“When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: Proverbs 2:10 -11

“Knowledge is proud that is knows so much; wisdom is humble that it knows no more." William Cowpen

Does anybody know?  Does anybody care these days about the importance of being wise; wise in our business, our family lives, our social life, and our commitment to our spiritual life?  During my morning devotions, my favorite chapter is Proverbs, which delivers understanding, wisdom, and inspiration on how to not only survive but to succeed on the gridiron of life.  In Proverbs, King Solomon wrote chapter after chapter instructing on the importance of wisdom.  The term wisdom and its definition have virtually disappeared from secondary and college textbooks.  In fact, Webster’s definitions were so weak that I wrote my own.  “Wisdom takes one from folly to discernment; it is a higher order of learning that trumps knowledge in any esoteric discipline.  It is somewhat unexplainable but encompasses academic learnings, sound judgment and common sense, intuition, discretion, human understanding and leadership, and a sense of priorities and timing.  It is the accumulation of experiential and values-based knowledge that permits one to judge, discern, decide, and live an ethical and prosperous existence.”

J. E. Dinger cautioned his readers not to “mistake the acquisition of mere knowledge for power.  Like food, these things must be digested and assimilated to become life or power. Learning is not wisdom; knowledge is not necessarily vital energy.  The student, who has made himself merely a receptacle for the teacher’s thoughts and ideas, is not educated; he has not gained much.  He is a reservoir, not a fountain.  One retains, the other gives forth.  Unless his knowledge is converted into wisdom, into faculty, it will become stagnant like still water.”  Notwithstanding a bachelors degree, two masters degrees, a doctorate, and diplomas from theArmyWarCollegeand the Armed Forces Staff College, I feel over-educated and under-learned.  Even in my writing, I have a limited view of my own wisdom, so I collaborate it with quotes from those who seem to possess this quality of qualities.

It appears to me that the absence of old-fashioned wisdom and the demise of our traditional family values have contributed to an American society replete with poverty, an unpredictable economy, political mayhem, failing schools, excessive crime, and more.  Our schools and colleges are so focused on the acquisition of knowledge for college admissions and the first job that they seem to have forgotten that there is a second curriculum.  The second curriculum is wholistic in nature and is characterized by a culture of accountability that promises many rewards.  This curriculum is rarely mentioned in the missions and goals of our educational centers.  Its key learning outcomes are boundless and difficult to measure.  Nonetheless, they are the imperatives for the education of our future leaders.  In my judgment, these imperatives are the essence of wisdom, which, when acquired, assure success and happiness.

Dimensions of Wisdom

Sound judgment and discernment
Intuition
Integrity and ethical decision-making
Confidence (with humility – not arrogance) and poise
Sense of purpose
Sound judgment and discernment
Moral reasoning
Self-control
Human understanding
A sense of order and preparedness
Selflessness
A sense of timing
A sense of responsibility and accountability
A spiritual connection

There exists a strong correlation between the all-encompassing wisdom and the practice of sound judgment in the workplace, the home, or in family.  Virtually all of my failures were the result of immature or unsound judgment.  Sometimes it was not what I did but when I attempted to do it that created the failure.  A sense of timing is a developed instinct that one acquires from experience.  The more I see of the human condition, the more I believe the business of growing up is more drawn out than most believe.  If one achieves wisdom and its sidekick sound judgment by the age of 50, great things can happen.

The acquisition of wisdom is a centerpiece to the Riverside wholistic philosophy of educating our cadets for college and for life.  It is important that our staff and faculty buy-in, plan, and deliver the lessons that further the dimensions cited above.  Our nation is in desperate need of leaders who possess the personal values and the sense of accountability that are the mantra for this Academy.

I have written previously about my concern over many of today's youth who are seemingly unfocused, moping around claiming to be bored, and married to mindless television watching and video games.  As I was reading Col Lee Ellis' fine book (I have referenced it before), I was taken by his mantra that, "Success and happiness do not accrue from a passive approach to life but from an active approach."  One doesn't find a job, change careers, find a mate, or achieve success and happiness by sitting home moping and hoping.  "Mopin and hopin" are foundations for under-achievement, sedentary life styles, and unfulfilling lives.  Moving, doing, going, and other forms of action are the antidotes for low self-esteem emanating from a passive approach to living.

At Riverside, there is little opportunity for passive living (unless it is on the weekends).  Within 24 hours of enrolling in the Corps of Cadets at Riverside, some ROCs (recruits on campus) conjure that Riverside is the worst mistake they have ever made in their short lives (although some love the structure and discipline immediately).  However, within 30-60 days, they realize that Riverside is the most beneficial thing that has ever happened to them, but they still may not admit they like it.  The active life style stimulates the mind and body, and the regular schedule of activity, meals, study, and sleep creates a sense of pride and self-esteem that some have never experienced.  It is not long before many seek rank and leadership opportunities, which take even more of their limited discretionary time, and their entire disposition changes in a way immediately noticeable by family and longtime friends.

In a rapidly changing world and in the unpredictable economy that we exist in today, a need exists for military college preparatory schools like never before.  Family issues and the failure of our schools to demand obedience and require academic achievement for graduation have created unwanted and unintended change in our society.  Necessity or a materialistic mindset often drives parents to the workplace leaving children at home occupying significant portions of their days with computer games, cell phones (texting, more games, and inappropriate communications), and the internet (with its positives come pornography, chat rooms, personal/social networking, and contact with perpetrators of ill will).  This is not to mention television where the news and sports have become the only redeeming aspects of programming (some would argue that there is much to be desired in news and sports programming).  Thus, increasing portions of our youth include those lacking in self-esteem, physically unfit, under-achieving, possessing little respect for authority, and absent any real ambition or focus in their lives.

Some might say that our country is listing in a direction that is inconsistent with the intent of the founding fathers and national longevity.  Our contemporary society is promoting low self-esteem, alternative role models, and an education system with grade inflation and students graduating who cannot read and write.  This fails to mention security issues necessitating armed policemen on the grounds of our public schools, and these policemen are armed for a reason! 

Where, other than the military college preparatory school, can youth acquire self-esteem, self-discipline, focus, independence, and organizational and time management skills?  The day-filling structure of the military educational process leaves little time for non-productive activities but builds on the associated camaraderie and brotherhood inherent in the Corps of Cadets.  In some cases, it is the first time a new cadet knows what it feels like to want something and not get it - at least without earning it.  While developing intellectually in the classroom and during proctored study periods, the cadet learns accountability and seeks rank/leadership opportunities within the Corps of Cadets that develop yet another dimension of the whole person.  In other words, the military model of education does much more than develop cadets intellectually - the process trains the heart, soul, and spirit.

Youth, unaccustomed to the structure, insistence on appropriate classroom behavior (attentive obedience), proctored study periods, and character and social education, learn and develop in a way that causes parents to marvel at the change.

Times have changed from the days when military schools were the destination for wayward boys referred by the local judge.  Today’s middle and secondary school military academies are frequented by young men and women with service academy (West Point, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, and Coast Guard Academy) aspirations, and those who simply need better academic preparation for admission to the college of choice.  Others are underachievers who need the 24/7 supervision and structure necessary to qualify for colleges consistent with their ability and preparation.  But, like many adolescents, their immaturity and absence of home-generated self-discipline often challenge the most experienced teachers and administrators.

So yes, the military college preparatory school is more important today than ever before.  After careful examination, I predict that more and more parents will discover and choose the security, supervision, character and social development, leadership training, and academic demands and expectations inherent in the military model of middle and secondary school education.

This is for the parent who parroted an alumnus recently and asked me to write more on my military experience and less on my  educational philosophy.  This is a piece I wrote for my book that I have found no place for yet.

In the evening from sundown until approximately 2200 (10:00 p.m.), the mosquitos where out in squadron-size with knats flying escort.  While sitting in ambush anxiously awaiting the arrival of the  Viet Cong in any unit size, these vermin tormented us.  We could not wear insect repellent, because the VC could smell it and sense our presence.  The mosquitos were to quick to catch, and one could not smack at them because of the noise created.  In the quiet of an ambush, even the movement of a leg or arm (cloth on cloth) made noise that could raise the ire of almost everyone (there was always one or two Marines in each ambush patrol who seemed oblivious to the noise they created).  A cough during a security halt enroute to the ambush site or during occupation of the  site could cause a rage-like feeling in my gut.  But, back to the mosquitos, they would buzz our ears as if they knew we couldn't take a swing at them.  The first one arrived as if to tell you that you could expect another 2-3 hours of torment from the little bastards.  In retrospect, the ensuing firefight was sometimes less stressful than getting to the ambush site, setting up once we arrived, and tolerating the vermin.

We would execute a daytime combat patrol to recon/select the ambush site(s) for the evening.  Naturally, the sites were selected that offered cover and concealment and reasoable fields of fire.  Additionally, the site selection was one that we were most sure would maximize the chances of encounter with the VC (or North Vietnamese Regulars depending on where we were located).  It is surprising how difficult it was to find a site that met the criteria for cover and concealment, fields of fire, and also maximized our chances for a VC/NVA encounter. 

Moving to and into the ambush site during the hours of darkness could peg the stress level of even the most seasoned warrior.  The closer we got to the site, the shorter the distance between security halts (stop, look ,and  listen) where we literally froze in place to engage all senses for evidence of VC/NVA presence.  The security halts were referred to as "moving by bounds" (I had mastered the technique as a youngster playing "Army or Marines" depending on the latest war movie I had seen). 

Once at the ambush site (sometimes we couldn't even find the pre-selected site, because the terrain looked so different at night and depending on the moon phase, it could be a pitch black night), occupying it could be an ordeal.  First, it always seemed to take longer than anticipated.  Our casualties were so high in the area of operations of my battalion that we always had inexperienced replacements who seemingly could do nothing without whispering (if you could call it that) to another Marine or causing his equipment to rattle, which should never happen.

To exasperate the situation even more, no matter how clever you set up your ambush (linear, L-shaped, back to back, etc.), when the VC/NVA did come, the ambush kill-zone always seemed to be disposed in the wrong direction necessitating the repositioning of the Marines by trying to communicate by hand/arm signals a change in orientation.  Of course, the movement created noise forcing the patrol to open fire before all were reoriented and ready or even knew where the enemy was located. Sometimes only the Marine with the starlight scope, which permited him see in the dark using the ambient light captured by the scope, could see the enemy so others simply fired as he directed or in the general direction that he fired.  Nuts, my heart rate increases, and my palms sweat just writing about it.  Notwithstanding the stress, those days were the essence of manhood, and I would relive them in a New York minute!

The following is for the parent who asked me from whence came my interest in the the wholistic development of cadets/students:

"The aim of education is not primarily to impact any specific body of knowledge or set of skills but rather to develop the student's character...."  Plato

"Knowledge brings few benefits to those who are morally weak."  Aristotle

"Practical wisdom tends to enlighten one with knowledge of what he ought or ought not to do.  It permits one to perceive what is just, noble, and good."  Aristotle

"Without practical wisdom and education in the moral and social dimensions, one may be unprepared to judge and act in a moral world."  Plato

"In the Colonial colleges and schools, faculties understood their responsibility to educate the whole person in body, mind, heart, and spirit."  Boyer (1987)

" A liberal education (has nothing to do with politics) cultivates the disposition of a true gentleman."  Cardinal Newman (1960)

"It is well to have a cultivated intellect; a delicate taste; a candid, equitable, dispassionate mind; a noble and courteous bearing in the conduct of life - these are connatural qualities of a large knowledge; they are the objects of the university...."  Cardinal Newman

"Great memory does not create the philosopher.  The end state of education then, is not learning, but thought or reason kindled by knowledge."  Cardinal Newman

"The person who trains in one only subject (discipline or major field of study) will not even be a good judge in that subject."  Cardinal Newman

"Judgment and new ideas emanate from comparison and discrimination.  Subject matter that acts on one's judgment include religion, ethics, history, poetry, the fine arts and works of wit.  Without the inclusion of liberal studies such as these, the student is not educated for society."  Cardinal Newman

These are but some of the influences that move me in this direction.  Others include the noted victim-status, the tolerance for aberrant behavior, broken families, and the observed absence of poise, confidence, and self-esteem in today's youth.  My direction to our Dean, faculty, and Commandant is noted below.

RIVERSIDE ACADEMIC HANDBOOK.  Riverside purports to develop cadets in a wholistic way.  Thus, the curriculum and co-curriculum should include material that leads to positive learning outcomes in the following dimensions: 1) honesty/integrity, 2) ethical decision-making, 3) cultural appreciation, 4) social skills, 5) Moral reasoning, 6) Leadership skills, 7) sound judgment, and more.  These learning outcomes should supplement those delivered, reviewed, and discussed in bi-weekly character development seminars.  To the degree feasible, Riverside teachers will use case studies, class discussion using examples of these dimensions, and more to teach these whole person dimensions.  Other affective whole person dimensions that may be included as learning outcomes include:

- attentive obedience

- accountability

- organizational skills

- time management skills

- erect posture/carriage

- self-discipline

- proper communication skills/methods.

In my Blog yesterday, I mentioned the importance of philosophy as an important course of instruction at military schools that claim to develop leadership skills in their cadets.  I draw heavily on readings in philosophy for my educational strategy for Riverside as you can see above.  I wish I had the $50K or so per year necessary to make my vision of philosophy as a core or elective course at RMA come to fruition.  Someday I hope.

I am convinced that success in school (or business for that matter) is not a time issue; it is an attitude or meaningfulness issue.  Occasionally, I hear a parent lament that their son's grades are slipping, and he should not play a sport or participate in the band in the upcoming semester.  Even at Riverside where cadets do not have much weekday discretionary time, more discretionary time rarely translates into better grades.  As mentioned in my previous Blog, a positive attitude and a feeling of meaning in life correlate with success in the classroom and otherwise.  Previously, I wrote about the importance of out of the classroom activities as being valuable in bringing meaning to the cadets' life.  I suggest that being extremely busy is the antidote for many maladies.  In school or busines, it is an active rather than a passive lifestye that overcomes depression, anxiety, aggression, and a feeling of meaninglessness in life. 

Youth need to sense achievement and recognition from others someplace, and the associated self-esteem and change in attitude helps everthing else.  "Hopin and Mopin" create fear and phobias that reinforce fear and phobias bringing on the very thing that is feared, which is often failure.  Thus, as Frankl wrote, "fear is the mother of the event."  With that as a backdrop, we must fill our cadets hours with meaning if we want them to stumble upon success and happiness.  More discretionary time is not the antidote to poor grades.  In my judgment, it merely complements the "mopin and hopin" attitude that accompanies the absence of meaning in life.

For Teachers, TACs, parents, and alumni

I have spoken to the RMA teachers and TACs about a recent book I read entitled, "A Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl.  This book was written in the 1940s by a psychologist who survived four German concentration camps.  The book has sold millions of copies over the years, and I can only wonder why is was not required reading in all the education courses I have taken.  Much of the content of the following two Blogs emanates from my thinking generated by Frankl's magnum opus.

Ample evidence exists that depression, anxiety, aggression, and addiction emanate from feelings of emptiness and meaningless in life.  Thus, for those cadets (or any one else for that matter) in such a state, we must actively seek and find a form(s) of meaningful activity such as the arts, cadet patrol, athletics, community service, outdoor/nature-type activities, church/spiritual, military activities, and more.  For whatever reason, many of our cadets do not grasp the importance of academics early on.  Many do not even like to read unless it is in that one area where they find meaning.  As teachers, mentors, and parents, we must seek that interest where they find meaning whether it is computers, the arts, community service or athletics and encourage/lead them to participate including the purchase of biographies of those who have excelled in their area of interest.  We should use the knowledge of this interest in a particular subject or discipline to drive the cadets curiosity until he sees a future or meaning in life.  As the light comes on and they actively pursue this one interest, they seem to perceive that academic success in general serves a purpose and in time, participate with remarkable effort.  But even as we nudge them in the direction of their observed interest, we must encourage participation in other out of the classsroom activity to add even more meaning to their existence.

Educators often have a tendency to lose patience and be very critical of the effort on the part of failing cadets.  It is understandable as teachers are frequently doing all in their power to create interest and opportunities for success in their class.  However, as Frankl reminds us, if one's life is in a state of depression, anxiety, aggression, and/or addiction, no amount of encouragement will create enthusiam and meaning for the study of the various disciplines.  In cases such as these, we must work with the cadet (and his parents), mentoring him towards other activities that brings meaning and fulfillment and hope that then we can kindle an interest in his studies.

Annually, we put out a parents' survey that examines virtually every operational area of the Academy and gives me helpful trends in academics, administration, food service, medical services, residence life, military training, and more.  Two years ago we had 92 responses; last year we had 70 and thus far; we only have 40 for the current year.  To enhance the reliability of the data received we would like to receive 100 or more surveys.

The survey is online at our website (go to the parent portal, login, and click on parents' survey).  Please take the time to provide an honest and candid appraisal of our operations and other processes.  We don't know what we don't know and thus, cannot improve unless you tell us.

