SASless
7th Dec 2006, 16:58
This came to me by e-mail today.....perhaps this is the kind of military leader both the British and American military needs today.
Subject: George C. Marshall Award Speech
Senator Rudman (R-NH) was awarded the George C. Marshall Award last week
at the AUSA banquet, and gave this short, but very good, speech. No spin
in his speech or in his subject.
Thank you, General Sullivan, for your generous remarks.
I have to tell you what was going through my mind as you were up
there speaking, I kept thinking that my late mother and father would be very proud.
However my old battalion commander in Korea - from the 38th Infantry, Second Division -- would be flabbergasted!
Then again, if you have ever read anything at all about the contribution
that George Marshall made to this nation, one message is clear.
Virtually no one truly belongs in his class.
It would have been honor for me to carry his boots, let alone an award
in his name.
If you reflect on the arc of his life -- and what it meant to this
nation -- it is just staggering.
Think about it. When Marshall started his career, he entered the
Virginia Military Institute right down the road from here. The Army
was still being run by veterans of the Civil War. This nation was just a
kid -- barely able to keep itself in one piece.
Yet, by the end of his career - and through his vision -- America had
become the architect of peace in every corner of the world, the
indispensable nation in the largest war in the history of humanity.
More important, we had laid the foundations of the modern Army and armed
forces to provide global stability.
We had poured the cornerstones of global democracy.
Through his Marshall Plan we had planted the seeds of a global
economy that would lift tens of millions of people out of poverty.
That's a record that would leave anyone in awe.
You would be hard pressed to find any single person - uniformed or
civilian, Roosevelt, Truman, and Churchill included - who did so much,
so well, over such a long period of time, to get us to that point.
So, in the long sweep of history, I would go so far as to say that
Marshall will rank up there with Washington, Hamilton, Madison,
Jefferson and the rest of the founders. When you reach that level, it's
simply hard to imagine anyone but that one person who could have
accomplished the same for our nation.
But the real value of this award is not just the chance to reflect on
history. It's an occasion to reflect on the man himself: the values, the
traits, the character of this soldier and statesman.
If you read anything at all of Marshall 's writings, this comes through
so clearly. The beliefs that he fought for are just as relevant for
today's Army -- and for today's leaders -- as they were for his time.
I want tonight to talk just a few minutes about those beliefs.
Foremost, he believed in putting those at the bottom of the ladder - the
ground troops, the infantrymen -- at the top of his list.
From his time at Fort Benning , there's a great story about him ripping
an officer because the troops didn't have blankets and stoves.
He called the officer on the carpet and said, "Get every damn one of
those things tonight. Not tomorrow. Tonight. We are going to take care
of the troops first, last, and all the time."
"First, last, and all the time ... " That is the kind of commitment we
owe the troops.
He believed that personal integrity conferred more authority than any
ribbon or star ever could. Marshall was a guy who almost never pulled rank to make a point. But he scared the living hell out of people.
Think about General Patton, who was no shrinking violet.
Patton once said if he had to choose between facing Marshall in an
interview or face a whole Nazi Panzer division by himself ....The decision would be easy, face the Panzers.
Marshall believed that he had a solemn duty to speak truth to power.
That's something that you don't learn in basic training.
In his very first meeting with President Roosevelt - one of the most
popular and powerful Presidents and commanders-in-chief to ever sit in
the Oval Office - Marshall, then Chief of Staff of the Army, had the
courage to look him in the eye and say, "I am sorry, Mr. President, I
don't agree with you at all." On his very first meeting!
I have to tell you, that takes more than guts.
He believed in being candid and direct. Churchill was once arguing to delay the invasion of Europe in favor of an attack on Rhodes. Marshall listened quietly for a long time, nodding, and then finally he exploded. He said, "You can plan all you want. But not one American soldier is going to die on that goddamned beach."
He believed in extreme loyalty: the kind of loyalty that goes up and
down the chain of command. His view was that you select talented people, you put your trust in them, and then let them do their job.
In 1947, when it became clear after face-to-face talks with the Soviets
that the Cold War was going to be a reality, Marshall came back to the
State Department and called George Kennan into his office. He told him that he would have to immediately set up a policy office and
write a master plan to deal with the threat.
So, there you have Kennan, this brilliant guy who immediately sees 389
dimensions to the problem. And you have the grand strategy for the fate
of the Western world hanging in the balance. It doesn't get bigger than
that. So Kennan tells Marshall , "Mr. Secretary, I am going to need more
guidance from you." Marshall paused for a few seconds. And then he looked at him and said precisely two words: "Avoid trivia."
That's one of the things I have always loved about Marshall : he
didn't believe that anyone, regardless of rank, should take himself too
seriously. One time, General Walter Bedell Smith - in full uniform - came to report to Marshall 's house to give him a report. It turned out that
Marshall was out in the rain, picking corn in his vegetable patch. After a few minutes in the rain and mud, Smith started to get a bit testy.
