THIS WAS LIMITED TO A 1-2 PAGE ESSAY ANSWER (TIMED) FOR A MIDTERM EXAM
Question: What are the essential ingredients to a successful military leader? Please draw your essay from the Taylor/Rosenbach text. Please use the specific ideas outlined in the chapters by Ridgeway and Marshall. is in the Description
Note: My Answer is VERY personal with a first-person approach. Not the "norm" for college level essay, BUT in this particular case, with my background and the subject matter it was both accepted and encouraged by my professor.
Essay:
Completely stripped of all "superfluous" information, Generals Ridgway and SLAM Marshall offer the following checklist as to the ingredients of successful military leaders:
[from Rigdway] Self-Disciplined; Willing to Sacrifice; Physically and Morally Courageous; Opposing Orders (when justified); Maintaining Physical Fitness; Personifying Command Presence; Knowing Your Men (or Soldiers in today's army); Keeping your Subordinates Informed; [from SLAM] Be Direct, Be Approachable, Be Willing to Listen to Subordinates; Be Sincere (avoid "acting"); Serving to Your Men (not self); Ensure Subordinates' Personal Welfare; and through it all, Maintain Your Sense of Humor.
RIDGWAY & ME
Ridgway, Pennsylvania
Photo of Command Sergeant Major Archie TurnerAs I have been in the military for ten years now, serving in combat support roles, combat arms, rear-echelon (REMF) jobs, and enjoying the experience of the enlisted side and now the officer side, I thought it more apropos if I related the readings to my own experience. I joined in 1992, while the hype from the Gulf War was still at a level to infect even the most disinterested basic trainee, and was immediately engulfed by a superior trio of Drill Sergeants that personified leadership via the "backbone of the army." Then, I reported to my first duty station--awaiting me there was a leader that was literally the walking version of the above mentioned "leadership checklist." He was my mentor,