Thank you for trusting us with the education and development of your sons.

Respy,

Jim Benson

It is Friday with a break in the action, so I am am going to bounce around a bit with a few musings - some related and some not.

- Military schools, because they possess the power and willingness of consequences, can absorb a small number of malcontented cadets, but the permissable period of dissent has a limit.

- Eagle Challenge is designed to help our cadets better appreciate the opportunity to partake from the "banquet of life."

- Military schools do not produce geniuses; they will happen anyway.  However, these academies at times admit second and third rate students of average or better aptitude and prepare them for the rigors of college.  Combined with the leadership skills, character development, and the appreciation for accountability, these cadets are prepared for positions of responsibility post college.  These human changes may well be the glory of our academies.

Habits grow stronger with age; that is both good and bad.

"The higher one goes up the hierarchy of leadership, the more one needs to throttle back, lower the volume, and listen more and better.  At the same time, one needs to let up on the reins and allow others to lead, think, and manage.  The academics would call it empowerment; I call it delegating responsibility.

Someone once said that getting beaten is different from losing.  Even the better organizations/teams lose on occasion, but when you are beaten you were outworked, over-confident, and uncommitted.

At Riverside, we help cadets comprehend the meaning of "no", which some have rarely experienced.  We teach them responsibility, because no one here will do everything for them.  To a large degree, they are in charge of themselves for the first time.

"A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man (woman).  His good example has such an influence that other men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example."  Niccolo Machiavelli

I have no doubt that our cadets are influenced daily by that one man with the simple virtues of honesty, hard work, a caring demeaner, and the will to hold them accountable for what they do and fail to do.

Dr. Richard H. Hersh is one of the foremost thinkers and writers relevant to the "whole person" philosophy of education.  I quoted him frequently in my doctoral dissertation.  The following is a portion of his prose that I have quoted before, but it is worth hearing again (or for the first time).

"Our youth are growing up in a culture of neglect characterized by broken homes and mass schooling that demands little effort, media idols subliminally teaching dissrespect for authority, and students often not willing to sacrifice the slightest in fulfillment of their material desires.  They are a fragile generation.  The culture of neglect asks little of them, but a culture of responsibility (RMA) demands much but promises far greater rewards."

The RMA culture of responsibility is demanding and continuous.  It produces young men who better understand the value of honesty, the skills of successful leadership, and the hot coals of accountability.  This culture of responsibility changes what they think is good enough in terms of effort and achievement.  The rewards inherent in a Riverside education are hard to measure, but I see them often when I meet with our alumni.  Last weekend, I was in Miami for an alumni mixer hosted by Domingo Moreira, class of 1963, and his lovely spouse, Brenda.  After visiting with many alumni and their spouses in the Moreira's beautiful home, I left refreshed knowing that we are making such a difference in the lives of our cadets.

Riverside is the same traditional military academy that our alumni attended.  We espouse the same expectations in terms of behavior/consequences, responsibility/accountability, think/act, and more.  Our cadets are today's fortunate sons.

This is a draft section for my next book and I am putting it out even though I am not sure it will make the cut.

SECTION_____

HEADACHE OR HERO

            I shall never forget Private Dewey.  When I arrived in South Viet Namin June of 1969, fresh out of Officer Candidate School (OCS) and completion of infantry training at The Basic School, I was assigned as 2^nd Platoon Commander, Company I, 3^rd Battalion, 1^st Marine Regiment, 1^st Marine Division.  I was excited and proud to be assigned to the infamous 1^st Marines.  After briefings at Regiment and Battalion, I was taken forward in a jeep to join my company.  The Company Commander who would be relieved for cause within the week gave me a quick briefing on the Company area of operations (AO), and 1^st Lieutenant, Eric Shaefer, Executive Officer, took me down to meet the platoon sergeant and to join the platoon as they were leaving in 30 minutes to establish a platoon patrol base about 10 kilometers from the company command post.

            As soon as 1^st Lieutenant Shaefer departed, the platoon sergeant explained standard platoon procedures to include order of march, introduced me to The Right Guide and squad leaders, and finished his brief by saying, “We are only taking two beers per man.”  The platoon sergeant had been acting as the platoon commander for about five weeks as the platoon commander and 10 or so other Marines had been killed a couple of weeks before in a deadly fire fight with well-trained North Vietnamese regulars in an area appropriately called Dodge City.

            I was not your typical new 22-23 year old 2nd Lieutenant.  A former high school football coach, I was 26 years old and more mature and confident than most.  As I quickly assessed the platoon sergeant’s pronouncement relative to the beer, I concluded that the platoon looked to be 40-45 Marines and two beers per man equated to 80-90 beers, and we were going out for seven days to find, close with, and kill Viet Cong! Thus, my first order as a Marine Officer was “get the expletive beers out of the haversacks (packs).”  With a look of distain, he gave the order.  I would later learn that the platoon sergeant was an alcoholic who routinely consumed much of the beer himself when away from the company area.  Later, I would relieve him to the dismay of the Company Gunny Sergeant who imbibed with him whenever possible.

            Walking #3 in the column as we departed the company area, I observed the actions of the point man carefully and was impressed how he moved by bounds, took appropriate security halts, used hand and arm signals effectively, and avoided trail intersections.  The point man’s name was Private Dewey, and he would in time become a headache and a hero.

            As I recall, Private Dewey was wounded two or three times in his action-filled tour of duty but never so serious he could not return to the field.  Dewey could be best described as a train-wreck.  He must have hated water, because even when we had the rare opportunity to bath, he would find a way to disappear.  Bathing was usually washing down in a nasty stream bed with clothes on – that way one got their bodies and clothes clean at the same time.  Moreover, no one wanted to risk being shot at in the nude.  We had daily hygiene expectations that included brushing of teeth and shaving.  Dewey always seemed to need a shave.  His squad leaders got their butts chewed out more over Dewey’s appearance than anything tactical.  Dewey was the Marine you wanted to hide for the platoon picture or commanding officer’s inspection – fortunately there were none in theNam.

            Because of casualties, the platoon numbers could dwindle to the low 30s, so when occupying a platoon patrol base away from the company, manning the perimeter at night was arduous.  We were normally required to send out two to three ambushes a night and a couple of listening posts so the perimeter was manned by the remaining Marines (the ambushes and listening posts were sometimes all night and at other times for a set number of hours so they could be coming and going all night).  We changed positions every other night and dug-in (foxholes) each time.  Normally, we had two to three Marines per foxhole, and they manned the foxhole at night in 1½ to 2 hour shifts.  In essence, each Marine had a daylight combat patrol, a night ambush or listening post (ambush sites were considerably further from the patrol base than listening posts and for obvious reasons, were composed of more Marines), and a period standing night and day watch at his foxhole.  There was never enough sleep, so sleeping on watch (and in ambush sites and listening posts) was a continuous security issue for the platoon.  Dewey could sleep standing up, so there was little hope he would stay awake on watch at night.  Where in previous wars, one could be summarily shot for sleeping on watch, such punishment was unheard of inViet Nam.  However, punishment existed, and it was handled by the platoon sergeant and squad leaders.  Dewey had so much swelling around his eyes, I often couldn’t tell if it was his normal face contour or if he had been “disciplined” again.  In his defense, he never alibied or complained to me.

            One late afternoon, while in a bridge security position with the company (we had just returned from seven days at a platoon patrol base), I received an order from 1^st Lieutenant Shaefer who was now the company commander to mount up, conduct movement to contact, cross the Son Cu Dee River and set up a blocking position as Lima or Kilo Company (can’t remember which) swept the area the next morning, hopefully, flushing the Viet Cong towards our blocking position.  It was the kind of mission we liked except for the river crossing part (I had never done a platoon-size river crossing before, and there were no boats).  Moreover, we didn’t want to conduct the river crossing at night, so we had better haul-ass (the trails in this area of operations were replete with booby traps so movement to the river would be tenuous in the necessary “hurry up” mode.  When I received the order, 1^st Lieutenant Shaefer advised me that the 3^rd Platoon had had its point man killed in the same area a few days before.

            I prepared a fragmentary order (FRAGO) to save time, and as we formed up in column making last minute equipment and ammunition checks, 1^st Lieutenant Shaefer, who was rightfully a stickler on camp discipline and cleanliness, walked up and told me our “platoon area looked alike a shithouse; get back and clean it up.”  I wondered if he had ever made a night river crossing right next to a known VC hamlet?  Nonetheless, we executed the cleanup, got away late, and took the additional risk by moving too quickly with virtually no security halts and by the grace of God arrived at the river at dusk.  We selected a crossing site at the narrowest point we could find, checked the river depth (it was too deep to wade), and made final preparations determining who could swim and who could not.  We selected the best swimmer to swim the rope across and anchor it.  I sent Lance Corporal Engleman (a courageous 20-year old 3^rd Squad Leader) to retrieve the rope from whomever had been assigned to bring it.  I became anxious as Engleman did not return as quickly as he should have.  Just as I was to go back down the column of squads to see what the hold up was, I see Engleman moving forward with PVT Dewey in tow, and Engleman was clearly not happy.  As he approached, he quietly (we were tactical) said, “PVT Dewey was assigned to bring the rope, and he doesn’t have it.”  I reacted and hit Dewey across the face with an open hand and was surprised how loud it was.  Officers do not strike enlisted men, and it was the only time I did it in my 26 years.  As a Marine Officer, I can only describe Dewey as subdued and remorseful.  Later, when I contemplated the incident, I realized that 1^st Lieutenant Shaefer had interrupted us during our equipment checks to go back and police our platoon area and surely we would have discovered Dewey’s mistake had the checks been completed. But what do we do now that we are at the river without a rope?

            Note: 1^st Lieutenant Shaefer was a gungy, mustang (former enlisted Marine) lieutenant.  He had been wounded twice, had won a Silver Star for heroism, and was a good company commander.

            Most Marines had inflatable rubber sleeping mattress that I had planned to load with equipment and move the radios, packs, helmets, flak jackets, and weapons in, but I did not trust these flimsy mattresses to carry all of the gear and have Marines hanging on the sides as they paddled across the river.  The Viet Cong used sampans to move up and down the river, and we were near the hamlet, so I sent a fire team north and another south to look for one or more sampans.  The team moving towards the hamlet found two submerged sampans and returned with them in short order.  While we were organizing the order of crossing, troops wee blowing up their inflatable mattresses.  It was now dark, and I used the sampans to send a fire team and a machine gun squad across first to establish security at the far bank.  The crossing was incredibly slow and tense.  Some of the Marines were poor swimmers or non-swimmers, especially in their uniforms and boots (no one wanted to take their boots off in this extremely dangerous scenario) and did not want to cross without a rope.  I gave them the options of staying on the near bank alone or crossing with the platoon.  They agreed to cross and if they had not, we would have bullied them across, but I hoped to avoid the commotion.  My recollection is that it was about 2330 when we got all men and equipment across and married up with their gear.  We were wet and exhausted and too tired to go far (noise discipline was poor, which was typical when the troops were tired), and it was too late and dark to be particular about the site to set in for the night.

            I had two options, one was to set up the platoon perimeter in the middle of a rice paddy with a dense treeline on each side or set up in one of the treelines.  Neither was good.  Moving into the treeline at night caused control problems, and the Viet Cong could crawl up close and toss grenades into the perimeter as they had done previously at another area called Go Noi Island.  Moreover, even though it was now early morning, we had to dig foxholes for protection, and it was easier to dig in the rice paddy.  However, no concealment existed in the rice paddy and the paddy dikes offered the only cover.  I decided to set up in the middle of the rice paddy and put two man listening posts (LPs) out in the vicinity of both tree lines, one to the rear near the river and another west towardsCharlieRidge.  Once the LPs were briefed and in place, we set out claymore mines around the perimeter, finished digging in, and established the watch (one man up and awake at each foxhole and the radio watch established).  I gave the platoon sergeant the first command post (CP) watch, and I laid down hoping to get a few hours of sleep so that later I could take the early a.m. radio watch and work on my order for the mission the next morning.  The problems began about 2:00 a.m. when one of the LPs called in that they had movement behind them (this meant that movement was between the LP and our position!).  We awakened everyone and went on 100 percent watch.  Since the LP was only about 150-175 meters from our perimeter defense, the movement was close to our lines, but no one in our position heard the movement.  There was never a doubt that the VC were aware of our presence and had observed our activities.  The near hamlet and others nearby were clearly VC inhabited although the fighters were rarely observed during daylight hours.

            We were in a pickle, because the LP could not fire (not their mission either) for fear of shooting back into our perimeter, and we could not fire (on some rare occasions, we would “recon by fire”) for fear of hitting the LP, which was not dug in.  At first morning light the LP returned to our position, and we were all puzzled by the activity so close to the perimeter of our defense.  The LP had done its job; it detected movement and gave us early warning causing 100 percent alert.  However, when Lance Corporal Earl and others went out to bring in the claymore mines that we had emplaced around the perimeter the night before, we found one that had been turned around so that if activated by a Marine on the perimeter it would have exploded into the perimeter!  We could only surmise that the VC had with great stealth crawled sapper-like past the LP and close enough to the perimeter to turn the claymore around – talk about testosterone!  My assumption was that the Marines on watch were asleep and never heard the movement until we went to 100 percent alert.  The VC probably intentionally made enough noise for us to fire the claymore at our own perimeter, but the Marines watch were asleep, thus saving their own lives.  After a night including a treacherous river crossing, a 100% alert from 2:00 a.m., pegged tension and adrenaline flow, we had a c-ration breakfast and coffee with double sugar for wakeup.  But the VC were not the only resourceful unit in QuangNamprovince that day.  I had employed the tactic of having four-man killer teams depart the bivouac site about 20 minutes before the platoon moved out.  At first morning light, we would do a visual reconnaissance of the area around our patrol base looking for a vantage point, usually in a nearby tree line.   We would make something of the team’s departure knowing that VC were watching us.

            Moreover, we would do a less than perfect job of burying our C-ration trash knowing that once we were gone, the VC would visit our patrol base and ransack the trash for food and left behind ammunition and equipment as some less-disciplined units would do on occasion.  As the platoon moved out of the patrol base, the four-man killer team would have carefully doubled back and set up a sniper-like ambush to kill the VC who came into the patrol base in search of useful litter.  The platoon would take a security halt about 200-300 meters out of the patrol base and wait for the killer team to return with or without bounty.  In this case, we heard the multiple cracks of the M-16 and M-14 rifles as they laid a volume of fire on the two VC that had entered the camp in search of left behinds.  With two kills to account for this morning, the killer team took off on a less than tactical retreat to meet up with the platoon.  We were easy for them to find as we fired a green star cluster pyrotechnic to signal our position.  The four-man killer team had two Marines for near security and two shooters.  The teams were normally volunteers whom I trusted because of their tactical sensings and courage.  On this day once again, PVT Dewey was a volunteer and one of the shooters.

            Even the Battalion Commander knew PVT Dewey.  On another day, we were on a battalion-size sweep well south of Hill 37, which was the battalion command post.  Lieutenant Colonel Thomas P. Ganey had sent an ultimatum to the company commanders relative to weapons safety apparently in response to another accidental discharge in the battalion or regiment.  On this particular late afternoon after humping about 12 kilometers in a column of companies (the companies were in a variety of formations), my company was entering the battalion perimeter for the night bivouac.  I noticed the Battalion Commander talking to the Battalion S-3 (Operations officer).  As the S-3 gave our Company Commander his sector of the perimeter using the clock system (e.g., Company “I” occupy 6:00 to 9:00 o’clock), we began movement into the perimeter.  Standard operating procedure was to unchamber all rounds (ammunition) before entering the perimeter.  As the first squad was entering the perimeter, I heard and saw the accidental discharge of an M-79 grenade launcher and as the round bounced past the Battalion Commander and the S-3 Officer, I expected to hear the explosion at any time.  Instead the round layed on the ground inert as its flight was too short to acquire sufficient revolutions and airtime to arm. I can only assume that the Battalion Commander was so glad to be alive that he and the S-3 simply ordered the companies into position and called for the engineers to destroy the round.  In a moment, I knew who had the blooper accidental discharge; it was Dewey.  One might ask why was Dewey carrying the blooper in the first place?  Each squad had a grenadier who carried the blooper, and I assume his squad leader made him the grenadier, because he was seemingly fearless (when he was awake).  The blooper was normally an indirect fire weapon, less accurate in a direct fire mode, and rarely used at close range.  However, on another occasion Dewey’s squad (he was not the squad leader) took fire from a hamlet and upon observing a VC shooter on the run, he fired instinctively; the round hit the VC in the back of the head – end of VC.  Going back to the accidental discharge, I had to report to the Company Commander the perpetrator of the accidental discharge and circumstances but never heard another word about the incident.                    

