We now have the most combat-experienced military in our history, and we must preserve the lessons these experiences have taught us, for in fact, they guarantee our future.These young leaders are wise beyond their years; war has a way of doing that. We owe them our attention and our time; we owe them the opportunity to think and to speak.
We must inspire them to and reward them for speaking out. And, for our part, we must ensure that we truly listen.
We must learn to bring these lessons to the forefront of a system that is still too mired in peacetime procedures, and instead inspire a promotion and selection process that puts these young people and their ideas at the center of our universe.
I believe our future is tied, as it always must be, to the young people who are in the fight right now. (They are) hopeful but pragmatic, visionary but without illusion, staring straight into terrors of our time.
It is up to us, looking into the eyes of today’s young leaders, shaped by war; not merely to teach and to nurture – but to listen and learn, to consult and to cherish, as equals in a grand journey.
It is time to praise and raise those who have offered the best days of their young lives.
It is time to prepare them for their turn at the tiller of history.
Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
1 comment:
Captain Lambert,
There is no doubt it is the Warrior that hates war the most, but the Warrior understands that war is the only tool that may transform the person into a true Warrior.
Very Respectfully,
Navyman834
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