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thedrifter
04-01-04, 07:44 AM
Readers respond to Hack's In Search of a Ulysses Article

03-31-2004
Ulysses: Marine Major Sounds Off



Sir,



In one of your recent articles you wrote about the substandard leadership in the military, focusing mainly on lieutenants. Your article was called "In Search of a Ulysses." If good, down to earth, no kidding leaders is what your are in search of, you need not look any further than the Marines I had the privilege to serve with during the maneuver phase of the war last year. From the youngest private and lance corporal to the Commander of the 1st Marine Division, every Marine I came in contact with was giving 100%. From the corpsman who ran through fire multiple times to retrieve wounded, to the regimental combat team commanders who were so far forward they were in position to personally retrieve tank crews who had their tanks catastrophically killed. These Marines and Sailors are the Ulysses you search for.



Much of your article dealt with lieutenants. Much of the feed back posted on your website bashed them and how little they knew. Of course lieutenants don't know a lot about their MOS, they are new. But what they do know is leadership, the principles that have been ingrained in them since they set foot at OCS and continue to this very day. Their MOS knowledge will come to them through a variety of means from schools, mentoring, and OJT to the SNCOs and field grade officers who understand it is also their responsibility to help produce a quality officer. Most Marine lieutenants are excellent. Sure they have lapses in judgment, we all do, but they learn. Those who don't learn find new careers quickly. The other services have these quality junior officers and SNCOs as well. I know because I am forward deployed this year on a joint staff and many of them work with and for me.



So many are in search of a Ulysses. I say look around, he or she is already here. You just don't hear about them because no one *****es about the good leaders.



Major of Marines

In Search of a Ulysses

http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=Hacks%20Target.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=61


http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=Special%20Report%20Ulysses.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=6&rnd=550.1291011296403


Ellie