            The final Dewey episode I shall report related to a company–size search and destroy operation northwest of Hill 55, which was the Regimental Command Post of the 1^st Marines.  It was mid-morning, and my platoon had been the point platoon for about two hours when the company commander moved us to drag (rear security) behind the Weapons Platoon.  We usually rotated the duty of point platoon as it was very tense duty especially in this area of the badlands.  As the other companies moved through us, and we were now in the rear of the column of platoons, the company halted, and I walked forward to speak to the Weapons Platoon Commander.  Normally and rightfully, my radio operator would have stayed with me, but on this occasion he sat down, and I didn’t say anything to the contrary.  Suddenly, the Weapons Platoon and my platoon came under heavy automatic weapons fire.  I immediately went to the ground and crawled into an old mortar round indentation (almost the size of a small child’s inflatable swimming pool) and was joined by Lance Corporal Meadows from my point squad.  The indentation wasn’t big enough for both of us so we became real friendly.  Without my radioman (Corporal Strickland, as I recall), I was out of touch with the Company Commander but was sure he was calling to find out what was going on.  I knew we had to get up and face the fire, but we needed some fire suppression and concluded from the sound of the AK-47s that the fire was coming from our right front or 2:00 o’clock.  I could hear my platoon sergeant barking orders but could not make them out.  The rounds were flying right over Meadows and me and breaking the elephant grass that concealed us to a degree.  I yelled back, “Machine gun up.”  To my surprise considering how sporadic our return fire was and the volume of the incoming fire, I heard the rattle of the ammunition can (machine gunners carried their ammunition in its cans to reduce corrosion and for cleanliness) – no Poncho Villa bandoleers across the chest in our Battalion.  Lying on my back and looking up, I saw only a leg and a boot as it struck me in the stomach, then moved to kick me in the face.  I heard the machine gun, ammo can, and a body crash to the ground as I gasped for breath.  Momentarily, I heard the rat-a-tat-tat of the M-60 machine gun and with that my Marines were up firing and heading for the tree line.  As I struggled to my feet to join the assault (I was in no condition to lead or even give direction), I realized that PVT Dewey was the machine gunner who had run over me but was now the hero whose immediate response to my call for the gun was the difference maker. 

            Dewey’s courage in a firefight was unbounded.  Notwithstanding the headaches he could cause, he was a hero, and we were all grateful that he was on our team.  When his tour was complete and just before he departed for theU.S., I promoted him to Private First Class (PFC) in front of the entire platoon.  I have never seen such a celebration for promotion to PFC.

            On the gridiron of life, we cross paths with many whose actions and persona cause reason for admiration and affirmation.  PFC Dewey remains special for me, because he made mistake after mistake but never lied or alibied; he took his punishment without a word.  But when you needed a volunteer for a dangerous mission, Dewey wasn’t looking down at his bootlaces.  He was looking you right in the eye and without a word, saying “pick me, sir.”  Another recollection of PVT Dewey’s courage and willingness to volunteer for the most dangerous of missions is in Section ____.

            Note:  The names in this section have not been changed.

I grew up in a southwest Virginia family that privately expressed racial prejudice towards the “Negroes.”  It wasn’t hatred they expressed, but even my devoutly Christian grandmother believed that the “White” and “Negro” races were not equal.  I recall when the black families began to move into our pristine middle-class neighborhood, like other “whites,” we moved.  I had every reason to adopt their prejudiced beliefs.  But for some reason, I did not buy into inequality in perception or opportunity, even then.  I was very curious about the Black families.  My favorite baseball player was Willie Mays and although not vocal, I had great sympathy for the Blacks during the race riots of the 60s.  Even then, I had experienced virtually no interaction with them as we went to separate schools.  Later when I was teaching and coaching post college, there were no Black students in our schools.  It was not until Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in 1968 did I interact with Blacks, and the first was my Drill Instructor whom I quickly came to admire and respect.  Within a year I was in command of a platoon in Viet Nam, which was probably 20% Black Marines.  It was in the rice patties, mountains, and jungles of Viet Nam that I realized how wrong our country had been for so many years.  In combat, color of skin, culture, and former prejudices take a backseat to mutual respect, manhood, and the desire to survive.  Officer, enlisted, race, or religion – little mattered except duty, survival, and a genuine caring for one another.  To this day, I marvel at how our unit (squads, platoons, and company) worked together.  A mix of whites, Mexicans, American Indians, and Blacks – we fought laughed, commiserated, and on occasion imbibed. Some I will never forget.

 There was a Black Lance Corporal by the name of King (not sure I ever knew his first name) who survived his year in the “bush” with two purple hearts as I recall.  He was our self-appointed lay preacher and led our Sunday morning prayer meeting.  When I arrived, King had already spent too much timing walking “point” - very hazardous duty in the Nam.  I insisted that King not walk point as he was on the backside of his tour, and I didn’t want to lose him.  However, the troops had so much confidence in him, and he would still insist on walking point on the most dangerous of missions.  LCPL King was one of many Black Marines who are memorable to me.

 It was not long before my sympathy turned to respect and admiration of “Blacks” as they were now called.  I concluded that not only were they equal to whites intellectually, but they were superior athletically.  I marveled at their rhythm, musical talent, oratory skills, passion for life, and leadership.  In a very short period of time, given the opportunity, Blacks have achieved great things in America– not the least of which is the presidency of our great nation.  Thus, I disdain the term racial tolerance, because it implies we must “put up” with one another.  I prefer the term racial or cultural appreciation, because it is a better description of what we must feel or learn to feel.  I have zero patience with racial slurs as our cadets have learned.  There is no room in America for a racial divide or intolerance.  I will continue to treat racial slurs as an egregious offense at Riverside and punish accordingly.

Much has been written relative to the difference in leading and managing.  I wrote a small piece contrasting the two in my book, "So You Want to Be a Leader."  I have come to realize that there exists a third action that bears considerable examination.  A distinct difference exists between leading and administering.  I have observed superior leaders who were poor administrators.  Likewise, I have observed superior administrators who were poor leaders.  I have concluded that to be successful in most organizations that I can think of, one has to lead AND administer effectively or the organization is headed for new leadership or the boneyard.  Those who can lead AND administer will connect the dots and cross the "t"s.  They will possess a sense of organization and good order.  The workforce will experienc and observe follow through characteristics that will give the leader visibility of the status of projects, the insight to fulfill promises, the wisdom to document procedures and regulations, and the ability to communicate his vision and intent verbally AND in writing.

When the this leader's successor arrives, he will be able to step right in and continue the established and well-documented processes with only minor tweaks to suit his management style.  In the Marines and in education, I have followed some good leaders and administrators but also some poor ones.  Over the years, I have followed in the footsteps of six commanders or presidents who were terminated for cause.  Not one was terminated for moral turpitude, malfeasance, or the absence of leadership skills (to the best of my knowledge).  As I took the reins of these organizations, the absence of adminsitrative skills (albeit, sometimes it manifested itself in poor judgement) seemed to be a significant factor, and I invariably had to rewrite virtually every standard operating procedure and regulation.  I can only conclude that administrative skills are a major success-multiplier in complex leadership positions.

Peters and Waterman counseled on their philosophy of "management by walking around (MBWA)", that it is important to be out and about the organization, and it is very true that some of the most actionable information comes from down the chain of command.  However, unfortunate as it may be, when leading large and complex organizations most of one's time will be spent behind a desk.

It is the mission of public schools to educate our children and a requirement for parents to train them.  At Riverside, we seek to do both.  Although we must educate our cadets for college and/or the workforce, we must also train them for life by teaching them respect for others and the social skills necessary for success and happiness. 

I met with the Corps of Cadets at breakfast today, and in a school circle reminded them of the First Principle of respect to others.  I emphasized the fact that all work and workers should be rendered respect if they are performing honorable work.  The example was that we must render the proper respect to all workers regardless of their job title; the example used was our hard working maintenance staff (there was a recent incident when one or more cadets dishonored our maintenance staff possibly without realizing they did such). 

Secondly, I planted the idea that their parents, grandparents, or guardians owe them nothing more than food, shelter, safety, and an education.  The birth of a child, although exciting at the time, changes the lives of parents in dramatic ways.  The loss of freedom and new level of responsibility, notwithstanding the financial burden, is magnified many times by the birth of a child.  I informed the cadets that all parents seek in return is respect, appreciation, and effort.  So if our First Principle is respect, then parents should receive cadet respect first and foremost.  This respect and deference, as I related to the cadets, comes in many forms to include:

- Never addressing parents in an defiant or disrespectful way

- Never uttering a word of profanity in the presence of parents

- Showing deference by actions and tone (even opening the car door for mothers)

- Making parents proud by showing respect to other adults by manner and form (standing when addressed by adults; speaking to and acknowledging adults who have no reason to expect such treatment, etc.)

- Remembering that use of Sir and Ma'am will do wonders for how they are perceived/admired and appreciated by parents and others.

The U.S. Marine Corps taught me the importance of social skills and polish in human relations and how it is a sign of confidence (by the same token, arrogance is a tell-tale sign of the absence of confidence).  It is part and parcel to our mission to ensure through word and repetition, RMA cadets possess the self-confidence and social skills to be successful after graduation, and I will continue to press them on that expectation. 

Our varsity football team has suffered some bruises in losing its first four games this fall. However, I am not the least bit discouraged about their commitment or effort.  Moreover, our coaching staff has my complete confidence as I see all of the good things occurring that do not show up in the final score.  The players are surrounded by men of character who know football, are committed to winning (one told me recently that in all of his years of playing and coaching, he had never lost his first two games), and set an example for the players in personal values and hard work.

 Our JV team beat Lakeview Academy JVs yesterday 20-8, and our prep team made a good showing Tuesday losing to Lakeview 8-6.  I know that Coach Papka has established a superb strength program for the players, and that it is beginning to manifest itself on the field.  The second half against Oglethorpe County last week was evidence of our progress.  We will continue to play teams that have been together for years and who exhibit execution and size/strength consistent with those years, I am confident that we will also improve in execution and size/strength and become very competitive in the coming months/years.

I hope to see a big turnout for our home game tonight against Rabun County.  The Corps marches on at 1900 and the game starts at 1930.

I know it has been a while since I communicated on this Blog, but there have been so many interruptions.  I have started several but decided they were not worth the readers' time.  This morning I offer a few thoughts just to get rebooted.

Tuesday, Mary and I were invited to the Capital City Club in Atlanta to meet George Will and to hear his presentation.  We have read George's column for years and appreciate his knowledge and candor.  While talking to him, I expressed my concerns about the economy and the wars and he retorted, "then you better have a stiff drink before you hear my remarks."  And he was right as he talked for an hour (not counting the Q&A) with a special emphasis on the economy, the elections (never really making a case for either candidate), and the question over our remaining purpose in Afghanistan.  His command of the data (no notes) and insights as he compared America's past with the present and future were more than insightful.  As the driver from the hotel took us back to the Double Tree, I noted that he was a middle easterner.  Later, I observed that both clerks at the hotel had accents that were anything but American.  The housekeepers we observed the next morning were all foreign, and our server for breakfast was from India or Pakistan.  I am beginning to wonder if there really is a job shortage.  Is it pride that keeps Americans from taking jobs that they feel are beneath them?  It is beyond me if so.  I would do anything ethical to earn a living than accept a government handout.  There have been times over the past few years when both of my children (college graduates) were out of work, but neither would have accepted a government check for sitting home.

Upon arriving home on Wednesday morning, I noticed that of the three landscaping companies working our neighborhood, every worker was from a Latin American country.  As we await the results of the new unemployment report, it is abundantly clear to me that our government policy makers have created an environment where the unemployed feel no pressure to offer proof of actively seeking employment.  Morever, there is no shame associated with sitting home all day collecting government handouts.

Of course, I have much sympathy for the sick, infirmed, and mentally incapable of holding a job.  These are the folks our government is obligated to support.  But to sit home and play video games (an HVAC repairman told me recently that this is what he often observes grown men doing when he arrives to repair the A/C) while American taxpayers subsidize his existence is abominable.

Adultescents

A recent edition of The New Yorker magazine contained a piece by Elizabeth Kolbert entitled “Spoiled Rotten,” which appears to be an excerpt from her book of the same name.  She described work by two anthropologists who compared child-rearing in the Peruvian Amazon and Los Angeles,California.  Mrs. Kolbert described how responsible the Peruvian youth were in that they swept the sleeping mats twice a day and fished, cleaned, boiled, and served the family dinner at age six and were observed to be mature beyond their years.  Among the observedLos Angeles families, no child had routine chores and often had to be begged to do the simplest of tasks.  Moreover, the children of the Los Angeles families were told multiple times to bathe and when seated at the table for dinner demanded “how am I supposed to eat?”  The father then got up and retrieved silverware for the spoiled child.

According to Kolbert, contemporary American children are the most indulged young people in history.  They have unprecedented possessions, almost all unearned and undeserved.  Additionally, many have unprecedented authority – parents seek their approval!  In some American families, the children have two or three adults at their beck and call.

Sally Koslow, former editor-in-chief of McCall’s, writes that the best way for us to show our love would be to learn to un-mother and un-father.  Another psychologist wrote that, “by working so hard to help our kids, we end up holding them back.”

Pamela Druckerman, former reporter for the Wall Street Journal, moved toParis only to discover that her child was invariably the worst behaved child in every French restaurant they entered.  She soon learned that French mothers have little concern about frustrating their children.  To the contrary, they believe that children don’t learn to cope with frustration without experiencing it.  Per Druckerman, many American mothers would not consider allowing their children to perform a complicated task without supervising, notwithstanding the fact that often children strongly resist our supervision.  She writes that French parents say non (no) and mean it.  They believe that coping with no is an essential part of child development and combats self-centeredness.

Kolbert writes that so little is expected of American youth that they often cannot use the simplest of equipment, which results in them being asked to do less and less by parents.  Their incompetence begets parental exasperation, which results in even more time for video games.  It is often easier to do a task oneself than to get children away from the Play Station long enough to do it competently, according to Kolbert.

Kolbert states that American families view parenting as creating a child-centered environment that unfortunately includes unwarranted praise, no in-home responsibilities, and the removal of every obstacle in their path.  In doing so, these parents create “adultescents” where the simplest of responsibilities overwhelm them, and in time, they are moving back home in order to decide what they want to try next.

 Kolbert refers to other “unparenting” books that might be worth parents’ time.

            “A Nation of Wimps:  The High Cost of Invasive Parenting”

            “The Narcissism Epidemic”

            “Mean Moms Rule”

            “Slouching Toward Adulthood: Observations from the No-So-Empty Nest”

            “Bringing Up BèBè”

“RescueAmerica” is a book sent to me by Chris Salamone (relative of an RMA cadet) that addresses the renewal ofAmerica’s greatness through robust leadership and the founding fathers’ values.  He explains how we as modern-day parents seek to protect our children from the hardships, inconveniences, and disappointments that limited us by attempting to eliminate these trials and tribulations life presents them.  However, Salamone advises that these trials and tribulations are precisely what prepared us for life.  His points are not a condemnation of the good intentions of modern-day parents, but a plea for them not to interrupt or dissuade the very experiences that will make them decisive and independent adults.

I am not endorsing the theories in any of these books.  But they do create an awareness of how the well-meaning actions of us as parents and grandparents can be counter-productive over the long-haul.

For those who don't know, SOAR is an acronym for Summer Opportunity and Academic Review.  In short, summer school.  We will complete SOAR this Friday, and we have maintained 128 cadets through the 4 summer weeks.  This number could be a record, at least for recent years.  It has certainly been the best SOAR of the 4 since I arrived in 2009.  The faculty and TACs have worked hard spending a lot of one on one time with the cadets, and the norm has been approximately 7 our of the 128 with academic deficiencies.  We consider this a very low number.

The cadets will finish on Friday, and we will host their parents for lunch and a mini-completion ceremony.  We anticipate a good number (never quite sure until they show up) of the new cadets will return for the fall.  Some have worked out regularly with our football and soccer coaches and strength coach and are very good prospects.

Some of the SOAR cadets who are excelling have a history of under acheivement academically.  We are especially proud of their progress.  It reminds me of the great Edgar Guest poem, which I had to look up to share with you.

 It Couldn’t Be Done

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,

But he with a chuckle replied

That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one

Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin

On his face.  If he worried, he hid it.

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed:  “Oh, you’ll never do that.

At least no one ever has done it.”

But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,

And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,

Without any doubting or quiddit,

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,

There are thousands to prophesy failure;

There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,

The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,

Just take off  your coat and go to it;

Just start to sing as you tackle the thing

That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

                                -Edgar A. Guest

I am fairly satisfied with this one.  Comments welcome.

 “He who reigns within himself, and rules his passions, desires and

fears is more than a king.”  John Milton

In reading Darren Hardy’s fine little book entitled “The Compound Effect,” I was intrigued by his admonition that our daily habits and choices are the imperatives in how we live, prosper, and experience happiness.  According to Hardy, these daily decisions shape our destiny.  He calls them underlying fundamental truths.

Similarly, some years ago I wrote what I considered the Sine Qua Nons of success in business and life.  Some would call these leadership skills, corollaries, or maxims.  I call them the Sine Qua Nons of Leadership.  Those who recall their Latin will know that the Sine Qua Nons are the “indispensable things.”  If you will, here are my top 10.

