Christeson, cut that stop sign down and put it in the back of the truck”. He looked at me in disbelief. An Officer had never before ordered him to commit vandalism.

Strong combat leadership is never by committee. Platoon commanders must command, and command in battle isn’t based on consensus. It’s based on consent. Any leader wields only as much authority and influence as is conferred by the consent of those he leads. The Marines allowed me to be their commander, and they could revoke their permission at any time.

The rule of captivity is to bend, not break.

Great Marine commanders, like all great warriors, are able to kill that which they love most – their men.

Tactical catastrophes are rarely the outcome of a single poor decision. Small compromises incrementally close off options until a commander is forced into actions he would never choose freely.

Tell me what to do, not how to do it.′ Decentralize command and allow subordinates to operate freely within the framework of the commander’s intent. Train them as a team. Develop trust, loyalty, initiative.

Infantry Marines live only and forever in the real world.

Worst of all were the accolades and thanks from people “for what you guys did over there.” Thanks for what, I wanted to ask – shooting kids, cowering in terror behind a berm, dropping artillery on people’s homes?

We learned that indecision is a decision, that inaction has a cost all its own. Good commanders act and create opportunities. Great commanders ruthlessly exploit those opportunities.

I thought I was losing my mind. The only way I knew I was still sane was that I thought I might be going crazy. Surely, that awareness meant I was sane. Crazy people think they’re sane. Only sane people can thing they’re crazy. I was reduced to taking comfort in a tautology.