William S. Lind :collection (merged thread)

[wm]

Ok now we know what you think of the man. What do you think of his words as quoted? I thought they were pretty good.

I agree that the words read well. I am not so sure of the need for patience, but then I am one of those impatient Americans. I also am not of a mind to support the "sense of the eternal continuity of a great cause.". That sort of attachment can lead us to excessive "missionary zeal" of the kind found in things like Hitler's 1000 year Reich, AQ efforts to restore the Caliphate, or the Spanish Inquisition.

The US Army used to teach the 4 C's: courage, candor, competence, and commitment, as military virtues (and I hope it still does). However, please remember Aristotle's definition of a virtue: the mean between two extremes of a passion. Courage, for example is not the absence of fear. Rather it is having the appropriate amount of fear. What that amount is will vary from person to person and situation to situation, which, by the way, is why one cannot exhaust the catalogue of moral qualities as Buchan noted in the quotation's opening sentence.

[JMA]

I agree that the words read well. I am not so sure of the need for patience, but then I am one of those impatient Americans. I also am not of a mind to support the "sense of the eternal continuity of a great cause.". That sort of attachment can lead us to excessive "missionary zeal" of the kind found in things like Hitler's 1000 year Reich, AQ efforts to restore the Caliphate, or the Spanish Inquisition.

OK... now you need to share your war experience - briefly - so others can understand the context and where you are coming from as this does not make sense.

The US Army used to teach the 4 C's: courage, candor, competence, and commitment, as military virtues (and I hope it still does). However, please remember Aristotle's definition of a virtue: the mean between two extremes of a passion. Courage, for example is not the absence of fear. Rather it is having the appropriate amount of fear. What that amount is will vary from person to person and situation to situation, which, by the way, is why one cannot exhaust the catalogue of moral qualities as Buchan noted in the quotation's opening sentence.

I submit you have missed the essential point.

The characteristics mentioned in my quotes from Buchan and Moran should be used during the selection process prior to officer training starting.

You talk of teaching virtues . Now the bad news is - using your example - is that you can't teach the 4 Cs.

This I suggest is the greatest fallacy and probaby the main reason behind the moral and intellectual collapse Lind speaks of.

My contention is that the selection and training of potential officers is the most critical aspect which in the case of the US seems to attract the least attention. See thread Initial Officer Selection

To cover the fatal flaws in the US officer selection system the fallacy "made, not born" has become the mantra of those unable or unwilling ro make the necessary changes to fix the system ... or worse, those who don't even realise the system is broken.

If you wish to take this discussion further please indicate your exposure with selection and training of officers ... training in the real sense and not teaching officer cadets trivial aspects such as English and Geography (for example).