A Recommendation for Quiet Professionals
A Recommendation for Quiet Professionals
by Dave Maxwell
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There are two schools of thought in Special Operations regarding writing for publication. On one hand, there are those who suggest SOF operations and experiences should remain in the shadows known only to those within the community. On the other, there are those who argue the SOF story should be told in detail to ensure the proper recognition for, correct employment of, and sufficient resourcing for SOF. I am a believer in a modified version of the second school—with one very important caveat.
Quiet Professionals must put less emphasis on the “quiet” and more on the “professional.” As members of SOF, we have a professional responsibility to write and publish and share our experience with each other, the rest of the military and the interagency team as well as to inform, and yes, even influence, policy and decision makers. At the same time we have a responsibility to read and learn from the writings of our joint and interagency partners as the experiences of all must be cross-leveled, understood, and integrated. As the old proverb goes, “intelligent men learn from their mistakes and wise men learn from the mistakes of others.”
Download the Full Article: A Recommendation for Quiet Professionals
Colonel David S. Maxwell, US Army Special Forces, is a member of the military faculty at the National War College of the National Defense University. He has nearly 30 years’ experience in the Infantry and Special Forces, with more than 25 years of service in Asia. He is a graduate of the National War College, the School of Advanced Military Studies, and the US Army Command and General Staff College. The opinions expressed are the author’s and not sanctioned by the National Defense University, the Department of Defense or the US Government.