1. It has been said that leaders should not suffer fools.  I suggest that one can suffer fools longer than one should suffer disloyalty or dishonesty.
2. Employee morale is the oxygen of the organization – plan for it.
3. Establish high standards or expectations for the workforce.  They will work better at full stretch.  Remember the Wilson Pickett tune – “99 and ½ won’t do, got to have 100!”
4. Do not debate the importance of form versus substance; you must have both.  Part of being good is looking good – that applies to your person, your grounds, and your facilities.
5. Tithe to learning – Give at least 10% of your time to professional development whether it is professional education, individual study, or just plain reading.
6. There is a difference between being in control and controlling.  Know the difference and refrain from the latter.
7. When in doubt, trust your instincts, decide, and don’t look back.
8. You must possess self-awareness – display your strengths and hide your weaknesses as you work diligently to eliminate them.
9. Associate with others who possess character and personal values; bring no one into your confidence who does not possess both.
10. Remember when you are in charge, you are accountable; thus, knowledge, supervision, and correction are preludes to success.  A great Army General once told me, “In God I Trust – everything else I check.”

Occasionally, I produce a draft of a section for my next book and post them here for readers to review.  I am glad to receive feedback.  I will post two today. This one needs fleshing out. The second one on sine qua nons is close to finished.

“Conversation enriches the understanding, but solitude is the school of genius.”

                                                                                                   Edward Gibbon

“There are times like the early morning hours when I prefer to be my own company.”

                                                                                                                   Jim Benson

         Paul Tillick may have captured the dilemma when he wrote, “Language has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone, and the word solitude to express the glory of being alone.”  There is little doubt that loneliness is accompanied by many maladies, but I suggest it is more debilitating to some than others.  Companionship is certainly a need of virtually everyone I suspect, but the frequency and intensity varies from one to another.  Myers-Briggs accurately confirmed me as an introvert at heart (though my college friends would vehemently refute the thought), and my adult years have proven the fact.  It is true that I often prefer my own company.  Of course, I have learned to function in the extrovert’s world, but often wonder when they ever have time to think and contemplate.

         The higher one climbs the ladder of success, the more one must create and protect “thinking time.”  Without it, there is no time to envision, analyze, and create necessary change.  The leader and the organization get in the “status quo rut” and the competition gains momentum or new competition moves into your market with a better message and product.

         Of course, books are the refuge of the introvert.  They are the defensible opportunity to go inside oneself and enjoy other than the here and now.  It is hard for an introvert and an extrovert to co-exist.  My Mary is the extrovert in our marriage.  She wants to talk while we read the newspaper, discuss the movie while we watch it, and express her every thought.  It can be exasperating, but she is a wonderful companion.  How do you figure?

Sometimes I reflect on my days fathering teenaged children and wish I had done things differently.  I may have written on this before, but I am not going to read my entire Blog to find out, so here goes.

We as parents should worry less about whether our children are listening to us and more about the fact that they are watching us.  Albert Einstein reminded us that, "Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another; it is the only means."  So if we want our children to develop good values, we must model those values.

As I write this, I am reminded of Shakespeare's admission that, "I can easier teach 20 what were good to be done, than to be one of the 20 and follow my own teachings."  So setting the right example for our children day in and day out is no small challenge.

I recall well being a senior officer in the Marines occupying pretigious positions such as 2d Marine Division Chief of Staff and Commanding Officer, 6th Marine Regiment where there was a staff secretary, executive officer, sergeant major, and driver/radio operator at my beckon.  They stood when I entered the room, opened the door to the sedan, and attempted to predict my every need.  Spoiled as I was, when I arrived home the kids might be on the sofa watching television and may or may not have even noticed I had arrived.  Sometimes I just wanted to put them at attention and inspect their rooms, which they would have failed.  However, then I would have had to deal with Mary.

I loved the movie, "The Great Santini", about the Marine Colonel who ran his home like Parris Island.  I took the kids to see it, and instead of enjoying the humor, my daughter Catherine was indignant about it.  I don't know if she thought it was surreal or what.

This morning I was honored to be a guest commentator on Chuck and Colleen White's Christian Talk Radio Show (WCGM) in Jacksonville, FL.  The subject was single-sex education.  Chuck and Collen's son was a recent RMA graduate and is a testament to the structured form of education offered at RMA.

I began the show by responding to recent comments from RMA parents who wanted their boys to return to Riverside, but the boys quite naturally wanted to transfer back to Planet Female.  I have developed the opinion that when boys are under-achieving, running with the wrong crowd, creating homework arguments, and/or are acting in a disrespectful way to parents or siblings, the parents make the "invisible mistake" by doing nothing.

There are many reasons why boys would rather not be enrolled at a military school (no girls, limited cell phone and television, and the absence of the unredeeming parts of the internet to name a few), and none of them are good.  But we as parents have to remember that the boys judgment is often immature, and they do not recognize what is in their best interests.  Some parent to boy dialogue is useful, but there comes a time when the parents have to decide.  This is the counsel we often give parents facing this dilemma.

On another subject, we have an outstanding SOAR (summer school) class of a 126 boys.  They are adapting well and are so clean cut (after haircuts and RMA attire).  They are adjusting to the regimentation well and make me proud.  Moreover, we are expecting a robust August enrollment.  I am grateful to the parents who trust us with the education and development of their boys.

As we approach summer 2012, the rumors and scuttlebutt increase dramatically as to who will return for SOAR and fall and who will not.  The Commandant frets over who his cadet leaders will be; the Coaches worry over losing their top scorer; and the Band Director worries about her brass and percussion sections.  The primary rumor producers are Planet Female, the cadet’s stories about the amount of spice and serenity on campus, and the perceived bullying that occurs.  Of course, the version that parents hear is often so exaggerated that the cadet soon envisions himself back home at Planet Female this fall.  Nonetheless, there is some truth to what the cadets say.  Yes, we experience some issues with drugs (almost always relates to the synthetic type that are legal and available in local convenience stores throughout the state), some bullying that is normally closer to harassment than bullying (but still always deserves an investigation), and Planet Female is somewhere else.

Of course, any school that disclaims the fact that some drugs end up on campus and that some bullying will occur is being disingenuous or is out of touch with its students.  I prefer to admit the obvious and attack the problem with a vengeance.  I often wonder if our parents realize that if their cadets are permitted to transfer back to Planet Female in the fall there will be just as many bullies (and a lot less action taken when they are discovered), ample supplies of spice/serenity available (and a much less effective intelligence gathering apparatus than is present at RMA), a harder time making the baseball or wrestling team because of the relative size of enrollments, and a world of girls to complicate their education and development into manhood. 

 The factors that truly bear on the decision whether to return to RMA include the truth that Planet Female does exist and that it affects cadet behavior, focus, and time management in many ways (been there, done that).  Moreover, other home factors complicate boys' lives, not the least of which include more frequent automobile usage, cell phone time monopoly, the profane/vulgar and sexually explicit television programming, the less redeeming parts of the internet, the frequent homework arguments, and more.

In talking with Riverside parents, I sense that some parents see the improvement in their sons’ behavior and grades and conclude that previous issues with grades and behavior are “fixed,” and the boy can return to Planet Female and will no longer succumb to the enormous pressures that led to Riverside enrollment in the first place.  How can we convince these well-meaning parents that 2 to 3 semesters at Riverside are insufficient to inculcate a permanent change in study habits, attitudes, judgment, behavior, respect for others (especially adults), and moral reasoning?  New knowledge dissipates quickly if not reinforced by repetition and new learnings.

“Doing nothing is the invisible mistake”

Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Self-efficacy is a leadership characteristic that is rarely mentioned even by the academic types who continuously study and publish on this ancient art.  Self-efficacy describes people who possess self-confidence, sound judgment, prudence, and courage to make timely and effective decisions that are often unpopular to the masses.  These people tend to have strong convictions, great initiative, and the will to attack mediocrity, while observing and examining every opportunity and leaving no idea behind.  In short, they possess “practical wisdom” that is described by Samuel Coleridge as “common sense in an uncommon degree.”

Leaders with self-confidence, judgment, and courage pursue change in the face of opposition.  Not only do they possess sound judgment but they believe in their own ability to judge.  I recall the story told by Lee Cockerell, former Executive Vice President of Disney World.  Explaining to his staff the difficulty in selling change, Lee told how his wife annoyed him by serving green Tabasco sauce with his meatloaf in place of his long-time favorite red Tabasco sauce.  His wife insisted Lee try the green sauce, which he did and was converted.  Lee’s demonstrative point to his staff was, “Can you imagine the push back at Tabasco when someone suggested the company produce a green sauce?”

So, how do we recognize leaders who possess the self-efficacy to make the necessary changes that turn around a floundering company?  More importantly, how do we develop such leaders who have this dynamic personal characteristic to lead our nation in these challenging days?  I remember Colonel Mike Lowe’s description of the three ways  leaders develop – those who learn by reading, those who learn by observing and finally, those who have to touch the electric fence.

The Riverside Board of Trustees prefers to hold their spring meetings during Silver Taps and Graduation week.  Although this straps the staff and me personally, I am glad for the members to see the products of our efforts.  Of course, there are many awards (academic, leadership, athletic, etc.) given during the week and parents and Board members are impressed by the achievements of the cadets.  For me personally, I am pleased more for who they are than what they have done.  I know the hours of instruction they have received in the affective areas of integrity, self-example, respect, cultural appreciation (not tolerance – I abhor the term cultural tolerance), social skills, leadership, and more.  They leave with a kit bag of knowledge and wisdom that they will still call on years from now.  Still in their youth, many will still push the envelope in immature ways, but they know the difference in right and wrong, and that knowledge will make a difference in how they live.  They possess a self esteem because they lived harder than their peers and persevered.  That perseverance will provide lifelong friendships and a camaraderie that is only matched by those who were also subjected to demanding days, constant correction, and consequences that some would consider harsh outside of these walls.  Aside from the acquisition of knowledge, they have acquired functional intelligence that leads to success in business, the government, politics, education, and world affairs.  Josiah Bunting, the former Superintendent of Virginia Military Institute, would use this term to describe the enviable traits of character, wisdom, and prudence.

Many factors have contributed to the absence of social skills in the modern world.  They begin with the demise of the traditional family.  Exacerbated by the lack of civility in the media, politics, and now texting, the teaching of social skills has now become a mantra for schools professing to offer a wholistic form of education.  Almost daily, I observe actions by our cadets that reinforce my belief that we must do more.  Social skills are not taught in a class by that name but must be imbedded and modeled in every class and throughout the campus.  This morning before breakfast, it was raining so I canceled the pass in review and addressed the Corps on this topic and more.

 I also spoke to them about their responsibilities, as cadet leaders, to their cadets, informing them that real leaders are more interested in the success of their cadets/employees than their own recognition/success.  Finally, I spoke to them of the need for self-discipline using the words of John Milton:  “He who reigns within himself and rules his passions, desires, and fears is more than a king.”

For several years and increasingly so, educational association speakers and many academics advocate for flat organizations – “away with the hierarchies of the past, they say.  Flat is the future of corporate America and if we want to be successful, we must adapt,” according to some.  I concur that we should strip out the hierarchical layering of management (for economic reasons and more), but hierarchy will remain (and necessarily so) even if it doesn’t show up on the organizational chart.  Someone is still in charge; someone else is number two, and so forth.  At least, it better be that way.  If not, every important decision will be a compromise (sub-optimal is a good description for compromise) and, you know what that means.

As we begin a new week, I am very optimistic on a number of fronts.  For example, spring athletics have given me much to smile about.  Just last week:

            - The track team finished first of four teams.

            - The baseball team won two games – 10-0 and 1-0.

            - The lacrosse team defeated cross-town rival Gainesville High School (AAA) 11-6

            - The soccer team won again (record is 11-1-1).

            - The golf team won over cross-town rival Lakeview Academy.

            - The tennis team won again (record is 11-1)

 Someone once said that, “getting beaten is different from losing.”  Even the best teams/organizations lose on occasion but when you get are beaten you are outworked, over-confident, and under-committed.  Our spring teams are working hard and are committed.

 For information, Head Basketball Coach, Ron Smith submitted a letter of resignation, and I appointed JV Coach Lazarus Chennault as the head coach effective June 1, 2012.  Coach Chennault lives and breathes basketball and is very popular with his players.  He has been extremely successful over the years as the JV coach and is deserving of the Riverside head coaching position.

There are mixed opinions within the education community relative to whether academics or human development is supreme.  Even a few staff and/or faculty at Riverside have implied that the two are mutually exclusive or that any approach that does not place academics front, center, and foremost undermines our mantra of being a college preparatory school. 

 The fact that academics and human development are not mutually exclusive is the foundation for our wholistic approach to education at Riverside.  The wisdom and will of the Riverside Board of Trustees is clearly behind me in this effort.  This wholistic approach brings depth and breadth to the curriculum and co-curriculum and is consistent with a purpose of “not just for college – but for life.”

At Parents Day, I spoke about the RMA goal to grow 100 cadets by May 31, 2013.  As an Academy that derives 95% of its revenue from tuition, room, and board, it is apparent that our present growth (we have experienced increased enrollments for 6 consecutive semesters) does not provide the resources to improve our programs as quickly as our needs develop.  As mentioned before, one of our initiatives is to commence a weekend Mall recruiting presence on Saturdays and Sundays.  We hope to kick this effort off right after spring break.  The RMA kiosk will be operational at Northpoint Mall in Alpharetta initially and manned by cadets, staff/faculty, and volunteer parents.  For those parents who would like to participate, please email Lynne Henderson at lhenderson@riversidemilitary.com or kimigalan@gmail.com.      

Secondly, we have hired a new Dean of Enrollment Management who will begin on 1 May 2012.  Steve Blanchard is presently VP for Advancement at Wasatch Academy.

He has twice been a head of school and has much experience and knowledge in the enrollment business.  Additionally, we hired Kayla Cox as an admissions counselor to replace Nikki Freeman who will return to teaching (English as a second language).  Ms. Cox has admissions experience at North GeorgiaCollege and State University and Brenau Academy.

 More detail on the above is in my Parents Day presentation, which has been posted to our website.

     This is a section to my next book entitled, "On the Gridiron of Life."  It may be interesting to some.
    
     The Marines’ commitment to their Corps and one another is widely known but the depth of that commitment is difficult to imagine unless one experiences it.  This kind of commitment to one’s work and the institution he represents is what leaders seek in their employees. Although there are many examples, I will sight one that is unforgettable in my memory.  It was during the monsoon season in the fall of l969 when 2^nd Platoon Company “I”, 3^rd Battalion, 1^st Marines was 25 or so miles west of Da Nang alone in a platoon patrol base at the foothills of what was known as “Charlie Ridge” (Charlie was a nickname for the Viet Cong).  This was a dangerous area particularly for a small platoon of 35-45 Marines to be located as it was approximately three to four miles from the remainder of Company “I”.
   
     As I recall, we were in this general location for seven to 10 days.  We moved every day or two to preclude the Viet Cong from planning an attack on our poorly defended position (poorly defended because we only had some shallow foxholes for cover and there was little concealment from observation).  It never stopped raining during this period, and the only shelter from the misery was our ponchos and shabby hooches rigged out of extra ponchos and canvas shelter halves.  We fought the temptation to relax our security – no one wanted to stand watch nor did we want to run the patrols, establish the ambushes, or man the observation and listening posts that are critical to local security.  Nonetheless, as the platoon commander, it was my responsibility to enforce and frankly demand discipline ensuring that the Marines were awake during their night watches and that the ambushes and observation/listening posts were alert and monitoring their radios.  In this misery, these were truly the days that try men’s souls.

      The paths and trails we were patrolling led to and from the mountain (CharlieRidge) and were strewn with red mackerel cans, which were clear and present evidence that we were intruding into Charlie’s homestead.  Charlie’s favorite meal was mackerel, rice, and a fermented fish sauce.   Since it was next to impossible to sleep, the danger close environment provided an incentive for the Marines to stay awake.  Corporal punishment for falling asleep was delivered from the squad leaders, platoon sergeant, and right guide.  I never observed it, but I knew it was measured and necessary.  The weather contributed to absolute misery 24/7.

     In combat, troops often lose track of the date and day of the week; the days are all the same except for an occasional voluntary prayer meeting on Sunday.  Even that is hard to organize, because the ambushes and observation/listening posts have returned and troops are trying to get some morning rest (sometimes one might even sleep but the mud and rain made it hard until one reached near exhaustion).  By mid-morning and early afternoon the combat patrols were back out.

     So on this day, none of us realized that the date was November 10, the Marine Corps’ Birthday – a day many of us would rather celebrate than our own true birthdate.  In some ways, the date signifies our rebirth and membership in something much greater than our individual selves.  This rebirth created a change in what we believed in and what we thought was good enough in terms of effort and achievement.  It involves a brotherhood many admire but few have the courage to join, because the commitment and risks are just too onerous.

