Personal war memories of Richard Winters, of Band of Brothers fame. Winters was an excellent leader and has a lot of insights into what is required of good military leaders.
One point he makes that isn't always appreciated is how important endurance is to a leader. Winters could keep going after most of his men were exhausted and, in that respect, could lead by example. He'd sleep a couple of hours, be refreshed, and keep going. In the Marine Corps, this was a challenge for me. I've never been a good sleeper, even under the best conditions, and managing fatigue was always a problem for me. I remember at OCS, as soon as the lights went out, I would hear guys snoring within a couple of minutes. I'd be so wound up it would take me several hours to go to sleep. Then I'd wake up an hour before reveille, not because I wanted to, but because it was so unpleasant to be startled awake by the shouting of the platoon sergeant that my body woke me up anticipating it. So I would gradually find myself in a state of serious sleep deprivation. When we were finally granted liberty, I checked into a hotel in town and slept for 14 hours straight.
It didn't get any better in the Fleet Marine Force. Out in the field, I had great difficulty falling asleep and would generally be a zombie after a few days. Probably a good thing I never saw combat.
Sunday, November 25, 2018
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