After reading the book, Court-Martial at Parris Island as well as the short essay, A Message to Garcia it is unarguable that both of these bodies of text are caulked full of information. The amount of knowledge that can be pulled from the pages of these two pieces of work is far too great to address in one paper. Despite this fact it is clear that there are underlying messages about discipline, leadership, and personal courage, examples of which are also too numerous to list in one short paper. These three major Implications can be drawn from the text by the reader who can then use them as a reference for self-reflection and self-improvement. The information does take the interpretation of an open minded reader who will likely arrive at the …show more content…
The ability to unconditionally follow orders in a disciplined military manor is contrasted in Court-Martial at Parris Island; however, this highly valuable trait is the basis and the main lesson conveyed to the reader for the essay Message to Garcia. The key example of the essay by Elbert Hubbard Is the message delivered under orders from President McKinley, by a man named Rowan to a man by the name of Garcia whose location was not known other than somewhere in Cuba. The essay describes the response and action taken by Rowen in stating, “McKinley gave Rowan a letter to be delivered to Garcia; Rowan took the letter and did not ask, “Where is he at?”” (Hubbard, 1899). Rowan then proceeds to take the letter and venture into the heart of Cuba appearing three weeks later, his mission accomplished. The takeaway from this part of the essay as later reiterated throughout the remainder of the essay is the fact that no questions were asked and no complaints were made. He had the discipline to simply take the letter and accomplished his mission as ordered. The ability to simply accept orders and proceed to complete the mission, is of great value to both the leadership as well as the individual soldier. This is a rare and hard to find trait of …show more content…
The importance of leadership is shown with the weaknesses in the character trait that can quickly appear with a lapse of military manor and a slip in judgement by the Drill instructor Staff Sergeant McKeon. The terrible incident that occurred in Ribbon Creek on April 8 1956 can be attributed to two major factors discipline of the recruits and the leadership of Staff Sergeant McKeon. The choice to take the march through the swamp lands was made with good intentions by a leader who was worried about the increasingly deteriorating discipline of his recruits. The other facts surrounding the incident show the reader the flaws in McKeon as a leader, one such negative trait is the fact that he made the choice to drink while on duty earlier in the day. The drinking was not found to be a direct cause or factor in the incident, as shown by the testimony of Dr. Atcheson who administered the sobriety test the night of the incident “Sergeant McKeon was not clinically under the influence of alcohol as far as I could determine” (Stevens, 1999, p 110); however, It shows his lapse in judgement as he disregarded a clear regulation, therefore failing to live up to his role as a leader and a NCO. The other factors that the reader can pull as examples of negative leadership traits is the choices McKeon made about his path to the creek, as he cut across the
Accountability is a subject that ranges through every spectrum of life. From simply knowing your food supply by opening the refrigerator, to knowing the exact amount of ammunition a military convoy has at its disposal, down to each individual round. When we know what the situation is, and hold each person responsible for they're actions in the situation, that is the concept of accountability at its root. If we are not to hold each other responsible for each of our own actions and choices then we will never be able to correct problems and concerns, which will make us fail as a whole because the smallest individual action can account for the gravest of concequences. In this essay I'm going to show how important accountability is in the everyday life of a United States Marine. I will do this by presenting the textbook definition of accountability then dissecting it and defining it in my own words. I will then show you how the military practices accountability with everything it does; by applying a system that is similiar to that of checks and balances. I will tie into this the Incident that occurd in 29 Palms, CA on August 31, 1988, where the failure to have accountability of all the marines on Base ultimately resulted in the negligent death of one Marine, and the ruined careers of those who were in charge of him. Lastly I will go down to the basic level of the Marine Corps: the life of the individual Marine and how he can, and naturally does to a point, apply accountability to his every action, be it on or off duty.
As Marines, we have a well-known motto “One Team, One Fight” that creates an image of strong unity that everyone regardless of rank or size plays an important role. Everyone is necessary to complete the mission. In this book, one particular Marine, (then) Captain Bill Barber, has a story that since has become a crucial tool used as teaching material today for multi-level Marines everywhere. This book serves as a testimony to Captain Barber’s will in the midst of extreme opposition and sets the example of the for mentioned mindset
A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier is a memoir written by Joseph Plumb Martin, an ordinary soldier who served the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. As the name indicated, the memoir mainly portrays the common men’s experiences and feelings, especially their dangers and sufferings, during the revolutionary period. Based on Martin’s unique perspective, his memoir cannot provide us with the big picture from the top down, such as the military strategy and the charismatic leadership of American revolutionary army. However, it offers exclusive insights and precious details that allow us to closely examine what truly transpired among the thousands of soldiers during that period.
