Great to see the chat on this subject. There is obviously a time and a place for the leader to take up a position forward and conversely the situation may dictate that he should view the 'field' from afar so that disaster can be averted. I think the point is that the leader should make that decision. Hind sight is a wonderfull thing but invariably leaders have to make these sorts of decisions in relatively short order. You pays your money and takes your choice - if they get it wrong then so be it. To arbitarily promote any kind of leadership stance or approach ignores the fact that every situation and therefore every decision is differant.
Ref GW 1, I worked closely with some of the young lads (and older ones) who were expected to do something which was actually quit unusual for the Cold War warrior ie go to war! If you would have asked a Laarbruch Tornado mate in the Summer of 90 what he would be doing in Feb 91, I don't think he would have replied that he would be dropping bombs for real. They, IMHO needed to be led from the front. Many senior guys decided to fly (not sure how much real choice they had) and ensured that it all worked. I honestly believe many a personal 'wobble' was averted upon hearing about the previous nights sortie when the Boss broke radio silence to pronounce 'wibble' over the radio when returning home.
By the way what ever happened to Pablo M after the book launch?