     On this particular day around dusk, one of observation posts (OP) called in to say that, “two ¼ ton vehicles (jeeps) were slowly approaching with night running lights on.”  At first, we concluded that they couldn’t be our vehicles, because it would be reckless and much too dangerous for two vehicles to be at our area of operations (AD) at this hour.  There had been no communications from the Company headquarters element that vehicles would be in our AO.  Could the OP have mis-identified the vehicles - the Viet Cong didn’t have vehicles like ours?

     I quickly selected a fire team (four Marines) to move down to the road to see what was approaching – friend or foe?  Shortly thereafter, the team leader reported back that the vehicles were carrying the Company Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt Maloon) and five Marines, and they had something for us.  GySgt Maloon was a veteran of 35 years in the Corps as I recall.  He had seen action inKoreaandViet Nam.  He was a big man, probably 6 foot 6 inches and 250 pounds and always carried an old Thompson submachine gun.  He was gruff and seemingly unfriendly to new lieutenants until they proved their mettle to his satisfaction.  In fact, you knew when you had earned his respect, because he would refer to you as lieutenant and maybe even sir on occasion.  Before that, he referred to lieutenants as Mr. – in my case, Mr. Benson, which galled me for awhile.  Nonetheless, I grew to admire the Gunny, and later I sought his counsel on tactical decisions and more.

     By the time I moved the platoon to the road, it was essentially dark and time for the ambushes and listening posts to depart our patrol base.  I put security aside when I realized that the Gunny had spent the day going to every company outpost ensuring that every Marine had hot coffee and birthday cake.  We celebrated as the rain poured down on our party.  We laughed and yuked it up the way Marines do in misery.  The party was short lived as the Gunny still had a dangerous trip back to Hill 37, which was the location of the 3^rd Battalion, 1^st Marines headquarters and our company’s rear area that coordinated supplies, administration, casualty reporting and more.

      It was on that November 10 that I truly realized what commitment was all about and what great and unique organization it remains today.

Yesterday, Janine Turner and her lovely daughter visited campus and spoke to the cadets just before Mess II.  Ms. Turner is a celebrated actress, author, and director who presently co-chairs a foundation entitled Constituting America, which is a non-partisan organization focused on advancing youth knowledge of the Constitution, The Federal Papers, and more.  You may recall her from roles in Northern Exposure, Friday Night Lights, Steel Magnolias, and Cliffhanger.  She has also appeared on the Larry King Show, The O'Reilly Factor, and other shows as a political commentator.  Ms. Turner received the honor of the Mess II Pass in Review from the Corps and was impressed to say the least.  This was a visit facilitated by Board of Trustees member Carlos Cervantes and was the highlight of the day.

Last night I attended our spring play, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."  I am amazed at how much our cadets cram into a day.  On the way to the Track Meet yesterday I ran into Cadets Wechsler and Coffey who had to leave baseball practice early to get ready for the play!  During the play, the cadets were gracious in their applause and recognition of their classmates performing (as they always are), but notwithstanding my instruction to them Saturday after the uniform/personnel and room inspection, they still don't understand that there is a difference in how one shows appreciation at a cultural event vis-a-vis a football game.  Leanne Kinney (Director) warned us that it was a comedy/farce, and maybe that is why the audience appreciation included whistles, etc.  On the other hand, maybe they were whistling at the pretty ladies that Leanne had recruited to perform the female parts.  If so, they were smart enough to time the whistles with the comedy.

Technology continues to move forward.  We have continued to upgrade the available websites to the extent that the cadets now have access to all government, education, and NCAA sites with the added capability to submit an online URL request form that allows them to request the addition of other sites. 

After considerable dialogue with staff, parents, and other Association of Military College and School administrators, we are going to open the portals next year to permit juniors and seniors to bring laptops to the Academy.  We will treat it as a privilege and retain the authority to send the laptops home if the cadets abuse the privilege.  The staff will refine the policy and include it in the Cadet Regulations (Blue Book) this summer.

For the 70 plus parents who completed the cadet survey, I am grateful.  There were 32 single-spaced pages of narrative comments that are invaluable.  Those comments were part and partial to the decision to permit laptops for juniors and seniors next year.  The growing trend, notwithstanding the many complimentary comments, was the absence of consistent verbal and written feedback from some teachers, TACs, and administrators.  I have already spoken to the entire staff and faculty and directed them that they must "exceed the parent expectations" in this regard.  Yes, that is a tall task, but we continue to start strong and then taper off.  There is too much more to address now and the parent comments still require analysis by every department.  Thank you for the strong affirmation for the work of the Business Office and the Buildings and Grounds Department.

While running last week, headphones and all, I heard some country and western lyrics that seemed to fit some of our cadets.  The chorus of the tune was, “I am not as bad as I once was and I’m not as good as I’m gonna be.”  It is consistent with a theme I have shared with a few prospective parents and that is that, “Riverside takes characters and gives them character.”

The following is a quote that appeared on our FACE BOOK page posted by an RMA parent.  “Much of life is a moral and spiritual journey, and we undertake it, at least in part, to find our way morally and spiritually.  Thus, it makes no sense to send young people forth on such an endeavor having offered them only some timid, vacillating opinions about conduct in the hope that in their wanderings, they will stumble onto personal preferences, which will become their values.  We must give our children better equipment than that.  We must raise them as moral and spiritual beings by offering them unequivocal, reliable standards of right and wrong, noble and base, just and unjust.”

 We continue to make progress on technology upgrades.  It’s been over a year since we started upgrading the foundation of our automation infrastructure, including; wiring, servers, routers, and computers.  The improvements completed in Phases I and II have largely been seamless to cadets and staff, but have made our information technology faster, more secure, and more efficient.  We are now in the early stages of phase III, hardware upgrade and long term cyclic replacement planning. To date, four cadet companies have received new terminals and monitors in the barracks, nine TACS have new computers, and the library received 16 new research CPUs.

 Just this week we secured funding for new computers for the faculty and counselors – 44 in all.  We are especially grateful to parents Bob and Wendi Mahoney who gave a $10,000 donation and challenged parents, grandparents, and alumni to match it.  Thank you to everyone who contributed.  As Dean Robison says, “Nothing would change the face of the school more dramatically or have a bigger impact on faculty morale than new computers.”

 Another technological improvement to be completed soon is a new school-wide phone system.  Two grants, one from parent Carl Stecker’s foundation, and the other from SunTrust Bank Trusteed Foundation – Florence C. and Harry L. English Memorial Fund have covered the cost of this much needed expense.  The RMA phone system is so old and outdated that replacement parts are no longer available.  If it goes out in an electrical storm, we’re incommunicado.

 The grant from the foundation housed at SunTrust in Atlanta is important for another reason.  It’s the first time Riverside has received funding out of the vast and influential foundation scene in Atlanta, and we’re optimistic that it will be the first of others to follow. We appreciate the confidence SunTrust has expressed in Riverside and our mission.  If you bank with SunTrust or know any of its officers, please express your personal appreciation.

An interesting article in Independent School magazine (Winter 2012) reminds the reader of the social changes engendered by the cyber halls and walls of friends and friends of friends everywhere.  According to the author, the arrival of Facebook in 2004 and Twitter in 2006 demands ever more training and structure, and both are necessary in every school.  Pursuant to the counsel available in recent literature, “parental influence is far more short-lived than had been previously understood and is quickly transcended by peer influence.”  Our youth are deciding that there exists many ways to interpret even our most fundamental home-taught values.  Clearly, this realization has much to do with the frequency of parental decisions to home school.

My almost 20 years in education have convinced me that schools today must reinforce our country’s fundamental beliefs and culture; schools may be our “tribe” of the 21^st century.  At Riverside, the learnings acquired in our five programs (academic, JROTC/military, barracks life, co-curricular, and character education) make up the core of our wholistic beliefs (integrity, moral reasoning, sound judgment, leadership skills, etc.) that have characterized a Riverside education for 104 years.  The difference today is that these learnings are delivered in a more deliberate and cadet-centered way.  Moreover, they are reinforced through intentional repetition, the delivery of measured consequences, and personal example.

It is clear to me that our program of weekend activities isn’t a program at all.  The Commandant’s staff has tried hard, but without the resources and emphasis from my office, it was impossible to meet the needs of all of the cadets who are here on the weekends.  We simply offer too little in terms of planned, organized, and supervised weekend activity.  There have been some off-campus trips (that all cadets could not afford to attend), service learning opportunities, open gym/weight room hours, and Sunday religious services/opportunities but they are not enough.  We realize that some of these activities help “pass the time” and are enjoyable for some cadets, however, few would characterize Riverside weekends as fun.

With input from the faculty and staff, I have determined that we must do more and frankly, some of the “more” needs to involve social activities with girls (I am sure that some moms will gasp at the thought).  The faculty and staff have brainstormed the problem and some good ideas have surfaced and already been added to the calendar.  I have included that to do it right, we need a weekend coordinator who plans, implements, and supervises our weekend program.  I am thinking of a part-time person with a degree in recreation and sports.  Weekend activities will include co-ed intramural sports (e.g., 3 vs 3 and 5 vs 5 co-ed basketball, softball, etc.) wherein each team would require at least one female participant.  We will increase dances with post-game informal dances (presently, we have only one dance in the fall and one in the spring) supervised dances on campus.  A “5^th Quarter” dance is now scheduled after a basketball game and an “8^th Inning” dance is scheduled after a baseball game.  We will need some parent support in finding girls for these activities.

We will attempt to revive airsoft/paintball competition even though much of our equipment is in need of repair.  We are examining granting permission for cadets to have more weekend time off campus, (Saturday and Sunday afternoons), which will depend on rank and demonstrated trustworthy behavior.  Moreover, we are seeking ways to permit girls on campus for Sunday afternoon visits with cadets in the library, Gumba Grill, and gymnasium. 

None of the above is budgeted, but we are going to pursue the changes in hopes that these changes will facilitate retention of some cadets who might otherwise choose to depart.  Additionally, we will be engaging the cadets for other ideas in order to encourage their support and participation.

These changes in coordination with our recently implemented weekend academic assistance program are envisioned as programs to make the Riverside experience more enjoyable and memorable for all cadets.

Pursuant to my previous post and in order to better support cadets who are on the Academic Deficiency List, we will implement a program of supervised study on Saturday and Sunday afternoon for cadets who are restricted to campus.  This will take the place of the 0630 Friday study hall, and it will be different from Saturday Pit of past years.

It will be located in the library.  Teachers will still provide assignments for the cadets to work on, but now each cadet will work two hours on Saturday and one hour on Sunday afternoon, breaking up the study time.  There will also be three sessions each day so that groups will be smaller and more closely supervised and assisted by teachers.  We believe this addition will make each weekend of restriction a more productive experience for our cadets.

Conversations with parents and cadets in recent weeks convince me that our academic, military/JROTC, character development, and barracks- life programs are well-managed and effective.  However, three areas concern me.

First, our interscholastic athletic program for the most part is successful notwithstanding the fact that some of our teams are young and inexperienced.  However, football, which always seems to set the stage for a successful fall has struggled.  I take full responsibility for the lack of progress in that sport.  In my effort to control expenses, I did not staff the program for success.  This was evident in the absence of player fundamentals and noticeable improvement as the year wore on.  I will have to add to the coaching staff for next fall in order for us to move the program forward.

My second concern relates to cadet weekend academic programming.  A concerned parent reminded me recently that we restrict cadets with academic deficiencies to campus on weekends ostensibly as an incentive for them to work hard during the week to earn their weekend furloughs and to give them extra time to work on their studies.  However, we are not staffed to provide the weekend academic assistance and supervision to ensure that the restricted cadets do the necessary work to improve.  In reality, some are restricted week after week without evidence that the campus restriction is leading to the outcomes we seek in our cadets.  We are going to examine the staffing requirements necessary to make Saturday and Sunday afternoons more productive.  I think that we can fund additional instruction and supervision during the weekend hours to assist cadets with academic deficiencies, and we plan to have a new program in place early in this semester.

The third concern is that our non-academic weekend activities do not meet the needs of all cadets on campus.  Some off-campus activities cost more than all cadets can afford.  Many cadets who are here on weekends are not on restriction; they simply live too far away to go home.  We clearly need more on-campus weekend activity that is organized and supervised.  A weekend program that includes 3 on 3 basketball, free-throw shooting contests, paintball/airsoft competition, chess tournaments,  mixers/informal dances, and more is needed to provide weekends that cadets look forward to with anticipation.  We have added weekend hours to the library and Gumba Grill, but they require staffing and probably are still insufficient.  I think the addition of two weekend recreational leaders with the requisite credentials is necessary to operate the amount and kind of weekend activities that we require. 

It is easy to make the case that an enhanced football coaching staff, an additional learning specialist and two recreational leaders are unaffordable but likewise, one could make the case that we cannot afford not to expend the resources to make cadet weekends fun as well as academically productive.  Moreover, since football provides the rugged activity that we espouse and is our most important sport from a participation perspective, we will have to put some resources behind it to give it a chance for success.  Hopefully, enhancements such as these would improve retention to the extent that tuition revenue would help defray the additional costs.  We will give these initiatives a thorough examination in January.

As many of you know, an aging and unreliable phone system, technology (computers) nonperformance,  and a cadet intranet data base that had not been updated in an unknown time span have challenged RMA in many ways.  These issues have challenged us administratively, in the classrooms, and in the barracks.  Last year we raised $166K in contributions, which helped us replace the technology infrastructure and other hardware and software improving the reliability of our system to some degree.  This past week we received $75K more from two very supportive RMA families that will permit us to replace the aging phone system as well as fund additional new terminals and monitors for the library and barracks.  Moreover, a complete review of the cadet intranet data base revealed a fragmented and dated group of websites that could not have possibly met the cadets’ needs for research.  These data bases have been updated with many additions and deletions.  Cadet and faculty feedback will enable other additions as the year progresses.

I thank the many families that have contributed to this meaningful project.  The phone system was on its last leg and replacement parts were no longer existent.  We hope to have it installed within a few weeks.  The new terminals and monitors are being installed in the library and barracks at this time.

I was recently reminded by a staff member that I have not posted on my Blog since October.  I had no idea it had been that long.  Admittedly, the Blog took a backseat to my second book entitled, “On the Gridiron of Life.”  The first draft is presently with the typist.  Thus, I will try to do a little better with the Blog.

Time rolls on and with it changes in personnel.  To bring you up to date, the following changes are effective in January or next summer.

-          LtCol Seth Hathaway will return to RMA in June 2012 and assume the position of Dean for Enrollment Management.  Most will recall Seth’s professionalism and work ethic when he was the Academy Executive Officer last school year.  Lynne Henderson will be retained in a consultant role.  Lynne has done superb work for the Academy since taking over as Director of Admissions during the winter of 2009.

-          Marc Paglia will assume the duties of Director of Athletics on January 1, 2012.  He will continue to teach an AP Math class and head the Swim program but otherwise, his duties will encompass management and overseeing the RMA athletic program.

-          Jerry Eidson, a U.S. Army veteran and West Point alumnus, will replace Marc in the Math Dept. Jerry is completing his Masters Degree at Piedmont College at the Athens Campus.  Jack Sedwick will assume Marc’s duties as Math Dept. Chair.

-          Cpt Scott Jones is a new TAC tentatively assigned to Company F.  Scott is an RMA graduate with a Bachelors Degree from North Georgia College and State University where he was in the Corps of Cadets.  He served in the Georgia National Guard.

-          CPT John Stumpf is a new TAC replacing Sgt Larramore who has been reassigned to other administrative duties.  Cpt Stumpf was formerly the headmaster at Trinity Classical School in Clarkesville, GA.  He is tentatively assigned to Company D.

-          Juan Christiansen, an alumnus of RMA and our most experienced assistant director of admissions has accepted a similar position in Florida recruiting soccer players for a privately managed athletic school/camp.  We hope to name a replacement for Juan in January.

-          A committee headed by Dean Jim Robison concluded that we should conduct a search for a new head football coach.  That search has commenced and I invited Coach Sheldon Ward to apply for the position.  Coach Ward served us well as the interim coach after Coach Cotter’s departure in mid-season.

-          Richard Matthews has replaced Mark Palakovich as the Director of Information Technology.  Richard has an extensive background in technology and has hit the ground running.  His presence should do much to enhance to operation of our assets and facilitate and expedite the upgrade that we are currently implementing.

Every private independent school I know is enrollment driven.  In other words, tuition revenue is the primary source of income supplemented by varying degrees of success in fundraising.  On a recent trip to Florida and Tennessee wherein I called on seven alumni, it was clear how hungry they were for information on enrollment.  We will finish December with 23 cadets ahead of the same time last year, which is encouraging.  Someone once said that, “forecasting is a dangerous occupation, especially when it is about the future.”  That is true right now as we are forecasting 35-45 new cadets in January, hoping that this forecast is more accurate than the one we did in August.

From a budget standpoint, we are having a good year, but I am concerned about the decline in inquiries we have observed since last June.  From discussions with other military academy presidents, the economy is surely affecting the number of families willing or able to commit the resources to enroll their children in our schools.

