Who is a Leader You Look Up to and Why?

I will have to think about this one. No one immediately comes to mind.

LTC Herman Gibb - awesome commander. Knowledgeable teachable, humble when needed and decisive when needed. Served under him for 2 years as NOCIC. An inspirational leader and team player. Honors me with his friendship to this day 40+ years later.

You couldn't come up with a single woman in all of human history? Seriously? Or is that androgynous figure in the upper right corner supposed to do?

Definitely my BCT Company Commander. He led by example from start to finish.

There are a number of historical leaders that I admire. The first in the list isJesus, he epitomizes what a true leader is. In my life I have admired those who took care of their subordinates, were an example of integrity and kindness, yet held discipline for themselves and others as an integral part of their journey. When I was in BCT at Ft Ord , there was a commanding general who was driven around with a bus following, who would pick up soldiers he felt needed haircuts or something wrong with their uniform. I felt if he had the time to do that, he probably wasn’t very vital to the mission and wondered if your real importance to the mission was inversely proportional to your rank. Fortunately as I went on I encountered many officers and senior NCO’s who left a better impression.

There have been many inspirational commanders in my 22 year career - COL House, LTC Rainey (The most inspirational), but MSG Samuel Graham took interest in me as a young SPEC 4 and showed me how to work within the system so that I could identify needs in the command and then cross train into needed MOS's to get a promotion in an otherwise VERY limited promotional field. Drafted during Vietnam I was a Combat Medic 91A10 in an Infantry then Mechanized Infantry unit so they made me company clerk because I could type the Morning Report I was there 2 years then and then transferred to a large hospital. Neither offered opportunities beyond SPEC 4. Because of MSG Graham's guidance I cross-trained into a Payroll Specialist SPEC 5 MOS because we had a vacancy in the command, and as a SSG into another MOS a year or 2 later, and SFC into OOU50 (EEO Advisor to the Commander and Director of Unit training), and eventually since I had been in the command a long time and knew all the enlisted they made me top sergeant for 18 months and and moved into 91B and 71L slots and I was up for E-9 bud would have had to relocate - sol I retired in 1993. But ALL SAID - ISG Samuel Graham was the most remarkable and inspirational and toughest son of a bitch I ever served under and I would have taken multiple bullets and died for that man-- He passed away 11 March 2019 I Loved you, Brother!!! You were n INSPIRATION to me and hundreds of other young men and women in your 30 year career.

Arthur Ashe is a man I admire for a number of reasons. He exemplified tolerance and perseverance, breaking racial barriers in tennis while advocating for civil rights and humanitarian causes. It was his quiet perseverance to become the first black tennis champion and willingness to work for opportunities for others

My first division CWO2 Thomas Gregory later Ensign Gregory! James L Calfee ABCS my first division Chief! CWO2 Stanley Schmidt Air BOS'N on USS Coral Sea and ABCS Vic my division Chief! Both officers retired as LCDR's and my Chief's as ABCM's(E9)

I was very fortunate to have many great leaders to look up to over my military and civilian careers, you of course being one of them.

The biggest qualities that I found in them was honesty and being straightforward. One of those leaders used to say 'an informed Soldier is a better Soldier'. That is something that I always strived for in both my military and civilian career.

The top of my list is Audie Murphy and I always like General Tommy Frank partly because I had a chat with him