COMBAT LEADERSHIP

foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Applause] why you are here at pants down a last word out of your mouth at all times will be certain is that understood anytime any Marine any officer any drill instructor tells you to do anything we do it as fast as we dig on can is that understood and it's time that anybody talks to you you must sound off yeah after every battle after every war generation after generation year after year the core renews its strength from this Lifeline of new and untried Marine recruits blows the core's future leadership [Music] [Applause] [Music] like thousands of Marines before them many May later be called upon to lead men under the most demanding and challenging conditions combat but gaining skills to successfully lead men into combat does not just happen [Applause] [Music] [Applause] everybody um these marines are in top shape ready for the physical demands of combat physical conditioning like this along with the realistic training prepares Marines to fight and win on the battlefield like every Marine that I landed with on the beaches of gwajalein and we talked Saipan during World War II we were ready to fight before we shipped out to the Pacific [Applause] it's too late wait for the combat and then learn your job you have to talk to other combat veterans you have to read on past Wars or career Iwo Jima look at films uh Lessons Learned in Vietnam some of the problems that we've had it's your responsibility to maintain that knowledge not wait until you get in the combat situation and then learn from there when did you get into combat it's too late to learn and you have to hit the ground running and uh that's I think we learned that ahead of time the combat leader is also a good leader in peacetime if he can't lead in peacetime he will never make it in combat [Music] prepares him emotionally and physically to be Victorious on the battlefield [Music] beginning with the raw materials of strong character and worthy values leadership skills are carefully molded by the expert hands of drill instructors and unit leaders hammered into fighting shape in the Forge of intense training hardened by the fires of marine tradition [Applause] galvanized by self-discipline pride and patriotism [Applause] these marines are gaining skills in small unit tactics and Leadership they are fortunate to be learning such skills from a combat veteran who saw them work in Vietnam the combat wisdom that is hard for him to pass on however is what war itself is really like it takes the actual living and the intense and awesome reality of War to appreciate the thoughts the hopes the fears that run riot in the minds of men in combat in eliminate them with a maximum Firepower that's available to you it begins with the waiting waiting to go in waiting to take off to move out to move up waiting to go into what one Marine combat veteran calls The Savage brutal exhausting and dirty business of War E.B Sledge nicknamed the sledgehammer saw and felt combat in its most intimate level that of the grunt Sledge remembers his first campaign voicing the thoughts the feelings of every Marine before his first attack would I ever see my family again would I do my duty will be a coward could I kill I never experienced any more agonizing suspense than the excruciating torture of those moments before we receive the signal to begin the assault I broke out Nicole sweat as the tension mounted with intensity of the bombardment my stomach was tied in knots I had a lump in my throat swallowed with great difficulty I felt nauseated and feared that my bladder would empty itself and reveal me to be the coward I was fear a reality of War fear of the always present danger of being killed or wounded anticipation of the unexpected apprehension that one may not measure up as a marine Under Fire or letting a brother Marine down fear grips all men going into combat to some degree or another fear does not mean the lack of Courage courage means overcoming fear and doing one's duty and the presence of danger not being unafraid yeah I can remember the first time I was in a combat Chris firefight I think at first of all you absolutely everybody is scared and you really don't know what to do but then you start realizing what's happening around you and you know you're in charge you better say something you're going to get everybody wiped out you pay charge and you say all right let's move out and you get up and you move out with them they're going to see this they gave us the word that we were going to Grenada and everybody was excited scared confused and we had one gunny that gunny asked who was a Vietnam vet and everybody kind of looked up to him for advice we knew what we were going to do what we were facing but we weren't sure of how to handle the fear of combat but once we had landed onto the island things fell into place the fear was controlled it didn't go away but it was controlled and the training that we had had fired paid off we felt confident and comfortable with what we were doing we knew what we were doing we were ready for any kind of mission it was we were going to face confidence in their previous training their leadership their fellow Marines and themselves is enough to overcome most fears when the orders came Robert barely Sledge and the Marines around them moved as every Marine is trained and committed to against the enemy [Applause] [Music] so those of us who entered the meat grinder itself it was another world of fear and horror