Suffice to say this is hardly an indictment of all officers, but those of us who’ve served know those who understand their fitness reports (which are the ultimate gauge determining promotion) are dependent on the performance of the men and women who serve under them. Thus leadership can either be defined by supportive encouragement or power trip bullying.
Most officers earn respect. However, some demand it.
Most officers observe and respect the rules. However, some believe the rules apply to everyone except themselves.
For example, we have Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman who appeared before the House Intelligence Committee as a witness for the Democrat impeachment hearings against President Donald Trump on November 19, 2019.
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman violated the chain-of-command, embellished his credentials for a House committee for public consumption, betrayed the expectation of security by sharing the contents of an official phone conversation between President Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, all the while having to be reminded that the President of the United States sets our foreign policy, not unelected government employees and any disagreement Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman may have had with tactics are not subject to immediate redress and action by the president.
And whatever you do, don’t challenge or criticize Lt. Col. Vindman on the field of battle known as Twitter.
Memorable military quotes.
“I have not yet begun to fight.” Admiral John Paul Jones, 1779
“Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.” Admiral David Farragut, Battle of Mobile Bay, 1864
“Nuts.” General Anthony McAuliffe, Battle of the Bulge, 1944
“I felt marginalized by his tweets.” Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, impeachment testimony 2019
— Rush Limbaugh, 11/21/19
Some people need be reminded of their place in the grand scheme of things.
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