Rotting From the Corps?
By S.L. Nelson
July 20, 2024
The United States Army frequently channels the thinking of one of its most famous World War Two generals, George S Patton. A few of his famous phrases resound through the halls of the institutions that turn out future Army leaders. In his famous "Blood and Guts" speech from 1941, Patton said: "You musicians of Mars must not wait for the band leader to signal you…You must each of your own volition see to it that you come into this concert at the proper place and at the proper time."
However, in today's U.S. Army, aspiring leaders wait for the band leaders to signal before playing, and march to their desired tune instead of contributing their creative perspective and playing their own notes.
Where Patton envisioned Army leaders orchestrating a symphony of destruction, today's leaders orchestrate a symphony of deceit. By the end of the 'best year of my life,' as leaders often describe their time at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC), I recognized again in my military journey that rigor and accuracy were subservient to winning buy-in from the intended audience of a staff product or brief.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2024/07/20/rotting_from_the_corps_1045946.html
