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Love For The Boots On The Ground

Writer's picture: Phil WilliamsPhil Williams

This past week saw a rash of confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill, to include that of Pete Hegseth, Trumps nominee for Secretary of Defense. He kept his composure, evidenced a grasp of the facts and laid out a plan for the restoration of peace through strength. He spoke of building a military that can both deter and defeat our enemies. Democrat members of the Senate Armed Services committee attacked his character, impugned his credentials, and insulted his family as Hegseth heralded the end of wokeness, DEI, and the streamlining of bloated defense bureaucracy. Hegseth knocked it out of the park!

 

Pete Hegseth at confirmation hearing

Most importantly, Hegseth said his focus would be on the individual soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines that would serve under him. It was a breath of fresh air.


Young men and women who volunteer to go to hard places and do hard things while serving in uniform deserve a leader that has their back. They deserve leadership that takes responsibility for mistakes and gives credit to the actual warfighters when all goes well.

 

General Eric Shinseki, in his retirement address in June 2003 said, a leader “must love those you lead before you can be an effective leader. You can certainly command without that sense of commitment – but you cannot lead without it.” Hegseth appears to have that mindset.


Immediately after the attacks of 9/11 I deployed with my team to the far reaches of the Afghanistan theater of operations where we lived among the Afghan people for nearly a year. Just before I left a legendary Green Beret named Ola Lee Mize came to see me. An awardee of the Medal of Honor, Colonel Mize fought in Korea, followed by three tours in Vietnam. Mize was one of the founders of the Special Warfare Center and the Combat Diver School. In addition to the Medal of Honor he also wore the Silver Star, 5 Bronze Stars for Valor and the Purple Heart. When Colonel Mize wanted to speak you listened. He shut the door to my office and stood there a few seconds. “Williams, I hear you’re going to the war.” I said “Yes sir”. He nodded and asked, “Where are you going to be?” I told him out on a remote team. He nodded, then stared hard and said, “Let me tell you something. Gonna come the day you’re out there with your men and some blankety-blank in the rear is going to tell you what to do and you’re going to know it ain’t right. You tell him to go to Hell….you take care of your men.” Then he stared at me as I nodded and once again said, “Yes sir”. The Colonel shook my hand and said, “alright, you do good now.” Then he turned and walked out. I have never forgotten it, and I leaned on that advice several times.

 

I was mindful of those words as I listened to Hegseth’s opening statements. I am a third generation Army Officer. My father, grandfather and I, all in succession. But my son is on active duty now. The fact that the man in line to lead the Department of Defense spoke so avidly, so passionately, about being there for the troops, restoring morale, rebuilding capabilities, removing obstacles, and awarding actual merit, was more than refreshing, it was emotional.


I want this current generation of servicemembers, to include my son, to have the best of everything. The best weapons, the best choices, the best training, the best leaders and the best experiences.

 

The right leadership from DC makes a difference. Leadership that inspires all of society to be there for our troops. To thank them. To encourage them.

 

When I returned from Afghanistan I out-processed at Fort Bragg (now Fort Liberty). I decided I was going to church on a particular Sunday morning and took a short walk over to one of my favorite spots, the John F. Kennedy Memorial Chapel, often called the Special Warfare Chapel. The stain glassed windows of the newly renovated chapel depict soldiers kneeling in prayer on the battlefield. Standing in front of the Chapel is a granite monument that says, “In tribute to the men of the Green Berets. US Army Special Forces, whose valiant exploits will inspire mankind”. In very small script at the base it says, “presented by John Wayne, July 4, 1968”.

 

You gotta love that: Green Beret’s, John Wayne and Jesus.

 

John Wayne loved troops. Wayne defied cultural blowback with his epic 1968 film, “The Green Berets”. Critics hated it. Roger Ebert said the film was “cruel and dishonest”. The New York Times called it “rotten and false”. But the troops loved it. It made them proud. The film paid homage to their sacrifices. Wayne visited Vietnam multiple times with one account saying "[The soldiers] felt this giant hand on their soldier and a voice saying: 'Hello, soldier. I'm John Wayne and I just want you to know a hell of a lot of folks back home appreciate what you're doing,'" and some of them would break out in tears. Wayne said once, “I cannot sing or dance, but I can certainly talk to the kids.”

 

John Wayne knew it was not about him; it was about them. It was about what Pete Hegseth told the nation in his hearing, and what Colonel Mize said to me. You take care of your men. You make sure they know they are more important than anything else. Tell them that you know that all the gee-whiz firepower in the world, all the technology, all the strategy, and all the muckety-mucks in the Pentagon don’t mean near as much as the men and women who put their boots on the ground.

 

I am hopeful. I am ready to see it. I want it for my son, and your sons and daughters, and the next generation after that. A return to the halcyon days of duty, honor, country. A time of putting the troops first.

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Rightside Media was created by  Phil Williams, a former Alabama state senator, retired army Colonel, and practicing attorney.

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