where the fighting dragged on and on and escapes seemed less and less likely every muscle in my body was as tight as a piano wallet I learned a new sensation of utter absolute helplessness [Music] thank you at times it was though as I was alone out there on the battlefield utterly Fallon in a tempest of violence often it seemed impossible that we could ever reach our objective yet the thought never occurred to us that our attack might fail boss combat was a series of changing events characterized by confusion awesome violence gripping fear physical stress and fatigue just hatred of the enemy and overwhelming grief or the loss of friends the end of a patrol a battle a campaign you can see in the eyes of each Survivor the price he's paid [Music] um yet throughout the history of the corps Marine combat veterans have gone on to fight again and for good reason a man's ability to survive in combat depends on his comrades in his immediate leadership our discipline is free to call and tough training while other ingredients are taught me to survive boot camp taught me I was expecting to excel even under stress [Applause] [Applause] combat is a Vindication of Marine training proof that each Marine can use his weapon and Equipment efficiently in combat proof that he can trust and depend upon the Marines on each side of him and on his leadership [Applause] and we have something else going for us patriotism a deep love of this country and all it stands for individual that's in the lead position has to have the right mental attitude he has to believe in himself and he has to believe in the people around him you believe so strongly in your people that if something were to happen to you you feel that the whole thing will move on [Music] [Applause] [Music] what inspires Marines to excel like no other Fighting Man that's a speedy Gore and it's the price you pay when you graduate from boot camp you earn something the title marine and that means something to everybody there is something special about Marina spree decor that can be sensed right away a British Observer while watching a marine regiment move against a communist division in a last-ditch effort to save the Busan perimeter our last toehold in Korea said and I quote they are faced with impossible odds but I have a feeling that they will halt the enemy I realize my expression of Hope is unsound but these marines have a swag snap confidence and hardness that is so apparent upon this line of reasoning I cling to the Hope of Victory [Applause] foreign ER car is built on commitment more than anything else men have fought and teams of one because of commitment it's a commitment to a leader into a small Brotherhood where the important things are mutual respect confidence shared hardships shared dangers shared victories discipline and perseverance well Rick come on up Marines fight because of their perspective on how they fit into what I would call a family and they know what the other members of that family will do because of their training and their involvement with these their fellow Marines and then it gets down to that point where he the individual is concerned that he does his share that he does what his buddies expect him to do and it's not letting those other Marines down Marines fight for other Marines they fight for the Marines in their unit their buddies the guy in the next box though and they also fight for all those marines that have gone before the ultimate Challenge to leadership in combat is to accomplish the mission while at the same time minimizing casualties taking care of your men being concerned for their welfare [Music] as far as comrades have struggled bled and died and eventually won Okinawa EB Sledge wrote in his book and I quote we forged a bond the time would never erase Marine Corps training taught us to kill efficiently and to try to survive but it also taught us loyalty to each other and love the legendary chesty puller loved by his men not only because he accomplished the mission but also because he took care of them Colonel Lee was with chesty and Nicaragua in 1934. the general called Lee the Iron Man because of his extreme bravery in combat it took some ways around about two months for them to get acquainted with him and from there on they followed him just exactly the same as a bird dog would follow a gunner in the field he took care of his men some leaders lead by fear I think a more effective leader leads by example he shows care and concern for his Marines he respects them and they in turn respect him they will follow him in combat knowing that he'll not waste don't ask anything of your troops that you could not do yourself if you told them to move out and you better move out with them you better lead the way when I think Apollo Lou I think of K company Third Battalion first Marines K company was the Left Flank company in a two regiment landing on the island of palalu about 150 yards to the left of where they would land was a point which jutted about 25 yards out in the water and had a commanding view of the entire division Beach K company's job was to take that point and if they didn't the whole division Landing could be swept by Japanese fire the point was fortified heavily fortified and air and Naval gunfire didn't do the job the company landed wield to its left in a solid appointment and they took it took it and they held it even though they were surrounded and at the end of 48 hours the company that landed with 235 men at 78 left the question is what makes a unit