Sunday, August 7, 2011

ADVICE TO THE YOUNGER GENERATION




Don't forget nuthin'. The World is full of evil people who only want to do you harm - the sooner you realize this, the better off you will be. Learn basic skills. Understand what Sun Tzu meant when he said the greatest victory is the victory you win without having to fight a single battle. When you enter a room, move to your Point of Domination and go about eliminating the Threat. In his Book of Five Rings, Musashi teaches us that the only thing you know about any situation you find yourself in is: there is ten thousand times more that you don't know about what's going on than what you do know. Keep yer hatchet scoured, musket clean, sixty rounds of cap and ball, and be ready to march at a minute's notice. Read the writings of Napoleon and Von Clauswitz; become familiar with the formal layout of any organization you find yourself a part of, and then try to learn how it really works. Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet. Time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted; George Washington said that and it worked for him - remember it. Visit ancient battlefields, pace them out,and try to envision what the commanders and the foot soldiers saw on that day and what guided their decisions. Get up before dawn, because dawn is when the French and the Indians attack. Study the American Civil War, the brilliant leadership displayed upon its mighty battlefields, and try to understand the dilemmas soldiers faced in that terrible time. Do things to distinguish yourself: train hard, earn specialty credentials, college degrees and technical capabilities. When packing for the next operation, layout what you think you'll need, then take half as many clothes and twice as much money and you'll always come out right. You can't do everything, so you must delegate; you can delegate your authority but never your responsibility; when you do delegate do not micro-manage - look to the results not the methodology. There is something very primitive about a raid, and the raid is characterized by speed, stealth and violence of action. Always have a plan, a backup plan, and a go-to-hell plan; because no plan survives contact intact. Tactics, techniques and procedures are adapted to the time, place and situation, but the principles of patrolling never change: security, planning, reconnaissance, control, and common sense. Never lie to your troops, because they can smell a lie a mile off and the second you lie to them you are no longer the man in charge; you're just the guy standing out in front of the formation. Never tell a man to do something that you yourself are not willing to do, and demonstrate this by letting them see you do the hardest, most unforgiving of tasks, when the time and situation is appropriate. Never give an order that you know will not be obeyed; when faced with a dilemma, find a creative way to demonstrate leadership. The only constant to conflict is that conflict is a part of the human condition; it is not static and therefore you must be flexible in seeking solutions. Patton teaches us that War is simple, brutal and direct; that if everyone in the room is thinking the same thing, then no-one is thinking; and that no good decision was ever made from a swivel chair. It's not about the size of the dog in the fight it's about the size of the fight in the dog - Teddy Roosevelt. Never underestimate your Enemy; that diversion you are ignoring is the Enemy's main assault. Don't forget nuthin'.


STORMBRINGER SENDS




Today's Bird


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