He said, "General, do I have to stand out here to make my report?" To which
Marshall said, "No, Smith. Of course not. Turn over that bucket and
sit down."
If there's one idea - one lesson - from Marshall's life that I could
leave you with tonight, I think that would be this.
No matter how high or how low your rank, you should never let your
respect for the privilege and prestige of an office distract you from
what you're there to do -- to outweigh your obligation to speak truth to
power.
In that spirit, I believe I would be remiss if I didn't use this
occasion to close with just a few words about the current state of this
fine institution, the United States Army.
When I think about the history of the U.S. Army, places come back to
mind ... Omaha Beach, Bastogne , Porkchop Hill , Ia Drang and, of course, Baghdad . From my own experience in Korea , those places are notable for the courage and uncommon valor of the American soldier.
Regardless of one's views about the wisdom of starting the current
action in Iraq , I am deeply, deeply worried about its lasting impact on
our Army - on all our armed forces, but the Army especially.
By almost any measure, we have asked too small a force to operate at too
fast an ops tempo with too little resources over too much territory.
To paraphrase Winston Churchill, never have so many, owed so much to so few for so long. This is doing damage to our Army - active, guard, and reserve - that will take a generation to repair. We are "taking it in the neck."
You can say all you want about the theory of light footprints and high-tech warfare. But as far as I'm concerned, you can save that for the classroom.
At the end of the day, if you don't have enough boots on the ground, you
have more instability, not less. For families all across this country, that means you have more kids coming home without arms and legs -- not less. You have more honor guard funerals -- not less.
That's just wrong. It's a tragedy. It did not have to be this way. It's time for us to put the issue right in front of the American people, on the kitchen table, rather than pretend it's not there.
More than 60 years ago, at the height of World War II, Marshall stood
before an audience just like this, pleading to get the resources that he
believed were essential. This is a man who didn't shrug at the casualty
figures. He had them on top of his desk - and in front of his president
-- every week! He said, "Just once, in the history of this country, I'd like to see the American solider be given a fair break in the terrible business of
making war."
Classic Marshall. Direct. Candid. Loyal. Always on the lookout for
the soldiers who are making the greatest sacrifice. I don't think we could pay him any greater tribute today than to listen to his voice: "Just once ... a fair break."
As we leave here tonight, let us all take a moment to say a prayer for
all of those brave young men and women who are willing to put it on the
line for the greater good.
Thank you.
Subject: George C. Marshall Award Speech
Senator Rudman (R-NH) was awarded the George C. Marshall Award last week
at the AUSA banquet, and gave this short, but very good, speech. No spin
in his speech or in his subject.
Thank you, General Sullivan, for your generous remarks.
I have to tell you what was going through my mind as you were up
there speaking, I kept thinking that my late mother and father would be very proud.
However my old battalion commander in Korea - from the 38th Infantry, Second Division -- would be flabbergasted!
Then again, if you have ever read anything at all about the contribution
that George Marshall made to this nation, one message is clear.
Virtually no one truly belongs in his class.
It would have been honor for me to carry his boots, let alone an award
in his name.
If you reflect on the arc of his life -- and what it meant to this
nation -- it is just staggering.
Think about it. When Marshall started his career, he entered the
Virginia Military Institute right down the road from here. The Army
was still being run by veterans of the Civil War. This nation was just a
kid -- barely able to keep itself in one piece.
Yet, by the end of his career - and through his vision -- America had
become the architect of peace in every corner of the world, the
indispensable nation in the largest war in the history of humanity.
More important, we had laid the foundations of the modern Army and armed
forces to provide global stability.
We had poured the cornerstones of global democracy.
Through his Marshall Plan we had planted the seeds of a global
economy that would lift tens of millions of people out of poverty.
That's a record that would leave anyone in awe.
You would be hard pressed to find any single person - uniformed or
civilian, Roosevelt, Truman, and Churchill included - who did so much,
so well, over such a long period of time, to get us to that point.
So, in the long sweep of history, I would go so far as to say that
Marshall will rank up there with Washington, Hamilton, Madison,
Jefferson and the rest of the founders. When you reach that level, it's
simply hard to imagine anyone but that one person who could have
accomplished the same for our nation.
But the real value of this award is not just the chance to reflect on
history. It's an occasion to reflect on the man himself: the values, the
traits, the character of this soldier and statesman.
If you read anything at all of Marshall 's writings, this comes through
so clearly. The beliefs that he fought for are just as relevant for
today's Army -- and for today's leaders -- as they were for his time.
I want tonight to talk just a few minutes about those beliefs.
Foremost, he believed in putting those at the bottom of the ladder - the
ground troops, the infantrymen -- at the top of his list.
From his time at Fort Benning , there's a great story about him ripping
an officer because the troops didn't have blankets and stoves.
