Because he's a combat veteran, he knows better than the usual perfumed princes that populate the E-Ring of the Pentagon. He knows the real price our military members face in battle and he's far less likely to risk those young people unnecessarily or waste money on social experiments or the latest contractor "shiny pennies".
He went through the process that many of us go through when we return: drinking excessively and multiple marriages. It's part of the process when you return from war.
“He went through the process that many of us go through when we return: drinking excessively and multiple marriages. It’s part of the process when you return from war.”
I know a 27 year Marine Corps veteran. He served in combat during two wars - Korea and Vietnam, and received Purple Hearts for debilitating injuries in both conflicts which required multiple surgeries, weeks of hospitalization, and pain that never ended. He received a number of combat medals and other awards.
This soldier, officer, and gentleman began his career by enlisting as a private and fighting hand to hand in the frozen snows of Korea. He rose to the officer ranks and retired as a Lt. Colonel. In Vietnam he was a helicopter pilot flying combat missions in Vietnam and Laos as well as downed pilot rescue missions in North Vietnam. He married once, a marriage lasting 62 years that ended on the day his wife died. This man understood the role of a leader and he modeled the behavior he expected of the men he commanded. He walked the talk that character matters. To the best of my knowledge he never drank alcohol or used drugs. His children followed his example and had exemplary careers and strong families.
His process for returning from war was take on each assignment with energy and enthusiasm and to perform at the highest possible standard as a leader, a husband, and a father. He spent his evenings and weekends with his family, not escaping from his memories by drinking himself into a stupor, and chasing skirts, at the O’Club bar.
I asked him once why he didn’t make general, knowing his lack of a college degree probably held him back. His response, “I never put any soldier in under my command at risk of being killed or wounded for the purpose of advancing my career.”
Leaders with discipline, high standards of personal conduct, and command experience exist in the military and I’ve had the honor to know quite a few. They can be found, if this is the type of leader you are seeking.