The following is Part 2 of our series of leadership quotes from Joe Klein’s incredible article from Time Magazine on the leadership skills of returning Iraqi and Afghan veterans. To read Part 1 click here.
Enjoy these quotes and insights. They have challenged and stretched me like nothing I read in years.
- “(General David) Petraeus was an amazing boss. Our mission was to defeat the military bureaucracy. We were able to build border forts, using Iraqi engineers and work crews, for one-fifth the price that the American contractors were charging in one-third the time. Our proposals went right to his desk, rather than through the bureaucracy. The only thing he demanded of us was success.” – Seth Moulton
- “I can pretty much spot them (current veterans returning home) on site: fit, smart, confident, and strong. They look you straight in the eye when they talk; they can be funny as hell, but their language isn’t fancy.” - Joe Klein
- “We’re a group that really wants to see America become a better place. We hate the divisive politics of the baby-boom generation. They’re running the country into the ground.” – Moulton
- “I saw that there were other vets who favored the war and were running for office too – and I didn’t want to work against them. We separated IAVA from VoteVets. And I’ve got to say that if Pete Hegseth, a Republican, who started Veterans for Freedom, ran for office, I’d work for him. I’d work for any veterans running for office because I know their values.” –  Paul Rieckhoff, a veteran and a Democrat
- “They feel closer to one another than they do either political party.” – Klein
- “One thing about the military was, it forced you to learn. If you were willing to learn, you could rise fast – so we all became avid readers, and we carried that through back home.” – John Gallina
- “In the military, it’s never about you. It’s always about something bigger.” – Lewis
- “The toughest part of leadership is telling people they have to do something that involves pain.” – former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens
- “We had to do that every day: ‘At 0100 we’re going to stage a raid. The enemy is heavily armed and waiting for us. I can’t promise you we’re going to accomplish this without casualties. But we need to take out this cell of snipers.’ You just don’t find many politicians willing to get people to do tough things.” – Greitens
- “I just don’t believe that politics needs to be total combat. I’ve seen total combat. I wouldn’t want to give up my privacy and expose my family to the craziness the system seems to require. My kid is not a prop. Anyway, most of my friends feel politically homeless. But I do believe that we have something important to contribute. We know how to lead.” – former Marine and current president of CNAS Nathaniel Fick
Yes you do know how to lead Nathaniel. Yes you do.
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