Training. But that’s how man Capt. McKinnon was, there was a standard to uphold and he was going to ensure everyone adhered to it! My next experience with Capt. MacKinnon was during physical training on a very humid Fort Stewart morning while our squad running. About 2 miles in, we were all short of breath and beginning to slow down. Out of nowhere Capt MacKinnon came from behind us and briskly said “nice pace, I’d be impressed if you kept it up for another 2 miles”. Then after about 5 seconds he took off in front of us and after another 30 seconds he was gone from our sight. But that’s the kind of man he was, if you did it in 12 minutes he would do it 11, and then talk trash. But no matter how much trash he talked, he would always back it up. 6 months into our deployment he was sent to take command of a company to t... ... middle of paper ... ...uld hardly speak; tears began to trickle down my check as I took deep breaths to regain my wits. In my mind, these two men absolutely had something to do with the IED that had killed Mike. In that moment I would have been glad to be judge, jury and executioner. Of course that’s not what I did, as U.S. Soldiers we operate under a code of conduct. Mike MacKinnon touched so many lives before he left us, his leadership lives on through the men who served under him. His subordinates have all moved on, most to positions of greater responsibility with in the Army. Those men now pass that same leadership on to their soldiers. I can’t recall where, but I remember someone said; once exposed to greatness it is something that stays with a man. I am in no way claiming to be great, but Mike McKinnon greatness is something that will live on with me for the rest of my life.
COL Freeman beloved by his men, finally left the RCT at noon on 15FEB1951 with tears forming in his eyes. He was devoted to his Soldiers and his ability to assess the situation and ultimately secured a successful mission in Chipyong-Ni. He would issue orders with a “handshake, a grin, and provided words of encouragement before dangerous missions.” Chipyong-Ni was that type of mission. He didn’t like the situation, but issued the order as if he thought of the idea. He set the climate that extended down to the lowest Private in the RCT, to be proud and be victorious.
Introduction. Common Attributes of military leaders are just that, common. The accomplished Generals, Colonels and Majors that contributed to the most successful wars of our country have been molded a certain way. They are molded through vigorous training both in scholastic training and in the field along with rigorous mentorship. Colonel Lewis McBride was a rare exception to the rule. As a renowned Chemical museum curator so distinctively puts it, he was, without a doubt, one of the most interesting and industrious officers in the history of the US Army Chemical Corps.
As the incoming brigade commander, LTC (P) Owens, I see the critical leadership problem facing the 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) is the inability or unwillingness of Colonel Cutler to lead and manage change effectively. In initial talks with Col Cutler and in reviewing the brigade’s historical unit status reports, the 4th ABCT performed as well as can be expected in Afghanistan, but as the onion was peeled back there are numerous organizational issues that were brought to the surface while I walked around and listened to the soldiers of the 4th ABCT, in addition to reviewing the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) report. One of the most formidable tasks of a leader is to improve the organization while simultaneously accomplishing
GEN McClellan may not have been a great war time General but he excelled at training Soldiers, getting his men ready to fight and raising the morale of the Armies he commanded. Multiple historians and various political leaders agreed on this point about McClellan. In a statement, President Lincoln told John Hayes,” There is no man in the army who can man these fortifications and lick these troops into shape half as well as he” . As it can be seen from a statement from a prominent figure such as the President during the war, GEN McClellan was a Soldiers General, but the ability to get political leaders on his side was another story. His cautious attitude towards war soured his reputation with both congress. McClellan’s biggest political obstacle was Edward Stanton, the Secretary of War. He started to work on a petition that would end McClellan’s career.
...ront because he wouldn't ask his soldiers to do something that he himself would not be willing to do. He showed great personal courage by living this lifestyle, realizing that his chances of surviving the deployment was very slim and still volunteered to put his own life at risk as often as he could afford. He also was very loyal to the people to his left and right. He would take extra guard shift in order to allow his platoon members to get more sleep, taking the stress of constant action off of his subordinates. Although he was only in leadership for a short time he was still credited with allowing his platoon to maintain the relaxed standards that they initially struggled with and the cause for much of the abuse that they received from LTC Kunk. He was not upholding the standards and therefore not fulfilling his duty to maintain his platoon to the Army standard.
...od plan from the get go. The soldiers were not conducting counterinsurgency at the beginning of their deployment, which is why they got hit pretty badly. It does not fall into any of the LDRSHIP values but just fulfilling the KNOW part of leadership is good. His best leadership trait shown in the book doesn’t come from the seven Army values it comes from the warrior ethos. I will never quit. No matter how much pressure that platoon put on him he still did not quit on them. He kept pushing them back and got them in line. One of his worst traits of leadership was his selfless service. He was not a present leader. He did not go out on patrols with the guys. I think that really hindered him from getting the platoon back on track sooner. If he showed them he was willing to go through the same stuff they were then maybe they would have respected him more from the get go.