Because enrollment increases create economies of scale, our costs to educate go down, and we can accomplish so much more with fewer dollars.  Thus, continual enrollment increases are a significant success indicator.  That coupled with my competitive instincts (that are seemingly on steroids these days) are all that is needed to demand more and better data from my admissions staff.  Good data on how and where to spend marketing dollars is critical to the enrollment success of any independent school.

As reported to you previously, we have contracted with LtCol Seth Hathaway to become our Dean of Enrollment Management on June 1, 2012.  Aside from Seth’s work ethic and professionalism, he has superior technology skills and an analytical thought process that will be valuable as we manage the enrollment process in the coming years.

Last night Mary and I attended the cadet production of the Fantastiks.  It was very entertaining, and we marveled at how the cadets/players could pull it off with the limited time they had for practice, especially considering the music and dialogue they had to memorize.  The entire Corps of Cadets was present for the production, and I was pleased how they appreciate, applaud, and praise their classmates work.  Ms Leanne Kinney is Director of Theatre at Riverside, and she deserves much credit for the production and the diligence of the players.  I sat with parents (and grandparents) of the players, and their pride and happiness and that of the players themselves after the play was notable.

The Corps of Cadets behaved well during the play, but I did not appreciate the hoots and hollars during prop changes when the lights were completely out.  Of course, they immediately became silent when the lights came back on, but we had failed to explain to them that that behavior may pass at a football game but not at a play.  I spoke with them at lunch today and gave that belated instruction in a not so friendly way.

The play was the culmination of what did not begin as a day to remember.  It began with three disciplinary hearings for possession and or use of spice (synthetic marijuana) by three cadets - all with above average to excellent grades and potential for college and successful lives.  Each was remorseful and apologetic, virtually begging for another chance.  The punishment meted out was about the maximum I have at my disposal short of dismissal/expulsion.  Each received In School Suspension for one week, a suspended dismissal from the Academy, reduction in rank, restriction to campus, 15-20 hours of campus work/labor, and a weekend at Blood Mountain on a 20 plus mile forced march with the Commandant.  This is in addition to the humiliation associated with the formality of the disciplinary hearing with their parents present or on teleconference hearing the details of their transgressions.  As I have written before, we treat sanctions/punishments for serious infractions of the Academy policies as developmental, thus even the hearing itself is intimidating and memorable.  In other words, the process and sanctions are designed to change the behavior of the cadet(s).

It is with much regret that I inform you that former RMA cadet and basketball player Austin Shea passed away in his dormitory room in Tallahassee, FL on October 17.  Austin had a history of seizures, but the cause of death has yet to be determined.  His funeral will be Saturday in Sarasota, FL.  We have no further details at present.  Please keep Austin's family in your prayers.

We probably could not have written a better script.  The cadets were superb whether on parade, in concert, or on the gridiron.  The alumni were complimentary, appreciative, generous, and "entertaining."  FLIK food services performed admirably.

It is a demanding and challenging concept to combine homecoming and parents weekend while conducting business and entertaining the Board of Trustees, Board of Visitors, and Alumni Council simultaneously.  One could argue that we did a lot of things pretty well, but the magnitude of the activities made it impossible for me to participate as I would have liked.  This week we will conduct a "hot washup" to critique each event and determine what went well and what changes are needed to optimize each event/opportunity (your input is welcome).  I have received very favorable emails from parents and alumni alike, most complementing the performance, appearance, and social skills exhibited by our cadets.

Events such as these offer the opportunity to acknowledge generous donors, hear words of counsel on how we can improve our programs and meet parents and alumni in a social way while keeping the cadets as the centerpiece of the weekend.  In that regard, I think the senior dinner and homecoming dance were capstones of an enjoyable weekend for the cadets.

I am proud of the efforts of our faculty and staff and again, I am in debt to Ming South (and family) for her creativity in decorating Alumni Hall for the dance.  Because of the time allotted to the Alumni Dinner, when Mary and I arrived at the dance it was over, and the decorations were coming down.  We were disappointed that we had missed the entire event in view of the effort that went into it.  Likewise, we missed the senior ring ceremon and dinner because of the Board of Visitors meeting.

I am grateful to the many parents and alumni who took the time to come and participate.  Coach Bisso told me in our Executive Staff meeting this morning that each alumni event experienced the largest number of attendees ever, even more than the 100th anniversary of the Academy in 2007.

I differentiated between leadership and management in my book, "So You Want to Be a Leader," in a simplistic way, I wrote that managers handle things and leaders handle people or words to that effect.  Said another way, management is about the employment of resources - it's about the business metrics.  Leadership is about the people metrics.  It takes both to achieve excellence.

Our cadets are in the unique position to grow in the people metrics.  It will take college and or on the job experience to acquire the business metrics.

Somes years ago I had the opportunity to frequent the corner pubs in Australia and England.  I noticed, particularly in the bars frequented by the Aussie and English military how often and well they sang together as they "got into their cups."  We don't have that tradition in the U.S., and it is sad, because those pubs were so much fun.  Recently, while reading a simple poem by Carl Sandberg, it reminded me how music makes fun in so many countries.  The poem is entitled "Happiness" and goes like this:

- I asked professors who teach the meaning of life to tell me what is happiness.

- And I went to famous executives who boss the work of thousands of men

- They all shook their heads and gave me a smile as though I was trying to fool with them

- And then one Sunday afternoon I wandered out along the Desplaines River

- And I saw a crowd of Hungarians under the tree with their women and children, a keg of beer and an accordian.

At today's parade most ROCs (Recruits on Campus) who enrolled in mid-August will complete the ROC cycle of orientation and graduate into the Corps as true cadets.  They have endured the hardships of ROC existence and captured the necessary social, military, and procedural outcomes required to move forward in the pursuit of rank and greater responsibilities within the Corps of Cadets.

This is an impressive group.  I observe them daily but more importantly, I can tell by the morale of the faculty and TACs how they are doing in the classroom and in the barracks.  That does not mean that their grades reflect their effort to date, as it is common for their grades not to reflect their effort yet as they have so much to learn in the first 4-6 weeks that exceeds the academic dimensions.  As the year wears on, the grades normally rise accordingly.

So much has been written about the goals of education, and I have quoted several in this blog so a couple more won't hurt.  "Public education", wrote Napoleon, "should be the first object of government."  Aristotle concluded that, "All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends upon the education of youth."

Others sought to connect education with religious faith.  George Washington wrote that, "Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principles."  "Educate men without religion" said the Duke of Wellington, "and you make of them clever devils."  And finally, Edmund Burke explained that, "True religion is the foundation of society.  When that is once shaken by contempt the whole fabric cannot be stable and lasting."

I leave you with these thoughts.  I don't claim to have the answers - only a bevy of concerns.

The Federal government has set aside the first Monday in September as a legal holiday in honor of working class men and women nation-wide.  As I begin my 17th year in education, I have never been afforded the opportunity to celebrate this holiday, and my family doesn't get it.  The boarding school/college calendars that begin classes in August make it very difficult for students to travel the often significant distances so soon after return for classes, which makes it difficult to and a bit disruptive to include the break.  The early commencement of football season is another factor as there would be few fans present at the first game if classes began after Labor Day.  Although I cannot see our cadets reporting after Labor Day, we are examining the beginning dates for SOAR (summer school), Leadership Camp, and commencement of fall classes.  I am of the opinion that we are beginning all three too soon, thus, truncating the cadets summer break, interrupting family vacations, and possibly discouraging cadets from returning in the fall.  You will hear more on this in the near term as we reach a decision for next summer.  I welcome your thoughts at jbenson@riversidemilitary.com.

The following from recent readings.

Stagnant Truth - do not mistake the acquisition of mere knowledge for power.  Like food, these things must be digested and assimilated to become life or power.  Learning is not wisdom; knowledge is not necessarily vital energy.  The student who has made himself merely a receptacle for the teacher's thoughts and ideas, is not educated; he has not gained much.  He is a reservoir, not a fountain.  One retains, the other gives forth.  Unless his knowledge is converted into wisdom, into faculty, it will become stagnant like still water.  J.E. Dinger

Herein is the what - the challenge is the how!

Although we lost 21-14 last night, I could not have felt better relative to our prospects for the season and how the boys played.  They performed with great heart and executed well beyond what I expected after less than 3 weeks together.  It was a great game to watch as our defense was superb - especially in the second half.  Our opponents scored on two critical pass interceptions and a fumble.  We moved the ball almost at will accummulating approximately 350 yards (my estimation) total offense.  But what I really felt good about was what our coaching staff has achieved in only three weeks of practice.  We have to remember that many of these players never knew each other or our system 20 days ago.  You could actually feel the teamwork and bond, and I know it when I see it.

One of the true enjoyments of my work is getting to know cadet families.  A glowing observation is the love, strength, and commitment of the mothers.  I see it when they drop the boys off - especially the first time.  Then I get to see the pride and happiness when they return and watch their sons on parade or in athletic competition.  They are very observant and see the difference.  Last Monday, I spoke to the mother of a returning cadet, and I could tell that he was giving her some attitude about returning.  In an indignant way, she looked at him and said, "God gave you to me, not me to you, now get it together" or words to that effect.  I wish I could have recorded her and put her on our website.  I spoke to the same cadet in the Mess Hall Wednesday, and he asked me "if I was coming to the football game Friday as he expected to play a lot."  Last night I watched him play a superb game, spoke to his mother and noted the big smile on her face.  I also congratulated him after the game.  He is a fine young cadet and is right where he should be - because of the determination of his mother.  Someday, he will thank her for insisting he return to Riverside.

Yesterday, we began classes for the new year.  We started with 330 cadets (the same day last year yielded 322).  During the past two weeks, we lost an unprecedented number of returning and newly committed cadets.  The staff is disappointed as 330 is 50-60 under their projection one month ago.  We can only attribute the sudden change to market changes in the economy that occurred on or about August 2.

Notwithstanding the above, the Corps looks superb.  Subsequent to attendance at Senior and Junior Leadership Camp, the new cadet leaders appear confident, competent, and in charge.  They are a delight to observe in action.

Returning cadets continue to trickle in.  The Commandant wrote yesterday that two homeless-appearing boys showed up Tuesday night.  After showering and shearing - sure enough, they were ours.  The staff has spent considerable time on the phones encouraging cadets and parents to return.  In fact, there are approximately 15 whom we expect to return before September 1.

As we begin the new year, my Vision remains for Riverside to be the premier or gold standard for military college preparatory school education in America.  To realize this Vision,we can, we will, we must achieve our Mission, which remains "to prepare ethical young men of character for success in college and thereafter through the provision of a rigorous academic program, leadership skills, competitive athletics, extensive co-curricular activities, and the structure and discipline inherent in a military college preparatory school.

This morning during my "0 dark 30" devotions, I was reading the Book of Proverbs, which always delivers understanding, wisdom, and inspiration.  In Proverbs, King Soloman wrote chapter after chapter on the importance of wisdom.  The term wisdom and its definition have virtually disappeared from secondary and college textbooks.  In fact, Webster's definitions were so weak that I wrote my own.  "Wisdom is the accumulation of experiential and values-based knowledge that permits one to judge, discern, decide, and live an ethical and prosperous existence."

The absence of our traditional values has contributed to a society replete with poverty, an unpredictable economy, family demise, political mayhem, failing schools, excessive crime, and more.  So what should our schools be teaching/emphasizing to once again create leaders of substance and citizens of character to lead and perform in a free democracy?  Recently, I provided counsel to the faculty and TAC officers to emphasize the following core learning outcomes:

Accountability

Manhood

Integrity and ethical decision-making

Social skills and polish

Leadership skills

Confidence and poise (with humility - not arrogance)

Sense of purpose

Sound judgment

Moral reasoning, and

Self-control

            Other affective learning outcomes include:

Organizational skills and time management

Spiritual appreciation and development

Cultural awareness and appreciation

Communications skills (persuasiveness w/o profanity), and

Responsibility and appreciation for order, cleanliness, and the absence of litter

These whole person dimensions are easy to recite and define but difficult to teach.  I encouraged TAC officers to model these dimensions and through repetition, continue to emphasize each.  Likewise, I encouraged the faculty members to not only model them but to purposely imbed them in their syllabi in case studies, character development seminars, biographies/history, and more.

I am fond of the writings of Dr. Richard H. Hersh, a three-time college president, who has studied and written on youth development and wholistic education for many years.  According to Dr. Hersh, "Our youth are growing up in a culture of neglect characterized by broken homes and mass schooling that demands little effort, media idols who subliminally teach disrespect for authority (and society), and students often unwilling to sacrifice the slightest in the fulfillment of their material desires.  They are a fragile generation.  The culture of neglect asks little of them, but a culture of responsibility demands much and promises far greater rewards."

A culture of responsibility with its associated accountability is what we not only offer but demand at Riverside.  A culture of responsibility promises many rewards and its inherent hardships increase the intensity of academy friendships that are often lifelong.

                           "No deposit - no return"  John Naber (4 gold medals in the '76 Olympics)

Some of you have read Jim Collins' superb book entitled "Good to Great."  In the book, Jim describes the Hedgehog Concept where the great companies surface and sustain themselves through the understanding and application of three mutually supporting concepts.  Below, I list the three concepts and apply them to Riverside:

1.  What can Riverside be the best in the world at?  Answer:  Military college preparatory school education

2.  What drives Riverside's economic engine?  Answer:  Recruiting + retention = enrollment

3.  What is Riverside deeply passionate about?  Answer:  A values-based, character developing, and academically rigorous wholistic form of education that develops citizen leaders to serve selflessly in a free Republic.

Even if you read "Good to Great," you probably have not seen Jim Collins' subsequent monograph, "Good to Great and the Social Sectors."  This monograph so conforms to my philosophy relating to enrollment management and fundraising and how in time, enrollment and fundraising grow exponentially once cadet, parent, and alumni satisfaction with facilities, programs, and staffing are clearly headed in the right direction.  According to Jim Collins, "By focusing on your Hedgehog Concept (1,2, and 3 above), you build results.  Those results, in turn, attract resources and commitment, which you use to build a strong organization.  The strong organization then delivers even better results, which attracts greater resources and commitment, which builds a stronger organization, which enables even better results.  People want to feel the excitement of being involved in something that just flat works.  When they begin to see tangible results - when they can feel the flywheel beginning to build speed - that's when most people line up to throw their shoulders against the wheel and push."  More and more, I am hearing the positive feedback from parents and alumni that make me sense that they are more willing to throw their shoulders against the wheel and push.  It is the role of the Academy president, the Board of Trustees, and the office of advancement to facilitate that push.  The publication of the alumni magazine, the establishment of the Board of Visitors, and the enhanced activity of the Alumni Council are additional arrows in our quiver for success.  Instinctively, I feel that we are approaching the point of exponential growth in enrollment and fundraising that will propel us forward as we seek to take this Academy to a place it may never have been.  That place is recognition that Riverside is the American gold standard for military college preparatory school education.

The Jesuit sytem of education has long been recognized as demanding, strict, efficient, and exacting and has been known for producing graduates of strong will and personal values including character, moral reasoning, and sound judgment (three of my favorite themes).  Legendary coach, Vince Lombardi, wrote in some detail of the Jesuit philosophy of education at his alma mater, Fordham University.  The Fordham University Bulletin made it clear that intellectual development mattered less than the cultivation of character and moral reasoning.  It stated that knowledge produced "no moral efficiency."  Only religion could "purify the heart, guide and strengthen the will" (the development of a strong will cannot be found as a dimension or learning outcome for secondary or college education in today's literature).  Reverend Robert I. Gannon, the Fordham president in 1936, admonished the "single-minded pursuit of the intellectual virtues."  Conversely, Gannon demanded that Fordham make character-building the central theme of its educational program.

Most remember Vince Lombardi as the great coach of the Green Bay Packers, but few remember that he started as a teacher/coach at St. Cecilia High School.  He was hired in 1939 to teach Latin, physical education, chemistry, and physics as well as to serve as the head basketball coach and assistant football coach (only a Jesuit education could produce a teacher so diverse).  In those days, Coach Lombardi was better known for his teaching than his coaching.  He was always prepared, demanding, and exacting wrote Michael O'Brien author of "Vince."  His temper (some described it as rage) was more like verbal abuse according to some.  Nonetheless, he was praised for his demanding expectations and personal values.  There was always a degree of fear and intimidation associated with meeting Coach Lombardi's standards.  Notwithstanding his fearsome approach to teaching, he was held in awe by his students and often described by the alumni as their finest teacher.  Father Guy McPartland described him as follows - "He had the will of a perfectionist, the mind of a fundamentalist, and the heart of a father."

Even today, teachers such as Coach Lombardi exist.  One comes to mind here at Riverside - one whom I quietly admire.  In discussing teacher classroom demeanor yesterday, Dean Jim Robison reminded me that, "a teacher should not smile in the classroom until Thankgiving."  The Dean is correct (aren't they always); the teacher's demeanor sets the tone for the classroom and that demeanor lets the class know that learning is serious business, and the classroom is no place for foolish behavior, non-essential chatter, and anything less than attentive obedience.

