Lieutenant Colonel Paul Yingling is deploying to Iraq again this afternoon. We wish him, his family and his soldiers God speed, fair winds and following seas.
In light of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' address yesterday at the US Military Academy we thought it timely to point out another important speech on issues of leadership and "generalship".
That speech would be Secretary of the Army Pete Geren's address at the George C. Marshall Awards, Washington and Lee University, on 17 April 2008. The full transcript can be found at this link.
Here is an excerpt:
... You the Marshall class of 2008, are part of the legacy of one of our truly great Americans. You are being recognized both for your outstanding performance in ROTC and for your potential as future Army officers.
Each of you was selected as the top cadets of your ROTC Units -- you have demonstrated outstanding leadership and academic achievement.
Together, you represent our Army's next generation of leaders. You are among our very best and our expectations of you are high. Today, our Army is the best led, best trained and best equipped Army the world has ever seen. Your job is to make sure we can still say that 20 years from now.
You are leaders who will lead our Soldiers during this time of war and in this era of persistent conflict and persistent engagement.
You will lead in complex and complicated times - under the Chinese curse of all those who are fated to live in "interesting times" - and much will be asked of you. You will be entrusted with our Nation's most precious resource - our sons and daughters - and our nation's most important mission - our nation's defense.
Napoleon told us, "There are no bad soldiers, only bad generals."...
Each of you has been given Forrest C. Pogue's four-volume biography of George C. Marshall. You would do well to study it. The many and varied challenges George C. Marshall confronted over his nearly 60 years of service to our Nation - you will find them all compressed into your military career, whether it be 5 years or 40 - perhaps even into a single tour in Iraq or Afghanistan. Clear-hold-build, Counter-insurgency, stability operations, combat, nation-building - winning a war, winning the peace - and laying the foundation for a sustainable peace - our Soldiers are doing all of that and more -- everyday.
That is a lot to ask of you - but that is what we are asking of Army leaders today...
Our Army understands that the way we fight has changed - and is changing, and you will become the leaders who will carry this dynamic vision into this century.
And, if we are going to retain the combat edge honed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and adapt as the future requires, we must be an institution that encourages Soldiers to ask hard questions, questions that make us uncomfortable - reward not only the Soldier who risks his life, but also the Soldier who is —to risk a promotion - encourage those who afflict the comfortable.
Recently, LTC Paul Yingling wrote a piece that appeared in the Armed Forces Journal - and sparked heated debate throughout the Army - ruffled some feathers - ruffled a lot of feathers. That is a good thing. We need more, not fewer, Paul Yinglings.
And on this point, George C. Marshall also can serve as our model. Many thought MAJ Marshall's career was at an end in 1917 when he publicly disagreed with and angrily lectured GEN "Black Jack" Pershing at 1st Division headquarters in France during World War I. He even grabbed the general's arm when he tried to disengage.
His anger and assertiveness did not draw a rebuke from Pershing - rather it earned his respect...
You can find articles by LTC Yingling at his SWJ Bio Page.