fight like that well this unit was very well trained they actually rehearsed what they were going to do four times until every man knew exactly what was expected of them it had good discipline and they were governed by a driving Spirit of unshakable loyalty on the part of each Marine to his fellow Marines today's generation of Young Marines operating state-of-the-art equipment [Applause] through the concepts of discipline unit identity tradition the spirit of core teamwork Mission accomplishment have a different meaning to these marines than they did to us 40 years ago is a different approach to leadership needed to inspire these conditions well I would say leadership in the Marine Corps has been the same since 1775 but we're after leadership is the ability to take people and mold them into a winning unit in combat be able to get the best to make them excel at the same time take care of them and bring them back through the boot camp and the basic school back in the early Vietnam War years the word then was uh who what where when and only so much of why as was absolutely necessary foreign over the years and culminating in Grenada I've come to realize that y might be the most important part of all I don't mean why in the political why why are we in Grenada Colonel but the Tactical why why do you want me to do what you just told me to do if you explain to the young Marine why you want something done he realizes one that you trust him that you're taking him into your confidence and he knows how you're thinking as a result you'll get a hell of a lot more out of him to go the Marine of 1918 was a different type of person than we have today today we have a man that is educated is more technically inclined he's schooled with his sophisticated weapons and he is better informed they travel today in equipment that we dreamed about and some of it that we weren't able to even visualize in the early days [Music] our quarter day is equipped and trained in such a way that I believe it is second to none [Music] in the three Wars that I've served in there have been a lot of differences we fought against different people we fought them different countries we fought with different weapons [Music] but one of the things that I believe has been constant in all three of those is the basic Foundation of effective combat leadership [Music] the Marines over there are all ncos going through a leadership course they've been taught leadership traits and principles throughout their training the same ones thought to my leaders in World War II the same ones taught the leaders during Vietnam Victorian war and long before those leadership principles and traits it withstood the test of time and the foremost test the battlefield I'd say there are three key elements in leadership today first is proficiency technical knowledge and your ranking MOS knowing your step second is integrity and is being a man of your word and third is that you've got to care a leader is a man that can get other men to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done the leadership is uh is taught to you by senior officers that have the leadership and have shown leadership in the past and have been successful with leadership and they know the basic things that it takes to to drive a platoon or to drive a man to uh to complete a job or a mission fascinating and instructive talking to any Marine who has served in combat it doesn't matter that they may have fought a different war or with different equipment I always find many of their situations similar to my own combat experiences and I keep reinforcing over and over again the knowledge that Basics don't change the principles of leadership and teamwork never change neither does the strong commitment that one Marine feels toward another there's a sort of Brotherhood that begins with boot camp and proves itself in combat if someone were to ask me to draw the profile of an effective small unit combat leader I'd do it this way I'd say it's someone who really knows this stuff I'd say it's someone who understands the vital importance of discipline it's someone who understands the vital importance of hard demanding training it's someone who takes care of his men got a sincere interest in their welfare it's also someone who's physically fit and who leads by example and finally it's someone who's proud he's a Marine I think that profile has been good for as long as there's been a Marine Corps [Music] throughout our long proud history combat veterans have taught untried Marines out of fight to lead and win on the battlefield as these veterans leave the corps they take their combat experience with them but to those who would study and learn from those experiences the wisdom of combat will not be lost in these marines stands the core's future combat leadership before reaching this day this place of honor they were no different than any other young American men but they have been hammered into form in a different forage pardoned by a different buyer earning the right to muster with the elite the few the proud if called upon there is no doubt that they will fight with Incredible bravery and win on any Battlefield in the same tradition of those combat Marines who have gone before them [Music] they're indoctrinated with the espriti corps it is like a branding ion a man is mocked for life mentally and physically [Music] and regardless of where he goes espritical follows him and it is abandoned brothers that can only be broken up by that last journey foreign