Core Values and the War on Terror Given the countless advances we’ve collectively achieved as a nation throughout the past few decades, it’s nothing short of a miracle that the conflict we’ve experienced has been relatively tame, at least in comparison to previous, larger-scale disputes. Nevertheless, war seems to be an unfortunately integral part of humanity’s capability, and despite the comparative peace that has been established and sustained in the U.S., the natural ebb and flow of our world manages to miss a beat on occasion. The spoke of history’s turntable violently fell out of harmony on a fateful September 11th almost fifteen years ago. People that were old enough to fully comprehend the significance of the situation can still bring …show more content…
Having served during this time and actually being deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan in more than one occasion, his leadership strategies have personally helped me along the way. There are very few leaders during the past twenty years that have been as influential or stayed as relevant as Powell and his contributions to our nation. Of course there have been many leaders with generally good strategies for conducting in the war on terror, but none have made it clear on how to be a good leader, let alone set an overall standard for one. Powell was the Secretary of State during OIF and OEF and proved himself paramount with carrying out the decisions and political backing needed for the United States to invade Iraq and Afghanistan (LaFEBER, 2009). I recall being on the ground in Kuwait waiting for the order to push into Iraq when I was forwarded a power point presentation with several of Retired General Powell’s leadership philosophies. One that immediately stood out to me was “the commander in the field is always right and the rear echelon is wrong, unless proven otherwise “(Harari, 1996, p. 37), which is very interestingly similar to Sun Tzu rule of “ it is essential for victory that generals are unconstrained by their leaders” (History Channel, 2011, par. …show more content…
Moreover, he survived being wounded two times in battle during the Vietnam War during two separate tours. He was wounded a second time during a helicopter crash where he saved three soldiers and a general, despite his own wounds, which he received the heroism medal for. From there he obtained his masters degree and went on to command the 101st Airborne Division. Soon after he was serving in pivotal positions in Washington (LaFEBER, 2009). Powell, much like General Franks, had established himself as a fast learner and in 1984 he had already achieved the rank of Major General. His position as the assistant to Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger catapulted him to the forefront of military leadership and politics. This is when he adopted and learned the concepts of what was to be known as the “Powell Doctrine” (LaFEBER, 2009, P. 73). Later in his career, there was talk about making him a five-star general and he was even offered a presidential nomination. The Weinberger/Powell doctrine went as
Audie Leon Murphy has earned all available U.S. military combat award for valor possible from the United States Army. He was also decorated by Belgium and France for his service. He serviced in the European Theater of Operations along with the Mediterranean. on January 26, 1945 Murphy earned the medal of honor because of what he had did at the Colmar Pocket near Holtzwihr, France when he was only 19 years old. He received it for his defensive actions against German troops- this shows his selfless service and personal courage. While he was wounded he alone stayed in a burning tank destroyer firing at the Germans- their soldiers and tanks- with a fully automatic machine gun. When he was out of ammo he climbed off the tank and led a successful counterattack after he had refused to let his wounds be treated. Another way he showed his personal courage-an army value.
War is the means to many ends. The ends of ruthless dictators, of land disputes, and lives – each play its part in the reasoning for war. War is controllable. It can be avoided; however, once it begins, the bat...
Powell majored in Engendering. He finished college in 1958 (source 1 pages 32, 36). While in college Powell joined the Recruit Officer Training Corps (ROTC). Powell said he joined ROTC because of the discipline and "The sense of comradery among a group of young men who were similarly motivated. Maybe it was the uniform." Another reason he said he joined is because of the association with the military [source 2 (interview page 1) (biography page 1)]. While Powell was in ROTC, he was in the Pershing Rifles. The Pershing Rifles showed that a cadet was more serious about ROTC than a regular cadet. The Pershing Rifles had to stay in ROTC their whole college career. They were distinguished through a yellow wrap worn on their right shoulder (source 1, page 40). In 1987 Powell was the Nation Security Advisor to Ronald Regan. Two years later in 1989 he became the first black officer and the youngest officer to hold the nation's highest military office, the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff.
