PDA

View Full Version : Modern day hero passes on his leadership



thedrifter
03-07-08, 05:11 AM
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-- It was a scene that many fear to ever see, rounds raining down from all sides, the sight of blood and death all around, but this was just what then 1st Sgt. Bradley A. Kasal and his Marines were forced to live through. Kasal’s blood, as well as the blood of several of his Marines, soaked the floors of the house known to Marines as the “house of hell.”

Through the chaos, Kasal, already suffering from seven gunshot wounds, was faced with a life or death decision as a hostile grenade landed only a few feet away from himself and his Marine. In a split second, Kasal hoisted himself over his Marine’s body to protect him from the blast, absorbing 40 pieces of shrapnel.

Kasal, having saved the life of his Marine, was losing more blood by the minute, but refused to give up hope. He was confident that his fellow Marines would get them out, and they did.

Sgt. Maj. Kasal, co-author of “My men are my heroes,” and the recipient of a Navy Cross medal for heroism during the notorious Battle of Fallujah, spoke about leadership to the Marines and sailors of Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, March 3, at Marston Pavilion, here.

Kasal shared lessons he learned in combat, such as the importance of setting the example and knowing your Marines.

“Marines will do amazing things if you set the example,” Kasal said. “When I was injured, I never screamed, I never even grimaced… you could call it pride, you could call it stubbornness or you could call it toughness.”

“I knew the severity of the situation,” Kasal continued. “I was bleeding out very badly and the (Marine) next to me was also bleeding out very badly. He was a lance corporal, I was a first sergeant. I knew that he needed my reassurance. So it was just setting the example and being the example.”

Kasal went on to explain that knowing your Marines is not just about what job they do and how well they work for you, but knowing every detail about them, from what car they drive and their children’s names to how they react in combat situations.

“A good leader has to know everything about their Marines,” Kasal said. “If I went out on patrol with them, I’d fall in as a regular rifleman. I wasn’t running that patrol, I was out there to learn about my Marines.”

Lance Cpl. Andres E. Marquez-Gonzalez, a switchboard, telephone and computer repairman for CLR-2, listened intently to Kasal’s experience and agreed with his opinions on leadership.

“One of the most important parts of leading from the junior (Marine's) perspective is that you have to know your Marines and gain their respect,” he said. “You have to be someone they respect, someone they want to be and someone they want to follow.”

For Lance Cpl. Janna L. Soefje, a maintenance innovative management system clerk for CLR-2 who heard Kasal speak for the second time, expressed that listening to him this time was more powerful because she was now interacting with more Marines of different ranks and experiences.

“To me leadership means looking out for your fellow Marines, whether it’s a four-star general or a private that just came out of boot camp, just to make sure that everyone’s safe and everyone’s doing their job,” Soefje said.

The Marine Corps’ history is marked by Marines like Chesty Puller, Dan Daley and Smedley Butler, who’ve successfully led their Marines through battle and performed courageous and heroic acts that today’s young Marines can emulate.

Kasal resembles this noble form of leadership, placing his men before himself in all instances, ensuring that they all come home safely.

Cpl. Bobby R. Rivera, the marksmanship training unit chief for CLR-2, has been strongly influenced by Kasal’s story and looks up to him the same way he looks up to great leaders of the Corps’ past.

“Every generation needs a Chesty Puller and Sgt Maj. Kasal is ours,” Rivera concluded.