To Be and What Not to Be: A Critical Analysis on Anton Myrer's Once An Eagle

The book Black Hearts opened my eyes to how leadership from a single Officer can have a grappling effect on such a wide range of soldiers from the lowest of ranks. One of the best takeaways from Black Hearts is to never do anything: illegal, unethical, or immoral. Although this is a easy statement to repeat, Black Hearts demonstrates the difficulties that lie behind these words. It has also painted a picture of how leadership can topple extremely quickly from a top down view. The Army is portrayed in a bad light throughout the book relentlessly. This is due to the concentration of poor leadership of the 1-502nd Regiment (Referred to as “First Strike”), a battalion of the 101st Airborne Division.

As an army chaplain, I see leadership as a responsibility that must be upheld regardless of the situation. That means I should be able to demonstrate a good example of a true leader. My name is CH (CPT) Idowu, Oyedeji a C4 student at USACHCS, Fort Jackson, SC. I am writing this paper to share my view on what leadership philosophy should look like.

Leadership can be viewed in many different ways and possess many different qualities. There are courageous leaders, respectful leaders, terrible leaders, and seemingly insignificant leaders but leaders nonetheless. But what is it that differentiates between a strong leader and a weak leader, or a powerful leader and an insignificant one? Is it the qualities in the leader or the decisions they make in key situations that define good leadership qualities? Some would define a good leader by their ability to do the right thing even if it is not the easiest choice. Others might define a good leader as one that possesses great integrity and leads by example. The military possesses many great leaders through a process of development and molding individuals to meet expected leadership qualities like honor, courage, commitment and integrity to accomplish any mission or goal. However, this process doesn’t always create the desired effect. So, let’s examine some good and bad examples of leadership qualities and break down what and how we can emulate them.

As an officer in the United States Army, it has been imperative for me to understand every facet of leadership and why it remains important to be an effective leader. During this course, I have learned some valuable lessons about myself as a leader and how I can improve on my leadership ability in the future. The journal entries along with the understanding of available leadership theories have been an integral part of my learning during this course. For all of the journals and assessments that I completed, I feel it has given me a good understanding of my current leadership status and my future potential as a leader. All of the specific assessments looked at several areas in regards to leadership; these assessments covered several

In order to assess the character of Samuel Damon from Once and Eagle from a military point of view this paper will follow a rough format of the Leadership Assessment Report (blue card) used to assess Army ROTC cadets. As the assessment of Damon is being made Courtney Massengale will also be assessed in order to compare the two men’s leadership styles. The assessment of both will also show a contrast of what a good leader is from a poor one.

The modern noncommissioned officer is the embodiment of the Corps’ history and tradition by its core values. The core values are honor, courage and commitment. Dakota Meyer showed each one of the core values. He also showed a majority if not all of the 14 leadership traits, not only as an active duty marine, but also as a civilian, when he shared his spotlight to remember the men that were not able to make it back. Marine noncommissioned officers should be held to the highest standards, as they are the ones who will be teaching new marines how to properly perform in their M.O.S. and they will be teaching new marines how to conduct themselves as marines, whether its while serving in combat, or in garrison.

Sergeant Treadwell is an outstanding NCO who has demonstrated exceptional knowledge and tactical proficiency in all duties as a Marine Security Guard. MRO used his resourcefulness and dedication as he personally conducted the planning and execution for a highly effective training plans as well as an efficiently organized supply and CBRN tracker. A confident and professional Marine, MRO was instrumental in maximizing the security and readiness of the detachment through his active leadership and constructive feedback during more than 40 training exercises. MRO exhibits the strong character necessary to mold and shape the future of the Marine Corps, evident in his persistence and tireless work dedicated to advancing his fellow Marines through

“We aren’t trusted because of our ability. We have to attract the notice of superior officers. We have to be liked. We have to fit in with the system. We have to look like what the officers above us think that officers should look like. We have to think in ways that they are comfortable with.

By reflecting on leadership techniques and methods exhibited throughout history, a more "situational" soldier can emerge, ideally being able to: analyze a given situation, potentially compare it to any knowledge of prior situations that might be parallel in nature, and respond to it appropriately and concisely with a vast arsenal of leadership experience. In this way, qualities of character and competence become reinforced over a large spectrum of individuals within the military. The many leadership traits that George Washington has since been renowned and celebrated for are becoming standardly indoctrinated in our current generation of servicemen and women (ADRP 6-22, 2012; Harvey,

A troop commander needs to make good decisions and a good level of judgement is essential in the decision making process. This ability to understand and apply information also affects the essential relationship between a troop commander and the NCO’s within his platoon. A troop commander (as Sydney Jary points out and repeatedly demonstrates in 18 Platoon) must be able to work with and use the experience of his NCO’s in order to come to the best course of action and a good sense of judgement in order to establish when to use or reject suggestions by those under ones command is an important quality in building and maintaining the professional relationships essential in commanding a troop. Tied into this is the ability to judge the best method of managing the troop and individuals within the troop, to establish whether or not firmness or a greater degree of informality is best for achieving a grip on the troop.

Throughout history our country has had many leaders. Whether you’re the leader of a business, military platoon, or the leader of our great nation you were withheld with the honor and trust to govern the actions and best interests of fellow Americans. But just because you have achieved the title of a leader does not by default make you a good leader. A good leader is a person who has risen above and beyond to show cooperation, perseverance, and respect to decisions made by those still above you at one point in time. “As a seasoned member of the military, you’ve risen through the ranks because you understood your mission and performed your duties with distinction. At this stage of your career, your most important contribution may be how well you take care of the service members and

Leadership, according to the Army doctrine, represents individuals’ ability to influence people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization (“Leadership” FM 6-22). However, the varying characteristics of individuals that the Army attracts may instill this doctrine in many different ways, leading to different representations of leadership. Some individuals choose to lead their subordinate in a stern matter, only displaying matured emotions and a “tough-loving” attitude to guide them in the right direction. Others

His attention-to-detail and daily comraderies with peers is impeccable and can be felt in the maintenance and Ready Room operations. He is an ardent listener who spends his time seeking ways to help the command improve on set goals at the slightest chance. He is the go-to officer when you have questions not only to fellow junior officers but to the command leadership

This book has leadership principles and lessons for all kinds of leaders and I would highly recommend it. It is well written and the stories are clear and direct to the point expressing how effective General Grant was as a leader. The short stories also cover almost all types of difficulties and situations that leaders face and the lessons teach leaders how to handle and approach the issues they face effectively and this is crucial to the development of leaders. As a leader, this book is very beneficial to me because it helps me in strategizing and implementing the lessons I have learnt to make me a better

I recommend SPC William Little with my strongest endorsement to Officer Candidate School. Having known Bill for some time now I have been given an opportunity to witness his intellectual capacity, tremendous drive and physical prowess. He describes a culture of excellence that is highly motivating to others. Tenacious in character, he directs with leadership skills well beyond his current rank.