Great leaders give us what we need when we need it, not what we want when we want it. Matt Walker taught me this when I transferred from West Point, NY to Ft. Benning, GA (now called Ft. Moore) in 2007.
I didn’t last very long at West Point. Kelly and I left the Ranger Regiment in 2006, hoping to be a family in New York. We needed it. In our first five years of marriage, her mother died, I missed our son's birth, we had a daughter, moved three times in Washington, twice in Georgia, and I traveled to the Middle East five times.
We were holding on by a thread.
West Point was ok, but it wasn’t for us. I learned a great deal in those 15 months working on the Superintendent's (Commanding General) Operations staff, but we knew that we were exiting service in 2009, and as Jim Croce sang, I knew that “New York’s not my home.” So I picked up the phone one afternoon and called my old First Sergeant, Command Sergeant Major Matt Walker, (at the time) the Infantry School Command Sergeant Major.
“Can you pull me back to Ft. Benning? I’m getting out soon, and I will literally stir your coffee for the next year and a half if you can get me out of here,” I said. Columbus, GA wasn’t my home either, but it was a place where we had friends, and the cost of living allowed us to make the transition from the Army into civilian life. A few months and some pulled strings later, I reported to CSM Walker who had other plans for me than serving as his personal barista! I assumed he would send me to the Ranger Training Brigade for my last year in the Army. No problem! The job would have been straightforward, and I had plenty on my plate with the family and full-time college from my kitchen table. Matt and I sat down in Infantry Hall, and instead of giving me the Ranger School assignment I wanted, he gave me what I needed.
“Infantry Basic Officer Leaders Course (IBOLC). That’s where I’m sending you. You’ll be training new Lieutenants getting ready to take platoons in the war.” It seemed important enough (in retrospect, these turned out to be the bloodiest years of the war), but honestly, it wasn’t the gig I wanted. IBOLC wasn’t exactly known for being a “cherry job.”
IBOLC had a reputation for being a sham job. The place where Non-Commissioned Officers would chill on “active duty retirement” while junior Captains transitioned into the workforce. I had heard enough stories from Officers who lamented their cadre's laziness and lack of care when they were in IBOLC and wondered if Matt was punishing me. I thought I had been handed a turd. The assignment turned out to be a gift I never expected.
Great leaders catch us by surprise that way. That last year in the Army, I wanted to glide. Matt knew I needed to give. I needed to share the wisdom I had gained through Ranger leaders, West Point leaders, and from leading in combat. Not only for the young officers, but also for my bitter heart. I was angry. Like many Soldiers, I just wanted to walk away. Matt knew I needed to say goodbye to the Army the right way. I am thankful for this because I have loved the Army since I can remember. Great leaders know that how you leave is just as important as why you stay.
Matt knew what I needed. And Matt knew what the Lieutenants at IBOLC needed, too.
Lieutenants are the future of the Army. Young leaders need senior leaders who care. They don’t need leaders on active duty retirement. In 2008, each of these men knew they were going straight to Iraq or Afghanistan after Ranger School, and it was our job to prepare them. They didn’t need another NCO mailing it in. They needed one who wanted them to fight, win, and survive in combat.
So, I became an IBOLC Instructor, teaching young Lieutenants how to be Army Leaders. The only way I knew how was by teaching them how to be Ranger Leaders. Ranger leadership is about character and execution. The Ranger standards are incredibly high, so our platoon’s standards would be no different. And I had a compatriot in the effort.
My platoon leader partner, CPT Bryan Hart, a West Point graduate and combat leader from the storied 101st Airborne Division, “Rakasans”, and I connected quickly. Another unforeseen gift of the experience. In Bryan, I found a kindred spirit. We saw the world the same way and were fast friends. Together, we committed to laying the foundation for these young men to be successful. Together, we gave them what they needed, not what they wanted–and on more than one occasion through hard ruck marches, platoon runs, obstacle courses, compound assaults, and (yes) patrol base operations.
And the men thanked us for it.
They say that beggars can’t be choosers, and I understood that when I picked up the phone to beg Matt for a favor. I didn’t choose IBOLC. I thank God that Matt chose IBOLC for me. When I walked away from the Army, I knew I had lived “Abrams Charter”. I had made friends for life. I had invested in the future of the Army. And I had met talented and bright young men who raised their hands to go straight into the fight, “fully knowing the hazards of their chosen profession,” asking only to be invested in as much as they were willing to invest themselves. In them, I reexperienced the passion to serve that led me to raise my right hand myself, and it refreshed my soul and renewed my love for the Army.
I had received what I needed, not what I wanted.
What are you being assigned to that you don’t want?
Perhaps it’s what you need.
Give it a try and see how it works out. Fifteen years later–and this side of the Army–I can tell you it worked out pretty great for me. I pray the same for you.
Cover photo source IBOLC Facebook Page.