Posted on 03/07/2008 10:28:18 PM PST by neverdem
LT. Gen. Ray Odierno looks like he could snap an NFL linebacker in half. Yet his voice is so quiet you strain to hear him across the table in an empty pub.
And the general's worth listening to.
Just back from commanding our day-to-day military operations in Iraq, he's been nominated as the Army's next vice chief of staff. He'll take the battlefield's lessons along to that post.
What did Iraq teach Odierno as a soldier? What professional tenets were reinforced by his multiple combat tours?
"First, you have to empower your subordinates. That means you have to underwrite the risks involved," to take the heat when they make mistakes. The general sees this as crucial to our 21st-century Army.
"Second, as a senior leader, you have to trust your instincts . . . you never stop learning and you have to adapt to the changing situation . . . but trust your instincts."
"Third, you have to get out and touch it, feel it, see it." You can't manage a war or a counterinsurgency effort from an office. Nothing substitutes for the sense of reality you get from walking the streets with soldiers and Marines.
So what did an old soldier like Odierno learn about our troops during his successive - and successful - tours in Iraq?
"They are compassionate. They genuinely care - not just about each other, but about Iraqis, too. I saw it again and again. They are compassionate...."
--snip--
"As for Iraq, we have made significant progress . . . and it's in our strategic interests to have a friendly government in Iraq. Our soldiers have sacrificed a great deal. It should not be in vain."
The general went quiet for a moment, looking inward. "It means a lot to me to finish this mission."
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I’ve had a lesson from the General, too.
His people revere him.
I have been fortunate enough to be able to talk to several under his command.
They love him to death, and respect him immensely.
He is a leader’s Leader.
I wish more of them were like that.
Such Great Men, and the crime is, they are subjected to the Stupidity, Sarcasm and Traitorous insults and barbs of the likes of the Democrat Party and their camp followers.
We need a Purge and Purification of our Political Process and we need it now.
God Bless LT. Gen. Ray Odierno and the complete Army who are doing the work of keeping us free and Alive
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