Sound leadership is the difference between a rabble and the military or a police dept or even a corporation. 

 

Examples (negative and positive);

 

Abu Girab---the real scandal from this prison was not the treatment of the detainees there.  This is actually the symptom of a complete breakdown of leadership and subsequently, discipline.  Had the CG, Bde Cdr, Bn Cdr, Co Cdr, and associated Sr NCOs been checking, inspecting and enforcing, much of what happened would have been unthinkable to the troops that did it.  Sound leaders are the kinetic force that animates doctrine, law and enforces the "correct" actions.

 

the Sadaam Fedayeen in 2003.  This group was charged with conducting limited operations in US and UK rear areas.  In spite of the clear outcome of the ground offensive, this motivated and well led corps of volunteers sacrificed themselves in an egregious display of loyalty.  While one could argue that this loyalty was to the point of fanatical, it was fostered and sustained by good leadership that seems to have uniformly understand what was expected of them and prepared the force for that.

 

Rourke's Drift---a well led (by personal example) Company of Infantry held a decidedly disadvantaged position and maintained both cohesion and tactical effectiveness throughout a grueling battle.  As an example of this, the less than 100 troops on the walls fired over 20000 rounds and may have killed as many as 1200 of the Zulus (also courageous and well disciplined).  If true, this indicates that these men killed up to 28% of the attacking force over a 16 hour period.  Such an outcome is the direct result of the system of leadership in that Army which demanded loyalty by the leaders to the units and troops.

 

On the other side of that is the action at My Lai.  The Soldiers at My Lai were no different in training, culture, values or missions than the other Soldiers in the RVN at that time.  So what was the true difference for them?  The leaders failed in their duty to lead their units.

 

JMO anyway!

Abu Girab---the real scandal from this prison was not the treatment of the detainees there.  This is actually the symptom of a complete breakdown of leadership and subsequently, discipline.  Had the CG, Bde Cdr, Bn Cdr, Co Cdr, and associated Sr NCOs been checking, inspecting and enforcing, much of what happened would have been unthinkable to the troops that did it.  Sound leaders are the kinetic force that animates doctrine, law and enforces the "correct" actions.

NCOs run the gamut from outstanding to moronic and the Reserve Component is no different.  The fact that no Officer has faced any real consequences to this point probably underscores the environment those NCOs were faced with daily.

 

Good Sr NCO leadership tells the soft upper leadership to take a flying leap and then moves and applies their boot to some ass to ensure that the right things are done.  All soldiers follow a leader.  When leadership does not step up, or is absent, troops will find other forms of leadership.

 

When our troops do not follow our stated values it is because an NCO accepted it as their standard!

As a former merchant marine officer, one of my favorite examples of leadership was when Capt. Bligh and loyals were cast adrift after the mutiny on the HMS Bounty.  With the situation dire and starvation a reality the prospect of cannibalism was murmured. Capt Blight rejected it soundly saying "We are civilized men, and if we must, we will die as civilized men". He went on to achieve one of the greatest navigational feats of all time by sailing over 1,000 miles to Timor using only celestial navigation. As divisive a man Bligh was, he showed great leadership which helped his men survive what would have been certain death.

Shackleton's most famous expedition was planned to be an attempt to cross Antarctica from the Weddell Sea south of the Atlantic, to the Ross Sea south of the Pacific, by way of the Pole. It set out from London on August 1, 1914, and reached the Weddell Sea on January 10, 1915, where the pack ice closed in on the Endurance. The ship was broken by the ice on October 27, 1915. The 28 crew members managed to flee to Elephant Island, bringing three small boats with them. All of them survived after Shackleton and five other men managed to reach the southern coast of South Georgia in one of the small boats, from where Shackleton organized a rescue operation to bring home the remaining men.

 

If this is not the greates leadership effort it has to be in the top 5! This guy's 28 man crew becomes stranded in the South Polar region. He leads a small team to a deserted island and successfully summons rescue for every one of his crew!

 

Shackleton is what leadership is all about.

 

Check Six

 

Rocky