In closing, two of my favorite related quotations:

"Body and spirit I surrendered whole to harsh instructors and received a soul."
                                                                     Kipling

We should remember that one man is much the same as another and that he is best who is trained in the toughest school.

                                                                     Thucydides

It has been a month since I last added to this Blog.  There are a number of reasons why I have not been an active blogger this summer.  One is that I have traveled a great deal calling on RMA alumni and Board members, capturing a little vacation, visiting with RMA parents, and working on a second book or a new embellished version of the first (So You Want to Be a Leader).

Summer school (SOAR) has come and gone, and we are presently preparing for the arrival of cadet athletes and Leadership Camp cadets.  As we get closer to August, I invariably hear rumors that some cadets will not be returning.  I wish the parents of these cadets would review my April 8, 2011 blog entitled Planet Female.  I sense that some parents see the improvement in their sons' behavior and grades and conclude that previous issues with grades and behavior are "fixed," and the boy can return to the previous school and will no longer succumb to the enormous pressures that led to Riverside enrollment in the first place.  How do we convince these well-meaning parents that 2-3 semesters at Riverside is insufficient to inculcate a permanent change in work habits, attitudes,  judgment, integrity, respect for others (especially adults), and moral reasoning?  After all, these whole person dimensions are subject to instruction with repetition and reinforcement on a daily basis at Riverside.

I have written often of my admiration for the educational philosophy of Josiah Bunting III (President of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundaton headquartered in New York City).  Recently, he wrote that the ages of 13-17 are the most important developmental period of education in a young life.  Yes, more important than the college years of 18-22.  Bunting reminds us of the extraordinary Americans who were raised and educated in the mid-1700s.  There was no parental obsession over SAT/ACT scores, no Blackberries, and few cared what college youth attended according to Bunting.  Yet, the era produced many ethical leaders of purpose and sound judgment.

Similarly, Bunting recently wrote of General George Marshall and General Douglas MacArthur (both born in 1880) informing the reader that this period of leaders grew up in the shadow and influence of many veterans of the Civil War.  Subsequently, during the non-war period of the 1920s and 1930s, military officers had time for solitude, thinking, and writing.  They were preparing themselves for the inevitable World War II.  Bunting concluded that these leaders were not infected with the culture of "visible busyness" observed today.

In conclusion, I remind my readers once more - what good is a so-called education without the enabling personal characteristics of honesty, practical wisdom (we don't hear that term in academic circles anymore), and moral reasoning that serve as its foundation?  Those enabling characteristics that permit one to develop and grow into a leader of substance can be discovered at RMA. 

As of yesterday, we had enrolled 123 for SOAR, a robust number for which we are enthusiastic.  In my opening remarks to them yesterday, I advised them that RMA had been developing cadets for 104 years, and development involves much more than education.  Education involves only the knowledge/intellect domain, but development includes other domains, not the least of which include personal values, social skills, leadership skills, moral reasoning, and sound judgment. Moreover, at RMA we change what our cadets think is good enough in terms of effort and achievement.

I offered my traditional warnings emphasizing that of all the rules infractions outlined in the Cadet Code Book, three were at the top of my list and would ensure dismissal bringing parent rath, grandparent disappointment, and personal humiliation.  The top three are hazing/bullying, racial/religious slurs, and sexual misbehavior.  Then I told them that although not in my top three, drug possesion/distribution would also get them "shipped" (cadet term for dismissal).

I embellished the issue of racial and religious slurs because in a diverse campus like ours, they can be so divisive.  I don't even like the term racial/religious tolerance, because they imply a tolerance to endure something unpleasant.  I favor the term racial/religious appreciation, because there is much to admire/appreciate or learn from each race or religion.

In our present indulgent, materialistic, and values neutral society, personal development may well transcend the importance of our academic endeavors (some may challenge me on that statement) that remain the central focus of most public and private schools and colleges.  Of course, knowledge acquisition was not the central focus of the Colonial colleges and academies, which were created to prepare the clergy, statesmen for government, and citizens for the new Republic.

Personal development involves so much more than the participation and outcomes related to co-curricular activities (athletics, music, chorus, clubs, and theatre).  Personal development involves the acquisition of life-changing attitudes and behavior.  What good is a so-called education without a strong foundation related to cultural appreciation, sound judgment, integrity, leadership, and moral reasoning.  These learning outcomes may emanate from the curricular and co-curricular campus programs, but they don't just happen.  They must be intentionally planned for in the curricular, co-curricular, residence life, military, and character development programs.  Additionally, these learning outcomes will occur when the cadets are immersed in planned programs such as these AND surrounded by teachers and cadre who model the personal characteristics we seek to develop.

From my earliest professional days as a high school football and baseball coach to a military commander in peace and war and on to a college and preparatory school administrator, I have understood the importance of repetition of my expectations to my players, Marines, students, and employees.  Sometimes I reduce the expected learnings to maxims or corollaries that are easy to remember.  I recall well a Sunday School teacher who required us to memorize (lots of repetition) and recite scripture, some of which I remember to this day.

Some examples or redundancy are my repeated admonitions to the Riverside cadets that hazing/bullying, racial slurs, and sexual misconduct of any kind will lead to dismissal or expulsion from the Academy.  Even with the faculty and TAC officers I feel the need to repeatedly remind them of the importance of communications with parents when cadet behavior or academic achievement takes a turn for the worse.  Similarly, most cadets can quote my second semester admonishments that,

- "There is no right way to do the wrong thing." (Borrowed from a former Marine and President of the University of Richmond)

- "Bad things happen to people who do bad things and you can count on it."

Interestingly, the May 2011 edition of the Harvard Business Review reports on research conducted by Neeley and Leonardi wherein their research team shadowed 13 managers in 6 companies for more than 250 hours.  Their findings are interesting, reinforce my thinking relative to redundancy of message, and are as follows:

- Effective managers repeat their expectations at least once and often three or four times.  The repetition was deliberate.  Some expressed their expectation verbally and then followed up with an email documenting the same message.

- Employees are pulled in different directions by so many mediums of communications that leaders must use repetition to ensure their top messages receive the appropriate priority.

- Results are more timely when the redundancy is proactive for emphasis rather than when it is reactive after observing failure of compliance.

These findings are as appropriate in education and the home as in the workplace.  I think it is important for us to use repetition for emphasis without it being viewed as a form of criticism.

Friday marks the culmination of a school year characterized by progress on many fronts.  Not only did we survive the SAIS-SACS reaccreditation, but we passed with flying colors.  We strengthened our teaching faculty and cadre of TAC officers placing RMA in stable personnel situation for the fall of 2011.  Moreover, we rewrote our manuals, SOPs, and rules and regulations to the extent that all but one will need only minor tweaks this summer.

Maybe most important, we completed Silver Taps, the graduation parade, and Commencement in such a way that I could not have been more proud.  Superb planning by LtCol Hathaway, LtCol Jarrard (yes, he has been promoted), Dr./LTC Robison, and SGM Chandler led the way.  The Corps of Cadets, led by C/LTC Hopkins and seven company commanders, was exemplary in each event.  The decorum at Silver Taps was excellent as expected.  The parade was performed with precision. Commencement was respectful without the cat calls, loud comments, and disrespectful parent/guest/graduate behavior I observe routinely at high school and college graduations.

I feel good about the progress of the academic program under the leadership of Dean Robison and am confident that the graduates are ready for the next step as they decide on a major field of study and subsequent profession.  Our Commencement speaker, Mr. Howard Kalmenson, RMA Class of '49 gave them some very direct advice and counsel relative to what awaits them.

Finally, I am confident that Riverside has changed these cadets for life.  Some came with little hope of attending college and have now been not only accepted but in receipt of scholarships.  Others had modest college aspirations and now find themselves headed for some of the finest universities in America.  They have achieved the academic outcomes while simultaneously strengthening their core personal values and leadership skills in a way that only the military model of education can do.  Not only did they grow intellectually, socially, and morally but they know and are quick to tell us so.  Their maturation and polish is so transparent that parents, teachers, and staff have every reason to celebrate.

On a more somber note, we will say goodbye to Bob Folsom, RMA College Counselor, as he enters retirement.  Sally Tadman in Admissions will depart to spend more time with her family.  Finally, LtCol Seth Hathaway has resigned effective June 10.  LtCol Hathaway has resided on campus for almost two years separated from his family in Athens, GA.  He will seek employment closer to home where he can spend more time with his wonderful family.  All are losses to the campus community, but LtCol Hathaway is a personal loss to me as he has been my right hand and go-to person on many of the toughest assignments.

I hope all had a blessed Easter Sunday.  For once, I did virtually no work this Sunday.  Of course, I feel guilt about it but feel guilt when I work on Sunday also.

Aside from, but related to scripture, two maxims exist that bear themselves out in our lives everyday.  I remind the cadets of these frequently (and did again on the Lanier Quad this morning).

The first is anonymous and simply says, "Bad things happen to people who do bad things."  In reality, my personal experience has been that, "Badder things happen to people who do bad things."  I am convinced that natural consequences in life actually exceed our bad deeds.  Thus, cheating (e.g., in  the classroom or on tax form 1040), lying or deceiving (e.g., alibis), or bearing false witness (e.g., blaming others for one's own failures), cause us more grief than we can even imagine.

The second maxim is from Dr. Bruce Heilman, WWII veteran, U.S. Marine, and former President of the University of Richmond.  Dr. Heilman wrote that, "There is no right way to do the wrong thing" (I know I have written this before, but it deserves repetition).  This maxim, I believe, relates to our deceitful ways.  Immaturity and lack of understanding manifests itself in our cadets in so many ways and is frequently observed in their alibis and testimony.  I am determined to cause them to understand that deceit is a hideous form of lying because of its intent.

On a large plaque in the middle of Rockefeller Center are these words from John D. Rockefeller's personal credo: "I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a man's word should be as good as his bond, that character not wealth or power or position is of supreme worth."

The Blog has taken a backseat to completing my taxes, business travel, and a third sales contract that fell through on our home in Tuscaloosa, AL.  The latter requiring several 4 and 1/2 hour trips to AL to return the house, pool, and acreage to near perfection to compete in this sales market.  My frustration, impatience, and annoyance over these failed sales tend to reveal my weaker side and remind me of the Shakespearean words, "I can easier teach 20 what were good to be done, than to be one of the 20 to follow my own teachings."  Mary is frustrated too but deep down our faith tells us that the Almighty has a different timeline for all things.

We have endured another spike in suspensions and dismissals that seems to mirror that of 2010.  I understand the importance of "good order and discipline" within the Corps of Cadets but wish there was another effective method than separation.  A separate campus with extreme regimentation, all work after school hours and weekends, no cell phones or television, and very simple meals might work but, of course, is cost prohibitive.  Most of the separations relate to immature decision-making and the traditional sanctions such as demerits, penalty tours, and restriction often don't seem to matter to the immature.  It reminds me of E.T. Seton's notion that, "Manhood not scholarship is the first goal of education."

Each year I approach graduation with mixed emotions.  Of course, it is gratifying to see the many awards, learn of the lucrative scholarships the cadets have earned, and see them advance on to college knowing that they are prepared and that Riverside, once more, played a significant role in their future success.

But on the other hand, it is a sad time, because I have become attached to the departing seniors even though I don't get the daily interaction with them that the faculty and TACs experience (there is little doubt that the faculty and TACs achieve the greatest fulfillment in their daily work).  It has been years since I was a high school teacher and coach in Roanoke, VA when the Viet Nam War called me to duty (I volunteered) and led me down another road that eventually ended in a second career in college/school administration.  There are times when I even consider leaving administration and returning to teaching and coaching to wrap up my working years.  I miss that form of fulfillment but realize that there is no turning back the clock, so I resign myself to improving the learning environment at Riverside, changing what others think is good enough in terms of effort and achievment, and supporting the faculty and staff as they change cadet lives for the better.

As the warmth of the spring approaches each year, the rumors begin to trickle across my desk that cadets A and B are not returning in the fall.  Of course, cadets A and B tend to be the best trumpet player on campus or the football team's leading rusher or rising middle linebacker.  The reasons I hear include drugs on campus, bullies abound, or the absence of pretty girls.  Of course, the version that parents hear is often exaggerated to the extent that the cadet envisions himself back at Planet Female next fall.  Nonetheless, there is some truth to what the cadets say.  Yes, we experience some issues with drugs (almost always relates to the synthetic type that are available in local convenience stores throughout the state), some bullying that is normally closer to harassment than bullying (but still always deserves an investigation), and Planet Female is somewhere else.

Of course, any school that disclaims the fact some drugs end up on campus and that some bullying will occur is being disingenuous or is out of touch with its students.  I prefer to admit the obvious and attack the problem with a vengeance.  I often wonder if our parents realize that if their cadets are permitted to transfer back to Planet Female in the fall there will be just as many bullies (and a lot less action taken when they are discovered), ample supplies of spice/serenity available (and a much less effective intelligence gathering apparatus than is present at RMA), a harder time making the baseball or wrestling team because of the relative size of enrollments, and no fewer pimples than presently. 

 The factors that truly bear on the decision whether to return to RMA include the truth that Planet Female does exist and that it affects cadet behavior, focus, and time management in many ways.  Moreover, other home factors complicate boys' lives, not the least of which include more frequent automobile usage, cell phone time monopoly, television (as unredeeming as it can be), the frequent homework arguments, and more.

Finally, as I reinforce my remarks to parents last Friday, I encourage our parents to remain in charge.  It is not what our cadets feel they want to do that is important.  It is what they truly need to do that is important.  And, after a reasonable dialogue, it is the parents' duty to decide what is best for the boy's growth and development. 

Last Saturday, accompanied by Mary Benson and Jeff and Bonnie Weiner, I was the guest of Governor Gonzalez in Chetumal, Mexico for his final speech/address before he completes his 6 year term as Governor of the state of Quintana Roo (actually all 4 of us were guests). The Governor is a Riverside graduate and was the Battalion Commander of the Corps of Cadets in his senior year.  He is a dashing young leader/politician who, according to many, is the odds on favorite in the Mexican presidential election after next.  He gave a dramatic, fearless, and impassioned 90 minute speech.  The Governor is a man of extraordinary charisma, strong political instincts, and without the arrogance often associated with successful politicians. 

Governor Gonzalez has a wonderful family and a strong and supportive cast of other Mexican/RMA graduates who speak of him in awe regarding what he has achieved as Governor for the past 6 years and what he will achieve in the coming years.  He and many of his Mexican RMA friends/graduates (the estimate was 15 when I left) will be at Silver Taps/Commencement in May.  Governor Gonzalez is a member of the RMA Board of Trustees. 

Also attending will be Fredy Marrufo, RMA '90, who just won election to the Quintana Roo House of Representatives.  Ruben Barahona, RMA '89 and wife, Magda, were superior hosts during the weekend activities.  Fredy and Ruben are both RMA Board of Visitor members and expect to join the Governor when he comes for Riverside Silver Taps, Commencement, and Board of Trustee meetings in May.

The advent of spring, although a happy time in most respects, can be a challenge for school heads, other administrators, and faculty.  In our case, the cadets can become restless and push back against the structure.  As we have seen, the cold winter tends to be another restraining factor, and the spring signals a mood for fun and freedom - often at the expense of academics and sound judgment.

Similar to Feb-Mar 2010, we have seen a spike in drug use (almost entirely marijuana and synthetics) mostly purchased off campus on the weekends.  And yes, the presence of drugs has caused an increase in dismissals and suspensions as one might expect.  The synthetics are more than a nuisance in all schools. Recently, we learned that 8 midshipmen were dismissed from the U.S. Naval Academy.

The alarming part is that due to the fact that the synthetics are not detectable by traditional testing means, many schools don't even know they exist.  I was surprised to learn recently at the Association of Military Schools and Colleges conference, that some presidents/superintendents were oblivious to the existence of synthetic drugs.

Unlike these schools and other public and private schools, we not only know about them, we are aggressively attacking the problem and are open about it.  As a boarding school with 24/7 security and the ever-present TACs, we quickly learn who the perpetrators are and acquire evidence to act.

Unfortunately, we sometimes have to separate promising young cadets who are simply experimenters.  Nonetheless, even then we attempt to make the sanction/punishment developmental as we pour on the humiliation so that the entire experience is memorable to the perpetrator, and the memory is anything but positive.

Of course, the acknowledgement of the existence of drugs on any campus alarms parents, especially when the prevalence is exaggerated by the students, which can exacerbate the problem.

For those associated with RMA, please know that like all schools, we do experience the presence of some form of drug use, but we are aware of it and usually know who is involved and act quickly to remove the drugs and the user.

I am glad to be back in the office as I have been on the road for most of the past 10 days.  First, I attended the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States (AMCSUS) in Alexandria, VA where presidents, superintendents, and other staff discuss the state of education in America, best practices at military college and schools in the U.S., and the challenges of our time. I returned for a day and then flew to Tampa, FL for a delightful mixer/reception with RMA alumni.