He called the officer on the carpet and said, "Get every damn one of
those things tonight. Not tomorrow. Tonight. We are going to take care
of the troops first, last, and all the time."
"First, last, and all the time ... " That is the kind of commitment we
owe the troops.
He believed that personal integrity conferred more authority than any
ribbon or star ever could. Marshall was a guy who almost never pulled rank to make a point. But he scared the living hell out of people.
Think about General Patton, who was no shrinking violet.
Patton once said if he had to choose between facing Marshall in an
interview or face a whole Nazi Panzer division by himself ....The decision would be easy, face the Panzers.
Marshall believed that he had a solemn duty to speak truth to power.
That's something that you don't learn in basic training.
In his very first meeting with President Roosevelt - one of the most
popular and powerful Presidents and commanders-in-chief to ever sit in
the Oval Office - Marshall, then Chief of Staff of the Army, had the
courage to look him in the eye and say, "I am sorry, Mr. President, I
don't agree with you at all." On his very first meeting!
I have to tell you, that takes more than guts.
He believed in being candid and direct. Churchill was once arguing to delay the invasion of Europe in favor of an attack on Rhodes. Marshall listened quietly for a long time, nodding, and then finally he exploded. He said, "You can plan all you want. But not one American soldier is going to die on that goddamned beach."
He believed in extreme loyalty: the kind of loyalty that goes up and
down the chain of command. His view was that you select talented people, you put your trust in them, and then let them do their job.
In 1947, when it became clear after face-to-face talks with the Soviets
that the Cold War was going to be a reality, Marshall came back to the
State Department and called George Kennan into his office. He told him that he would have to immediately set up a policy office and
write a master plan to deal with the threat.
So, there you have Kennan, this brilliant guy who immediately sees 389
dimensions to the problem. And you have the grand strategy for the fate
of the Western world hanging in the balance. It doesn't get bigger than
that. So Kennan tells Marshall , "Mr. Secretary, I am going to need more
guidance from you." Marshall paused for a few seconds. And then he looked at him and said precisely two words: "Avoid trivia."
That's one of the things I have always loved about Marshall : he
didn't believe that anyone, regardless of rank, should take himself too
seriously. One time, General Walter Bedell Smith - in full uniform - came to report to Marshall 's house to give him a report. It turned out that
Marshall was out in the rain, picking corn in his vegetable patch. After a few minutes in the rain and mud, Smith started to get a bit testy.
He said, "General, do I have to stand out here to make my report?" To which
Marshall said, "No, Smith. Of course not. Turn over that bucket and
sit down."
If there's one idea - one lesson - from Marshall's life that I could
leave you with tonight, I think that would be this.
No matter how high or how low your rank, you should never let your
respect for the privilege and prestige of an office distract you from
what you're there to do -- to outweigh your obligation to speak truth to
power.
In that spirit, I believe I would be remiss if I didn't use this
occasion to close with just a few words about the current state of this
fine institution, the United States Army.
When I think about the history of the U.S. Army, places come back to
mind ... Omaha Beach, Bastogne , Porkchop Hill , Ia Drang and, of course, Baghdad . From my own experience in Korea , those places are notable for the courage and uncommon valor of the American soldier.
Regardless of one's views about the wisdom of starting the current
action in Iraq , I am deeply, deeply worried about its lasting impact on
our Army - on all our armed forces, but the Army especially.
By almost any measure, we have asked too small a force to operate at too
fast an ops tempo with too little resources over too much territory.
To paraphrase Winston Churchill, never have so many, owed so much to so few for so long. This is doing damage to our Army - active, guard, and reserve - that will take a generation to repair. We are "taking it in the neck."
You can say all you want about the theory of light footprints and high-tech warfare. But as far as I'm concerned, you can save that for the classroom.
At the end of the day, if you don't have enough boots on the ground, you
have more instability, not less. For families all across this country, that means you have more kids coming home without arms and legs -- not less. You have more honor guard funerals -- not less.
That's just wrong. It's a tragedy. It did not have to be this way. It's time for us to put the issue right in front of the American people, on the kitchen table, rather than pretend it's not there.
More than 60 years ago, at the height of World War II, Marshall stood
before an audience just like this, pleading to get the resources that he
believed were essential. This is a man who didn't shrug at the casualty
figures. He had them on top of his desk - and in front of his president
-- every week! He said, "Just once, in the history of this country, I'd like to see the American solider be given a fair break in the terrible business of
making war."
Classic Marshall. Direct. Candid. Loyal. Always on the lookout for
the soldiers who are making the greatest sacrifice. I don't think we could pay him any greater tribute today than to listen to his voice: "Just once ... a fair break."
As we leave here tonight, let us all take a moment to say a prayer for
all of those brave young men and women who are willing to put it on the
line for the greater good.
Thank you.