...od plan from the get go. The soldiers were not conducting counterinsurgency at the beginning of their deployment, which is why they got hit pretty badly. It does not fall into any of the LDRSHIP values but just fulfilling the KNOW part of leadership is good. His best leadership trait shown in the book doesn’t come from the seven Army values it comes from the warrior ethos. I will never quit. No matter how much pressure that platoon put on him he still did not quit on them. He kept pushing them back and got them in line. One of his worst traits of leadership was his selfless service. He was not a present leader. He did not go out on patrols with the guys. I think that really hindered him from getting the platoon back on track sooner. If he showed them he was willing to go through the same stuff they were then maybe they would have respected him more from the get go.
Colin Powell: Military leader, Statesman. The question of “What makes a leader great?” is without one solitary answer. Effective leaders in the corporate and political arenas are deserving of praise, but because of the nature of their work, military leaders are arguably more complex and intriguing. “Military leadership qualities are formed in a progressive and sequential series of carefully planned training, educational, and experiential events—far more time-consuming and expensive than similar training in industry or government.
Powell's next overseas assignment was in South Vietnam, where he was wounded in action. He then studied at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, finishing second in a class of more than twelve hundred officers. During a second tour in Vietnam he received the Soldier's Medal for pulling several men from a burning helicopter.
Accepting risk is an inherent necessity of commanders past and present. General Gates knew a purely defensive operation was risky, but he also knew that engaging the British on open terrain was an even greater risk. Commanders today should consider the implications of accepting too great a risk while developing the situation and operational approach to their desired end state. Whatever the mission, by empowering subordinates, enabling disciplined initiative and driving the operations process, commanders will not only provide that needed and desired leadership, they will affect the outcome of the battle.
Host: On September the 11th 2001, the notorious terror organisation known as Al-Qaeda struck at the very heart of the United States. The death count was approximately 3,000; a nation was left in panic. To this day, counterterrorism experts and historians alike regard the event surrounding 9/11 as a turning point in US foreign relations. Outraged and fearful of radical terrorism from the middle-east, President Bush declared that in 2001 that it was a matter of freedoms; that “our very freedom has come under attack”. In his eyes, America was simply targeted because of its democratic and western values (CNN News, 2001). In the 14 years following this pivotal declaration, an aggressive, pre-emptive approach to terrorism replaced the traditional
Well, what are the standards of a U.S. military officer? I mean, what characteristics must a person posses in order to reach the level of Colin Powell? I am certain that there are more than a few characteristics one must exhibit in order to become an officer in the U.S. military (not just anyone can be an officer, you know), but the three that I find the most essential are: a person must be able to think rationally in the time of a crisis; a person must display determination and confidence when confronting a crisis; a person must keep in mind those who depend on the decisions he or she is making. If someone possesses these three abilities, I think the person can be considered a good leader.
A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain ...
He talks about how he was criticized for making a student stand at attention in front of the classroom to shake his hand. Powell's belief that all children need structure and that is why the young adult is standing at attention in front of the class. He does this with most kids that he meets in a classroom environment. The reason he does this is that of his military background. Powell explains why, that when individuals enter the military they would have all the same clothes, cut their hair. Then they are introduced to the drill sergeant that they would hate. The individuals would learn structure and were taught "yes sir; no sir; no excuse sir." (Powell) After this would happen they learned to admire the drill
To support this statement, this paper will highlight events in his time as the United States Central Command Commander validated his visionary leadership skills. Next, it will address the events that demonstrate the decisions General Schwarzkopf made that clearly validate those of an ethical leader. Finally, this paper will discuss the relevance of why it is important for a Combatant Commander of such a wide area of responsibility to possess both of these traits. Let us begin by highlighting events in his military career that establish his visionary leader characteristics.
This book is written from a perspective foreign to most Americans. Historically, American students are taught from a single perspective, that being the American perspective. This approach to history (the single perspective) dehumanizes the enemy and glorifies the Americans. We tend to forget that those on the opposing side are also human.
Colin Powell has thirteen rules that he follows when it comes to being an effective leader:
The amount of corruption within the United States’ violent involvement in the Middle East is almost unreal. Unfortunately, the wars have been too real—half a million deaths in the first year of Iraqi Freedom alone (Rogers). These wars have been labeled--the violence, filtered-- to fit a specific agenda. Whether the deaths are deemed an acceptable loss in the name of national security, or as a devastating injustice, the reality doesn’t change. Lives have been lost. Lives that will never be brought back. The intention of wars is in part due to attacks on the twins towers on September 11th 2001. When the buildings fell, almost three thousand people died, according