Who was the best leader you've ever known...and why? What made them great?

<p>CSM (retired) William Burns!!</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As my 1SG in HHT 1-4 CAV when I was a PFC and SPC. He came in and turned that troop upside down. He was the number one NCO in my career that I wanted to emulate and be exactly like him. He was hard and fair, but was also knowledgeable on just about any and everything Army, as well as life in general. I learned so much as a young Soldier from him and what an NCO should be and look like. </p>

For me it would be LTC Ernest "Rock" Marcone, my Bn Cdr during OIF. He trained his Bn with a common sense approach to what we would be facing when we crossed the berm, was confident without being arrogant, trusted his young Officers and NCOs and possessed the warfighters mentality that allowed us to close with, fight and destroy every enemy unit we came into contact with from Kuwait to Baghdad. His enthusiasm, charisma and toughness was contagious! Speed and Power!

My first PL. He genuinely cared about his soldiers. He always came around to check on us and find out what was going on in our lives. He'd go to pretty great lengths to work with us on issues.


Also, my first SCO, then LTC, now MG Anthony Ierardi. He made it a point to know everyone in that Squadron. I found him to be very charismatic and motivational and he wasn't one of those guys that does things to "show" he cared. He actually did care.

My division commander in 1975 with the 82nd ABN Div., General Henry Emerson (Gunfighter).
He carried a cowboy-style revolver, six shooter.

There was a one star that I worked for that I'm now proud to say he is now a 2 star general that is an amazing leader. He truly cares about his people, he would ask about your wife and kids by their names, and his wife is just as amazing in caring about people as he is. I am proud to say that I worked with him and proud to have helped at his promotion ceremony and he coined me as a two star. It is the highest ranking coin I have and one of the coins I'm proudest to have received.

Commander Ken Holcomb, he believed in those he commanded. He went from E-1 to O-5 without missing a paygrade. Mission was always first, but his sailors and their families were next. When I checked into the commander he immediately remembered briefing my unit when he was a CWO 20 years earlier and recognized me. He had a memory that very few have. He knew the names all of the officers spouses and children. This often included the children. Pretty much the same with the enlisted folks. High Year Tenure cost the Navy and armed forces one of the best officer it had. I retired from the communications station in Sigonella and it was an honor for him to attend my retirement ceremony.

CAPTAIN William A. Kanakanui, Jr. While in open water in the Pacific, a Soviet Fleet pulled in front of us. He radioed them and told the Fleet Commander that “No foreign flagged vessel would cross the bow of a US warship, unless it intended to do battle.” This was a fleet of new Soviet vessels. He then asked all non duty personnel go topside, shirts off and sunbathe. The Soviets went to battle stations, but did open up and let this WW2 vintage Light Cruiser pass in the middle. A visibly shaken junior officer (after we passed through) asked him who and where that order originated? The CO said, oh, sometime back in John Paul Jones time..... I think. Balls. In the Army, our duty was to protect go to war stock in the Philippines. An Abu Sayef group attacked, creating a feint from a shear cliff, a good 100 Feet plus up, the attack was from the opposite side. ONE Female SPC held her ground and stopped the individuals coming over a 16 Ft fence on ropes and ladders.

COL (R) Mike Steele. He absolutely cared about bringing his Soldiers home, and did everything he could to make it happen. He traveled around and visited his Soldiers (Tal Afar to Baghdad and everywhere in between), ensured SMs were recognized for their accomplishments, instilled more pride in a unit than I could ever imagine. He treated us like a leader should, knowing that we were the ones out doing missions and in harms way, while he had to sit back from the fight and make the tough decisions regarding his "boys". He would prefer to use a JDAM instead of sending in a maneuver element, and he made it his mission to conduct at least 1 combat patrol with every Infantry/Scout/Artillery platoon under his command.
He was a true commander of troops, didn't use his rank to intimidate or feel important, he had the respect of his entire Brigade by the way he expected training and missions to occur. When you get an entire BCT expert weapon qualified, level 1 combatives, and a RSTA squadron fully qualified in all light AND heavy tactics (yes we even had Bradleys....in the 101), not to mention he wasn't afraid to tell a star wearer the truth about a situation. That's a man I'll follow to the end.

LTC. Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall) Kilgore: Smell that? You smell that?
Lance: What?
Kilgore: Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that.
[kneels]
Kilgore: I love the smell of napalm in the morning.

My first Motor Sergeant; SFC Jeremiah Larson (then SSG). He is a great motivator and teacher. The thing I enjoyed most about him is he taught us to be self reliant and did not micromanage, he allowed the junior leaders to do their job. He would always put the Soldier first...always.
SFC Larson was such a great leader and person that we would work our hardest everyday because we did not want to disappoint him. We all trusted him and definitley missed him when he PCS'd.
I still keep in contact with him and he still is my go to person for advise and questions.