“TWO BALD men fighting over a comb” is how the Argentinian writer Jose Luis Borges described the Falklands War, and I never heard a better description. The only hopeful thing about the Falklands War, in my opinion, was that it set a precedent for future wars – if two countries wanted to go to war,… Read More
Naturally, the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a… Read More
“Confidence and pride in leaders must be bred by the leaders themselves.” Lieutenant Colonel J.G. Shillington, D.S.O. (1950).
“Leadership is the courage to admit mistakes, the vision to welcome change, the enthusiasm to motivate others, and the confidence to stay out of step when everyone else is marching to the wrong tune.” E.M. Estes (1916-1988) Elliot Marantette “Pete” Estes was an American automotive engineer and executive; he is best known as the fifteenth… Read More
“How many commanders have we produced who, like General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien, could stand alone wrapped in a British Warm at a cross‐roads to watch a brigade of infantry go by? It may have looked like wasted time to the staff but his sole question to a passing young company commander (who did not realize… Read More
“An officer is expected and required to present a smart appearance, and to maintain his clothing and equipment in a clean, neat, and serviceable condition. He must conform strictly to regulations, so that he may establish the standard for the enlisted men of his organization. His carriage should be upright, and he should show life… Read More
“An officer should, at all times, be dignified in his conduct. Dignity is nothing more than the avoidance of coarse behaviour. It requires the control of one’s emotions. To be profane, boisterous, or “loud‐mouthed” is to be coarse. An officer who makes a spectacle of himself by being loud, or by losing his temper on… Read More
