“Battalions certainly differed in their character and their competence both from others and within themselves over time. Battalions are much like an organic family. They are held together by intangibles ‐ leadership, comradeship, motivation, morale ‐ that defy quantification or even easy description. In good units, soldiers feel ‐ know ‐ they are in the… Read More
“Commissions will not make you leaders; they will merely make you officers … you can become leaders if you possess the proper attributes.” Major Christian Bach
“An army is a fighting weapon moulded by discipline and controlled by leaders; the essence of the army is discipline.” Field Marshal Montgomery (1887 to 1976) Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery, in full Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, of Hindhead byname Monty, was a British Field Marshal and one of the… Read More
“Confidence and pride in leaders must be bred by the leaders themselves.” Lieutenant Colonel J.G. Shillington, D.S.O. Shillington, J.G. (1950) Morale. The Journal of the Royal United Services Institute. XCV(578), pp.96-98. https://doi.org/10.1080/03071847.2011.576482.
“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
Boot Camp & Military Fitness Institute 