What Does It Mean To Be A Good Officer?

[Vulture6]

Why become an officer?

This question was posed in another thread and I thought that it deserved its own area on the forum.

I have known many strong leaders in the Corps, some were officers of Marines and some were enlisted. I have also known some who had no business in any leadership position, and some of these held/hold senior rank – both enlisted and officer. This is a subject very near and dear to my heart, so bear with me as I express my opinions (rant).

First and foremost, the one thing that any officer needs to know is that his or her service is not about personal glory, personal gain, or ego satisfaction. There are many folks out there wearing rank who put those items at the top of their list, but they are wrong and it will quickly become apparent to those who serve under and around them that they are wrong.

So, what does it mean to be a good officer?

First and foremost, you must be able to lead under stress. Your mission is to employ your unit in the most efficient manner possible, making split second decisions and standing behind them. Sometimes there will be time for analysis, and sometimes there won’t be. You have to be able to make the best decision possible in the time available – and often that’s less time that it took to read this sentence.

You must care about and for your Marines. Mission comes first, and your Marines come second. Your personal needs come much further down the line. Taking care of your mission is pretty straight forward. Taking care of your Marines is a little more complicated. Of course that includes logistical support – ammo, chow, water, medical supplies… but it also includes training, keeping them involved, being compassionate when it’s called for and being a hard-ass when it’s called for. The best that I have ever heard this expressed was when I was fortunate enough to attend the PME (professional military education) session given by Major General James L. Day at his retirement in Okinawa back in the mid 1980s. General Day was a three war Marine who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1998 – over 50 years after the actions that earned it on Okinawa. He was also the recipient of three Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, and six Purple Hearts. General Day explained that the best way for a leader to care for his troops is to keep them up all night, push them in the field, train them long in hard on little food and sleep, through cold, wet, and miserable conditions, and bring them home alive, rather than say “That’s good enough” only to later bring them home wrapped up in a pouch.

If you are doing it right, your troops will bitch at you during training, your family will bitch at you because you’re never home, and your CO will bitch at you because if you don’t miss the staff meeting, you come in late, unshaven, muddy, dirty, with your face covered in sweat smeared cammie paint and smelling of a week’s worth of funk on your body and uniform. The only folks that will thank you will be some of the young Marines’ wives or parents, but only after you bring them home alive, and then only silently. If you want to be popular or well liked, then forget getting a commissioned. If you do all of the things that I mention here, you won’t necessarily be liked, but you will be respected.

It also means that when the General or some other senior officer congratulates you on a job well done, you don’t say “Thank You”, instead you complement your Marines for their hard work and you call one of your young Corporals or Lance Corporals forward to meet the General and proceed to sing the praises of how hard this young Marine has worked and that he is the one who embodies everything that is great about your unit.

Likewise, it also means that after the shit has hit the fan and things didn’t go too well, that you stand before that same General (or Colonel or Major or Congressman) and take the blame and the fall out, even though you are royally pissed at some young Marine who didn’t listen to what you told him to do. Being a “shit shield” is never fun, and if definitely isn’t glorious, but it’s your job.

Taking care of your Marines means getting less sleep than they do, even though they will be up at night pulling security. It means not eating until they have all been fed. Not refilling your canteens / camelback until they have. It means not taking the cot or air conditioned sleeping quarters unless they all have cots and air conditioned sleeping spaces. It means chewing on instant coffee to stay awake when you need to stay awake, and turning it over to your number 2 when you need to sleep – you have to be able to trust the unit to the appropriate leaders under you – you can’t do it all, and if you try, you’ll screw up the unit for sure. It means checking your lines at all hours in the field, and visiting your Marines on guard duty even in garrison, especially on weekends and holidays. It also means visiting them in the hospital or sick bay, or holding their hand as they bleed (if the situation at large allows).

Being compassionate means knowing when to listen to a Marine and sympathize with him and do everything you can to help him. It also means knowing when to tell him to suck it up and stop whining. It also means knowing when to give him a break and when to throw the book at him. It also means knowing when to listen to your NCOs and SNCOs, and your Marines. If you think that you know more than they do, then you are wrong, period. They are the duty experts, and the unit is theirs. They only let you drive it for a little while.

Being a leader means never taking the easy way out. It means being meticulous in your paperwork no matter how much you hate doing paperwork, because it can mean the difference in success or failure of your unit. Running a successful administrative reduction board is a huge pain, but it’s your duty to do it if you have a Marine who has no business wearing the number of stripes he’s wearing. It isn’t personal against him, but failing to do so could be something personal against your unit.

It does not mean that you have to be the best runner or have the best PFT score in the unit, but it does mean that you have to push yourself harder than anyone else there. It means that you carry the same load as everyone else – right down to the extra radio batteries and extra machine gun ammunition.

It means being everywhere at once, and at the same time, trusting your subordinate leaders to do their jobs and leave them alone to do so. It means learning the value of grabbing 20 minutes of sleep so that you can drive on, and also learning the value of pretending that you’re asleep so that your junior leaders can stay at the helm.

It means having the discipline to study your profession. Get knee deep in doctrinal pubs, history books, and battle studies. But it also means having a life and realizing that your Marines have a personal life too. That includes knowing who is married, who has kids, who just got a divorce, and who just got engaged.

It means doing the right thing, all of the time, and being able to look yourself in the eyes in the mirror, knowing that you have done everything possible, and done it the right way.

Bottom line, it isn’t about you. It’s about them. It is about realizing that even the lowest private in your unit may well be a better man than you.

If you understand this, then you’ll make a good leader – officer or NCO. If you’re concerned about putting your front sight post on an enemy and squeezing the trigger, or about being a hero under fire, or don’t give a shit about people who come from “the lower classes”, or if you fantasize about what that rack of fruit salad will look like on your chest, then please, please do not go to OCS.

[Batgirl]

I missed this when you posted back in October but what an enlightening post. One to print and keep. Thanks.

[LCpl Lamm]

Great post Sir, thank you for your advice.
Lamm

[jmwsf]

The most important part...and trust me it is stressed ALL the time...

"Bottom line, it isn’t about you. It’s about them"

That is the simple truth to it all...learn that and you will be well on your way.

[CGoeth]

Excellant advice, thank you.