All,

In my professional career, there have been many instances where knowledge is expected. In many other instances, knowledge is expected to be learned in a short amount of time. Some of the best military leaders in the history of this nation were natural commanders because they came to the table with a natural ability to influence the leaders around them. That is what makes a leader who everyone will follow. The naturally successful military members in the history of our nation were the readers. The researchers. Look at COL Hal Moore. He spent his nights, because he was an insomniac, conducting research and reading about his combat capabilities and his enemy mindset.

This is what our military needs at the moment. General Milley always harps on READINESS. He was my Brigade Commander during my 2005 deployment to Baghdad. His focus was for us to be prepared for anything. Our preparedness and our knowledge would set us up for success against our enemy.

The point I’m trying to make in this is, absorb all the resources and knowledge anyone can possibly have in order to set yourself up for success.

CDT Gardner