While in the Navy, through an unusual set of circumstances, I was ordered to join the ship's landing party and make an amphibious landing with our embarked Marine unit during a training exercise in Latin America. While that does not sound like a big deal, it was to me at the time. First, Marines were trained to do that stuff. They trained on nice safe barricades ashore until they had they had the skills down. Then and only then did they do it for real. My first time was with no training in a very much "for real" situation. Second, sea conditions for a landing were "marginal" on that day. It was very much a judgment call whether or not the seas were too rough to conduct landing exercises at all. Given that, I was acutely aware that our squadron usually lost a marine or sailor or two during every landing exercise even though it was just training.
The act itself was straightforward. You climb over the side of the ship and then climb down a cargo net to a spot a couple of feet above the deck of a landing craft and then jump down to the deck. You start about thirty to forty feet above the landing craft. (Did I mention I don't like heights? Never have.) The problem is that on this particular day, a three to five foot swell was running. That meant the ship was rolling about five degrees or more. That meant that the cargo net would be tight and then slack as you climbed down. It also meant that the landing craft below was swinging out from the side of the ship leaving nothing but blue water beneath you. And finally it meant that the landing craft was rising and falling six feet or more with with the swells, so you had to time your jump on the up swing or you would not be jumping two feet but eight feet or more. And, I forgot to mention, if you fell off or got tangled in the net, you could be crushed between the landing craft and the ship. And also, since I was carrying a radio, spare batteries for it, a carbine and a combat load of ammo, two day worth a C-Rats and other field equipment, if I did fall and hit clear water, I would have to strip all of that before I would have a prayer of floating. (Did I mention that I can't swim? The Navy figured an electronics technician didn't need to and never contemplated that I would wind up doing amphibious operations.)
As I as standing there on the deck, waiting for the order to "embark," I was scared to death. I was on the edge of just walking away and refusing my orders. Sensing my fear, an old Gunny walked up to me and said, "Come on son, let's go." I will never forget that face. Korea and Vietnam were permanently etched in his eyes. His nose and cheeks bore the marks of regular alcohol consumption. But, whatever else he was, he was a leader. He was calm and confident. He didn't order me to go from behind. He told me to just come on with him.
We went down that net side by side and I did it. That is leadership in a nutshell. You don't ask people to do things you won't do yourself and as far as possible you share the danger/burden of the exercise. I was still scared to death but I went. I learned a permanent lesson in leadership from that old Gunny. Any *sshole can stand around and give orders. But, true leadership must be earned and it is best exercised as a participant not as an observer. That is why I hold the opinion that no person should ever serves as POTUS who has not served in the military. If you have never sworn to lay down your life your country if asked to, you have not earned the right to order others to do so.
The time is coming very quickly when we are going to need real leadership. I pray to God that our new gay friendly, politically correct, God denying military establishment has not purged all of the real leaders from its ranks.