Part 1, The Basics of Leadership, Chapter 1 covers Fundamentals of Leadership while Roles and Relationships are covered in Chapter 2. This section describes and depicts levels of Leadership. We as a military are set apart from other non-military professions in that Soldiers must be prepared to use deadly force and have the courage required to close with and destroy the enemy. All leaders, from non-commissioned officers and warrant officers, to commissioned officers, inherently possess a great responsibility. The repercussions of decisions and actions impact the lives of Soldiers and their families. Additionally, these decisions affect the battlefield environment including enemy and non-combatants, both military and
The performance of Major General Ambrose E. Burnside at the helm of the Army of the Potomac can be characterized as less than stellar. His failures to understand, describe, lead, and assess during the Battle of Fredericksburg ultimately led to his army’s defeat and the death of tens of thousands of Federal soldiers. The fate of the mission and our soldiers rely on our ability to conduct mission command activities. It is essential we learn from the grave mistakes of the commanders of the past and become prepared to carry out these activities when we are called to do
Tapper, J. (2012). The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor. New York: Little, Brown. Retrieved November 05, 2010, from books.google.co.ke/books?isbn=0316215856
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.
President McKinley was in need to secure the co-operation, but had no means of communication in order to speak with General Garcia. When Lt. Rowan was tasked to carry out the “war message”, he had to remain loyal to his superiors. Over three weeks of traveling through the jungle, he mentally and physically pushed to carry on the message, knowing he may have been the only hope to his country. My parents have taught me that is it easy to take the short cut, and in a sense, “give up”, but it is only through perseverance that you may truly be successful. Additionally, Lt. Rowan demonstrated obedience and the willingness to follow orders. Obedience is not given, but practiced. We must understand that leaders have been placed before us to complete the mission, and because Lt. Rowan did not question where he needed to go or how he was going to find General Garcia, he showed that the answers aren’t always right in front of you, but you may need to find them along the
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).
Too many times we often wonder what really makes a good man or women. Is it the way they look, the way they walk, the way they talk, or is it just something more simple. Rowan the man describe in this story was a man like you and me, nothing really special about him, but what made him different from others was his faithfulness, his commitment, his willingness. Not very often do we find a man like him, quoting from the story “this infirmity mean will not act for themselves, this unwillingness to cheerfully catch hold and lift, are the things that put pure socialism so far into the future.”. Very often do we find men and women that are fill with the content of being steady, not getting out of their comfort zone, which is killing our society today.
...l the problems confronting Abrashoff are the same problems that managers outside the military are dealing with. By using vivid examples taken from his years in the naval service, he is able to put a fresh new spin on these management principals. Many believe that these new leadership tactics will not work in many of the old established corporate climates, but if anyone is resistant to change it is the military. By showing the steps in how he challenge the conventional wisdom in a job in which reprimand is quick and harsh, should give motivation for any manager to try.
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.
The lack of Soldier discipline, is a direct reflection of the Soldier’s leadership. The first line
Many cadets are between eighteen to twenty-one-years-old, and they strive to become successful leaders. “Truth” is one of three MMI’s core values. According to the MMI Cadet Manual of a message from Colonel Edwin Passmore, the most important trait for a successful leader is integrity (3). Cadets might not know if they have integrity because most cadets may not have experienced a position that tests their integrity. Further, cadets in leadership roles may not be able to recognize any leadership deficiencies, like lack of integrity, and therefore unintentionally may lose respect from their followers. This paper suggests that cadet leaders at MMI discover their leadership strengths and weaknesses, those inexperienced leaders may fail to tell the truth to their followers, and in turn, those followers may lose respect for those new
"The core of a soldier is moral discipline. It is intertwined with the discipline of physical and mental achievement. Total discipline overcomes adversity, and physical stamina draws on an inner strength that says drive on." - Former Sergeant Major of the Army William G. Bainbridge