Colin Powell’s military career as a Commissioned in the U.S. Army helped him understand the significance and estimation of followership. A follower must have the capacity to comprehend and support the team, have discipline, to follow orders, and acknowledge obligation regarding their responsibilities. The individual attributes that creates a great follower are strength, responsibility, genuineness, skill, and morality. The most imperative one is morality. An individual’s morality in the military is the most vital followership characteristic, for example, military personnel must display morals and principles in order to become effective leaders. A prime example of extraordinary followership that has these characteristics is Ret. General Colin Powell. Colin Powell is one of the best military followers in this current nation's history. Powell started in the U.S. Army as a Second Lieutenant and eventually rose through the ranks to Secretary of State under President George W. Bush. According to Kinder and McConnaughy (2006) Powell rose through the ranks at a fast pace during his military, for example, Powell was the youngest general in the U.S. Armed Forces at the time. …show more content…
According to Lafeber (2009) Powell’s was on his way to a military career path recognized during his childhood. Powell began his military career in 1958 and through the Vietnam War he became a recipient of the Purple Heart from being wounded during time of battle. Powell demonstrated the boldness and the dedication of followership for his team when he was injured. Powell figured out how to keep his self-restraint and demonstrated that he had the followership skills to make a sound, unprejudiced,
During world war 2, he was turn down from military service due to the Mastoid operation he had during his childhood.
Throughout MacArthur’s service to the United States, he went through various situations which tested him as a man, but because he had formed such a strong opinion of duty, honor, and country, he was able to overcome the troubling situations which led to his receiving of the Thayer Award. MacArthur’s ability to overcome dilemmas is one of the reasons he was the powerful leader he was, and to fully grasp the importance of his speech that shaped the future, one must know his past. At the age of twenty-three, MacArthur graduated from West Point with the highest grades the academy had seen in twenty-five years showing his determination to succeed. After moving
... Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagen the United States President. He attained the rank of Major General in the Army. Colin was awarded a Soldiers Medal for rescuing men from a burning helicopter.
Powell majored in Engendering. He finished college in 1958 (source 1 pages 32, 36). While in college Powell joined the Recruit Officer Training Corps (ROTC). Powell said he joined ROTC because of the discipline and "The sense of comradery among a group of young men who were similarly motivated. Maybe it was the uniform." Another reason he said he joined is because of the association with the military [source 2 (interview page 1) (biography page 1)]. While Powell was in ROTC, he was in the Pershing Rifles. The Pershing Rifles showed that a cadet was more serious about ROTC than a regular cadet. The Pershing Rifles had to stay in ROTC their whole college career. They were distinguished through a yellow wrap worn on their right shoulder (source 1, page 40). In 1987 Powell was the Nation Security Advisor to Ronald Regan. Two years later in 1989 he became the first black officer and the youngest officer to hold the nation's highest military office, the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He was then drafted into the U.S. Army where he was refused admission to the Officer Candidate School. He fought this until he was finally accepted and graduated as a first lieutenant. He was in the Army from 1941 until 1944 and was stationed in Kansas and Fort Hood, Texas. While stationed in Kansas he worked with a boxer named Joe Louis in order to fight unfair treatment towards African-Americans in the military and when training in Fort Hood, Texas he refused to go to the back of the public bus and was court-martialed for insubordination. Because of this he never made it to Europe with his unit and in 1944 he received an honorable discharge.
Powell's next overseas assignment was in South Vietnam, where he was wounded in action. He then studied at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, finishing second in a class of more than twelve hundred officers. During a second tour in Vietnam he received the Soldier's Medal for pulling several men from a burning helicopter.
The Army currently has an ethical code ebodied in the Army Values, which provides guidance to the individual and the organization. These values are universal across the Army regardless of an individual’s personal background or religious morals. Professional Military Education schools teach the Army Ethic and evaluation reports for leaders affirm this ethic. The Army punishes individuals, especially leaders, who violate this code. The Army administratively punishes Soldiers who do not adhere to this code, and the severity of punishment increases with rank. One recent and highly visible example of this is former General Petraeus’s adultery and the subsequent professional sanctions he experienced. The Army gr...
Colin Luther Powell was born in Harlem during the spring of 1937. Following a childhood and adolescence that was not particularly remarkable, Powell entered City College, in New York, where he found a niche in the Reserve Officers Training Corps. Then, after ascending to Cadet Colonel, the highest rank achievable in the corps, Powell graduated at the top of his class. His background as an underprivileged African-American makes him an intriguing military leader as he had to work hard, remain patient, and stare racism in the eyes on a daily basis. The beginning of Powell’s career was quite commonplace as he was not set up for success like some great leaders....
in the Australian bicentenial parade to preform military drills. But despite his accomplishments What does it mean to be a Marine?
From being the example for young Marines to a MEU commander changing a long-standing policy, and lastly, giving me the best guidance and mentor to look up to and emulate. His legacy lives on in my teachings to my own junior Marines and Soldiers, by holding the Recon Creed in my heart and passing all that I have learned along I hope that one day, a former team member of mine looks back and thinks the same of the legacy I left for
He talks about how he was criticized for making a student stand at attention in front of the classroom to shake his hand. Powell's belief that all children need structure and that is why the young adult is standing at attention in front of the class. He does this with most kids that he meets in a classroom environment. The reason he does this is that of his military background. Powell explains why, that when individuals enter the military they would have all the same clothes, cut their hair. Then they are introduced to the drill sergeant that they would hate. The individuals would learn structure and were taught "yes sir; no sir; no excuse sir." (Powell) After this would happen they learned to admire the drill
for his country and did his duty, even though he knew he was going to
Standing in a crowd of hundreds, anxious about what is to come—combat; waiting for a man whose reputation greatly precedes him…the man who will lead you into battle—into a nightmare. As he took the microphone and declared, “you are here because you are real men and all real men like to fight.” These words are those of General George Patton…and he has your attention. Inspirational and blunt are just a couple of the many terms used to describe General Patton. General Patton was also a visionary in employment of combat forces; in fact, he was an expert on the subject. The manner in which he led his troops was in itself visionary. Despite his military prowess and formidable leadership, General Patton was humble in leadership and intellect. These three attributes will demonstrate that he was above all, a visionary and ethical leader.
Snider, D. M. (2008). Dissent and strategic leadership of the military professions. Carlisle Barracks, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College.
Melvin Morris volunteered for the army when he was 19 years old. (www.cnn) On September 17, 1969 he was in Vietnam. Melvin Morris charged into enemy fire despite having several injuries so he could save his fatally wounded sergeant and retrieve a vital map. (www.wa) (www.npr) His actions earned him the Medal of Honor that day. However, Melvin Morris was not given a Medal of Honor, because he was African American. Instead he received a lower award called the Disting...