General George B. McClellan was born to a prestigious upper class family in Pennsylvania. He attended the Military Academy at West Point and graduated second in his class in 1846. He served during the war with Mexico and earned three brevets for gallantry and sound professional service. He resigned his commission but returned early during the Civil War and immediately given a high rank. He led a successful campaign in West Virginia. These events fueled General McClellan’s egotistical and elitist attitudes.
... patrols and his men had very little trust in him because he would not do anything that he was asking them to do. He was however a good leader in that he did not give up on his men like SFC Gallagher did. He had a plan going into the situation and did not let his inexperience detour him. He knew the platoon he was going to was a problem platoon and he accepted the challenge and attacked it head on. He held the men to a higher standard than they had been in the past and tried to pick them up and dust them off. He aided 1LT Norton in reviving 1st platoon and building their morale back up, they were just getting back on their feet when the incident at JSB happened where two soldiers went missing and then the rape and murder was investigated effectively ending 1st platoons deployment, but nonetheless SFC Fenlason was there through it all and stuck with his platoon.
Staff Sergeant (SSGT) Louis Moeller shaped me into the Recon Marine I wanted to be and the Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) that I am now. By embodying the Recon Creed and always setting the example, he made me want to be an NCO that my troops would look up to and want to follow. Even when not in charge he was constantly the one peers and junior Marines alike, turned to for guidance and inspiration. To this day, I still find myself asking “What would Louis do?” when confronted with a leadership dilemma.
...ng and brave individual. From being beaten and laying on freezing cement to not eating but a little cup of noodles a day. "Then I found myself falling toward the middle of a small lake in the city of Hanoi, with two broken arms, a broken leg, and an angry crowd waiting to greet me. I was dumped in a dark cell, and left to die. I didn’t feel so tough anymore. When they discovered my father was an admiral, they took me to a hospital. They couldn’t set my bones properly, so they just slapped a cast on me. When I didn’t get better, and was down to about a hundred pounds, they put me in a cell with two other Americans. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even feed myself. They did it for me. I was beginning to learn the limits of my selfish independence. Those men saved my life." John McCain finally in the end he is a nice gentleman that survived a true war story.
I learned many things about Philip Caputo and his tour of duty. He described how he felt in the beginning about the Vietnamese people, which was not as much hate since him and the other soldiers were not as knowledgeable about all the conflict that was taking place in Vietnam. Caputo was very opinionated towards his views of the Vietnamese people. He actually felt sorry for all the villagers who had to see and deal with the negative environment that was brought upon them, and bear the Marines who probed their homes for prohibited Viet Cong relations. Caputo did not find it fair how the American troops mistreated the villagers and protected the concept of apprehending the Viet Cong. However, throughout the end of his tour, he and his men disliked the VC very strongly, learned how to hate and wanted to kill them.
Richard Mahlon Ripley, a man who went from a distinguished Bird Colonel with over 38 awards and decorations to a humble student at a university to continue his education. Fresh out of Vietnam he went into a college full of Anti-Vietnam War protesters, as you can guess after two and a half years of college he was no longer acting like a Bird Colonel. To quote him “After two and a half years there, I had transitioned” (interview). One time when he was late to class his teacher asked him what it was like to be in a college full of anti-Vietnam protesters, to this his response was “I don’t really mind now, but a few years ago I would’ve had a job for you as point-man” (interview).
During the Vietnam War, the first platoon (approximately forty men) was lead by a young officer named William Calley. Young Calley was drafted into the US Army after high school, but it did not take long for him to adjust to being in the army, with a quick transition to the lifestyle of the military, he wanted to make it his career. In high school, Calley was a kind, likable and “regular” high school student, he seemed to be a normal teenager, having interest in things that other boys his age typically had. He was never observed acting in a cruel or brutal way. In Vietnam, Calley was under direct order of company commander, Captain Ernest Medina, whom he saw as a role model, he looked up to Medina. (Detzer 127).
The NCO Creed states, “I realize that I am a member of a time honored corps, which is known as “The Backbone of the Army” (‘The NCO Creed’). That verse alone should be the most inspiring part that all Noncommissioned Officers should love to hear because it’s true in many aspects. The question to ask is, are we driving it in the right direction. There has never been a time in our history when Soldiers needed competent and strong leaders more than today. The social complications that our young Soldiers face are beyond what any generation before them has had to endure and learn and navigate. The military are looking for leaders who can be role models for these Soldiers. Anyone can tell a soldier what to do, but a good leader can show, direct and motiva...
Regardless of the career you choose in your life, whether it be an accountant or a Soldier in the United States Army, someone, somewhere most likely had an influence to bring you to that decision. The Army defines leadership as the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization (JP, p. 1). Now imagine you are a young Private, in one of the most dangerous places in Iraq and you have constant leadership changes, and not much support from your direct leadership. I am sure at this point you can imagine, it is not the best scenario to be in. Throughout the duration of this essay you will read about Sergeant First Class Rob Gallagher and Sergeant First Class Jeff Fenlason, their leadership abilities, and the techniques they attempted to use to resolve the issues in this Platoon that was in a downward spiral after losing many leaders to the hell of war.