The Honorable Scott Pearson, U.S. Department of Education spoke to us on concerns in American public education.  At the end of his remarks, I sensed that Charter schools and vouchers were promising means to provide school choice.  As I wrote you previously, the documentary film, "Waiting for Superman" exposed the inequality in educational opportunity and the disadvantage experienced by those attending failing schools. America is in dire need of education reform, and military boarding schools are part and parcel to that reform. The availability of vouchers would create greater opportunity for even more to attend.

Recently, an RMA alumnus (Mr. John R. Wood '47) sent me me an inspirational and timeless book written in 1902 by John Allen, an Englishman.  It is entitled, "As a Man Thinketh."  The thesis is that life's circumstances become what we think and dwell on, so that we are literally what we think. 

I quote, "A noble and God-like character is not a thing of favour or chance, but is the natural result of continual effort in right-thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with God-like thoughts.  An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the continued harbouring of grovelling thoughts."  In other words, by our very thinking we forge the tools by which we are destroyed or we build mansions of our peace early and therafter.

Thus, man is the master of his thoughts; the molder of his character; and the creator of his condition, environment, and destiny.  Man must cleanse his mind of debased, impure, lustful, greedy, and deceitful thinking, and his life's condition will adapt as he enters the door of the temple of knowledge.

There is much more, and I commend the book to all.

Last Tuesday, RMA completed its 5 year reaccreditation visit from SAIS/SACS representatives.  After 2 days and 2 nights of document review and staff, faculty, cadet, and BOT/BOV interviews the team made positive comments about the quality of the programs, facilities, and attitudes observed on campus.  To quote Alec Fraser, Chairman of the RMA Board of Trustees, "the (RMA) team did a super job in presenting RMA over the past few days.  They were well prepared and wowed the accrediting team.  Comments by the SAIS team during the final departure brief used comments like 'extraordinary'- the right focus at the right time; highly impressed with the leadership; I would recommend this school to anyone; most committed, dedicated faculty and staff I have ever seen; boys and parents need schools like this."

Likewise, I was also very impressed with the faculty and staff, and I was not surprised at the comments emanating from the visiting team.  The work of this faculty and staff confirm what I have believed for a long time.  "One doesn't achieve real success by giving the boss what he (or she) thinks he wants but by concentration, focus, and effort changes what he thinks he wants by giving him something better.  Thus, one changes what the boss thinks is good enough in terms of effort and achievement while earning his respect and affirmation."  This is precisely what the faculty and staff do daily at Riverside.

Having just returned from an alumni trip to south Florida late yesterday, I am ready for a Sunday afternoon of engaging numerous families of potential cadets.  We have 104 registered for Open House today.  If most come as promised, it will be the largest Open House for which I have participated in my almost 17 years of recruiting students. 

I shall remind them that there are more doors to open in a lifetime than any one person can possibly walk through.  Nonetheless, we should seize every opportunity to open a new door.  The most intimidating door I ever opened was when I quit my teaching/coaching job in a large high school in my hometown in Virginia and at 25 years of age joined the U.S. Marines knowing that 9 months later I would be in Viet Nam.  Notwithstanding the hardships in my 26 years as a Marine officer, nothing could compare to the experience, personal growth, and life's meaning that I acquired in those years.  In some ways it was like these boys who will visit today and be intimidated by the structured environment that they will observe.  The consideration that there are no girls, virtually no video games, no wide screen TV in their bedrooms, early to bed and early to rise, restricted cell phone use, uniforms and much marching, and limited auto need/use is a dramatic change from the norm for a boy today.  They will not be able to comprehend how they will grow in self-esteem, self-confidence, social skills, leadership ability, and intellect. But it reminds me of Montaigne when he wrote, "Virtue will have naught to do with ease; it seeks the rough and thorny path."

Later today, the SAIS/SACS reaccreditation team will arrive to examine our work and advise on how we can be even better.  We will host the team (5 members) for dinner and work with them through Tuesday.  It is interesting that the head of the team is Colonel Myron Harrington, USMC (Ret), a longtime private school Headmaster in South Carolina.  I did not know Col Harrington personally but had heard of him during my service.  He was a Navy Cross winner and legitimate hero in Viet Nam.

Last week Mary and I checked out the documentary film entitled, "Waiting for Superman" from Red Box at Kroger (Blockbuster had not received the film yet).  If you haven't read about the film - Superman is the fictitious character who all await to save the public schools.  It is a compelling story of children in urban areas attending failing public schools with high drop out rates, low graduation rates, and an education that rarely leads to college.  The film follows five or so families who qualified for the lottery to compete for a boarding Charter school seat.  The chances for selection in the lottery are slim, but it is ostensibly the only hope for these children.  The film portrays each as the names are called of those who were successful in the lottery.  The public schools in this film are a dramatic contrast to the opportunity that Riverside cadets experience.  Our cadets need to see the film to help them realize the opportunity they have at RMA, and we will work to schedule the film here on campus for the Corps of Cadets.  I hope parents and alumni will view it also. 

Dr. Richard H. Hersh, former president of Hobart and William Smith College and Trinity College has written extensively on the nature of today's students and what is delivered at American colleges and universities.  He describes the present generation as fragile.  He claims that this generation is growing up in a culture of neglect that asks little of them.  Many come from a culture of broken homes, mass schooling (Waiting for Superman), media idols subliminally teaching disrespect for authority, and students unwilling to sacrifice the slightest in the fulfillment of their material desires.  At Riverside, we offer a culture of responsibility that demands so much more but offers rewards that far exceed the demands.  This is a personalized form of education that is human-intensive with expenses that exceed those of public schools per capita.  Thus, we must be pro-active fundraisers who can clearly and with conviction explain our needs in order to raise the dollars necessary to deliver what we promise.

Recently, I had a parent ask me "for what audience did I 'really' intend to inform when I wrote my book, "So You Want to Be a Leader -- Advice and Counsel for Young Leaders?"  I assumed the parent had correctly concluded that it may not have been truly written for young leaders, so I went on the explain that I was three-fourths finished with the book when I decided to redirect it to young leaders - probably unsuccessfully.  Anecdotally, virtually all of my readers (at least those who comment, email, or write me) are established professionals.  It seems that most of the cadets at Marion Military Institute and Riverside Military Academy who have read it did so at the encouragement of the parents.  I wish I would have been quicker on my feet when the parent asked me the question, so that I would have answered something like, "it was written for practitioners of change - those who take forlorn organizations and make them vibrant again and those who create new organizations destined for success."  That would have been a more scholarly response.

In 1995, right after I returned from the Haiti operation (I was still on active duty), I was asked by the President of Bridgewater College to return to campus (my alma mater) and serve on a search committee to select a new football coach (I had been a quarterback there a few years past).  The first candidate we interviewed was Jay Paterno, son of the great football coach at Penn State University (another of my alma maters), Joe Paterno.  After the interview, I told Jay how much I respected his father because of the type of program he ran at PSU.  Jay responded, "Yeh, but you didn't have to live with him."  All I could think of was, "Is that what my kids say about me?"  I don't think for a minute that Jay was being disrespectful to his father, simply that his father was demanding.  Now that I am a little wiser, I think that is probably what mine would have said, and it wouldn't have been meant in a disrespectful way.

I didn't see the cadets until lunch today when I attended the Mess II Pass in Review (the Commandant served as Reviewing Officer).  He called out the names of cadets needing haircuts (parade at 1030 tomorrow), and I noted a few from Company E snickering (a cardinal sin) after they passed him.  I told the Commandant that Company E thought he was funny.  He said, "I will give them some extra 'love' when I see them."

I was to have lunch with the cadet commanders (battalion and company) afterward, so I went through the mess line, got my chow, and took it to the Heritage Center where we were to dine, and then I was going to advise them of the shortcomings.  It was about 15 minutes before I realized they were not coming!  As I was contemplating how many weekends of restriction it would take to restore their memory skills, the Commandant hustled in with a plethoria of apologies, because he had forgotten to tell them.  I calmly told the Commandant that, "the commanders should have been more perceptive, and it was their fault for not being present."  After all, we could not allow the cadet commanders to believe the Commandant ever made a mistake.

I receive frequent feedback from cadets, parents, administrators, and other teachers about the quality of our faculty.  Admittedly, I am very pleased with our Riverside faculty.  As a former headmaster once wrote, "we need faculty members with smarts and hearts."  I would add that we also need faculty members with an active and colorful personality. 

Barracks duty (some headmasters call it dorm parenting) and weekend chaparone duty are part and parcel to the life of a teacher at a private boarding school.  I must remind myself that it can be an onerous collateral duty that public schools rarely require.  I hope that the small classes, appreciative parents and administrators, and the superior working environment help offset the requirement for evening and weekend duties away from family.

Since arriving at Riverside Military Academy on June 1, 2009, my implaccable vision has been to advance the Academy to a magnanimous position comparable to that of its greatest days.  Knowing the great history of RMA with its Hollywood, FL campus populated with names like Beaver, McGinnis, May, Wilson, and more makes this a tall order.

Military schools do not produce boys of enormous talent or genius, they simply happen along and mostly excel with or without us (teachers, TACs, and administrators).  However, academies like ours routinely admit under-achievers with average or better aptitude and successfully prepare them for the rigors of college.  Combined with the leadership skills, character development, and the understanding of accountability instilled, they are prepared for positions of authority post college.  These human changes may well be this academies' glory and represent my vision mentioned above.

Likewise, military schools, because they possess the willingness and power of consequences, can absorb and advance a number of malcontents (not criminal), but the level and permissible period of dissent is finite.  The sins and indiscretions of my own youth contain an incandescence such that the only atonement, other than divine offered, may be that I use the modest wisdom learned from my own misdeeds to vicariously help these cadets follow another more informed path.

The legendary General Leigh Gignilliat, Superintendent of Culver Military Academy in the early 1900s wrote a book entitled "Arms and the Boy" (published in 1913).  Some of the General's words are timeless and incredibly appropriate even today.

"Military training... may awake some dormant faculty that the boy was not fully concious of, and it does quicken the sluggish and lazy."

"If he becomes a cadet officer, he must learn that merely to command is insufficient, he must serve the best interest of those under him; must make some personal sacrifices of time and pleasure in order to do so."

"There are over-indulgent parents and spoiled children in every generation, but there are also in this generation many thoughtful and earnest parents who find themselves, in the face of modern conditions, powerless to train and safeguard their children as they would during that period of greatest danger, from 14 to 20."

"Quite apart from the boy of bad character, however, is the average American boy who is notably lacking in respect for authority; and the son of the wealthy and well-to-do for whom life has been too easy; and the only boy (in the family) of whom there are many, and around whom the home circle has revolved until he has become selfish and self-centered.  There is to be considered also the fact that a time comes in the life of every normal boy when he chafes under home discipline and when others can deal with him more effectively than his parents."

If any are interested in purchasing the book, I suspect that it may be out of print.  However, I am sure that it can be ordered from the bookstore at Culver Military Academy.  Moreover, I would be glad to lend my copy.

Although I have little personally to add to the Blogg today, I will share some savvy thoughts from my recent readings.

James A. Garfield wrote that, "a log with a student on one end and Mark Hopkins, his old teacher, on the other end was his ideal college."  I think Garfield's point was that there is no substitute for the interface between a student, a great teacher, and an superbly prepared lesson.

"Manhood, not scholarship, is the first aim of education."  Earnest T. Seton, a founding pioneer of the Boy Scouts

Certainly, manhood is an unstated goal of all-male academies such as Riverside.  I have not observed a school where the achievement of this goal is bettered engineered than at Riverside.

With admissions staff (Juan Christiansen), advancement staff (Amanda Griffin), a former teacher/coach and present trustee (Dick Nichols), and my spouse (Mary), we visited alumni from the Dominican Republic from February 4-6, 2011.  On Saturday, we hosted a reception for 30 or more alumni, many with spouses, and enjoyed hearing their stories of Col Beaver, Col May, and various TAC officers and teachers who had influenced the lives of many Dominican cadets.  If they were all busted in rank as often as they claimed, I wondered if there were any ranked cadets left to run the Corps of Cadets.

The hospitality and assistance provided by Senor Victor Miguel Pacheco '01 and his grandfather, Senor Victor Mendez were remarkable.  They hosted two extraordinary dinners that will be memorable occasions for a long time.  Moreover, we reestablished an enrollment partnership that will restore the attendence of Dominican students that the Academy had enjoyed in years past.  It is estimated that this partnership will produce 7-8 Dominican cadets per year.  During the visit, and with the help of Victor Pacheco, we estimate that we will enroll a minimum of 3 for summer school and 2-3 for fall.

In talking to a former Dominican cadet, he made a statement that was reminiscent of my thinking during my first few weeks of U.S.M.C. officer Candidate School - "What have I gotten myself into?"  He went on to say that, "it probably took some months to realize that it was probably the best decision I ever made."  I suspect that this is similar to the sensing that many cadets have experienced at Riverside.  It certainly describes my growth as a Marine officer.  Where else would I have learned to live with only the basics in life, experience indescribable fatigue, endure hardship that I could only have imagined beforehand, and learned the hard lessons of perseverance and accountability.

As mentioned previously, my educational philosophy draws heavily on the writings of Josiah Bunting III, former Superintendent of Virginia Military Institute, President of Hampden-Sydney College and Briarcliff College, and Headmaster of Lawrenceville School.

Bunting reminds us that, our youth (many of them) emanate from a culture that mistrusts reason.  They are simply driven to parties, malls, and socials of every kind where the "I wants" are immediately gratified.  Bunting opts for an ethos of responsibility rather than privilege, duty rather than impulse, and need rather than want.

I sense that many of our youth have no concept of "want," and the fulfillment of their wants is frequently satisfied without any unusual effort on their behalf.  Moreover, when they are required to achieve some goal, it often takes a bribe to satisfy a want rather than to do or achieve because it is the right thing to do.  Admittedly, we have been guilty of the above in our own family.

Josiah Bunting would counsel that, we, as parents and educators, should furnish and decorate their minds with goals for the good of others and not themselves because there are so many who also have wants but little hope of ever having them realized.

John Ruskin said it best:

"Education does not mean teaching people what they do not know.  It means teaching them to behave as they do not behave.  It is not teaching the youth the shapes of letters and the tricks of numbers, and then leaving them to turn their arithmetic to roguery, and their literature to lust.  It means, on the contrary, training them into the perfect exercise and kingly continence of their bodies and souls.  It is a painful, continual and difficult work to be done by kindness, by watching, by warning, by precept, and by praise, but above all - by example."

Yesterday, most of the executive staff met with the SAIS/SACS Reaccreditation Steering Committee to review the draft self-study.  The Gainesville community, the Board of Trustees, the Board of Visitors, and members of the faculty and staff make up the Steering Committee.  All had read the draft self-study, and the discussion was helpful and led to some modifications to the language in the text.

On a bit of a tangent, I explained that over time, I have become less concerned with what we teach and more concerned about what the cadets remember/retain.  Why should we permit the length of a textbook to drive what we teach in a semester.  I often contemplate whether in some cases the emphasis may be on how much we cover rather than how well we cover the subject matter and how well it is retained.  I know that we learn best when repetition, review, and relearning are part of the process, and often there is insufficient time for adequate review except during the estimated one day of exam preparation.  What if we allotted the last 3 weeks of each semester wherein we reviewed the entire semester's work in each subject and "relearned it" to enhance retention of the material?  Maybe there would be weekly examinations of the relearned material, which would also offer cadets an opportunity improve their grade point averages (GPAs).  Of course, this would be excellent preparation for the final exam, which could add even more points to the final GPA in view of the 3 weeks of review just completed.

Of course, the downside is that less material would be covered and the over-achievers might feel as if they were held back.  I am sure that GPAs would rise, but am curious as to the affect such a process would have on standardized test scores (SAT and ACT).

On Thursday, we sent the completed version of the Reacreditation Alternative Self-Study to the RMA Reaccreditation Steering Committee for review.  On Monday, we meet with the Committee membership to hear their comments and recommendations.  Once we receive and implement any edits the Committee offers, the study will go to the Board of Trustees for review and approval at the February 14 Board meeting.  The title of the study is, "The Definition and Integration of the Military Model of Middle and Secondary School Education to Achieve the Wholistic Development of Riverside Military Academy Cadets."

Many have worked hard to finish this work but without the diligence of LtCol Hathaway (he refers to himself as anal retentive , but I refer to him as efficient, effective, analytical, and exacting - the requisite qualities of a superior executive officer), and Nelda Browning who does all that we ask and more.

The SAIS/SACS "inspection team" arrives on Feb 27 and departs on Mar 1.  I am pleased with where we are in preparation for the team's visit.

Yesterday, we entertained distinguished guests from Hispanic CREO (a foundation that provides financial aid to Hispanic youth to attend private schools), Representative David Casas, (author of HB1133, the GA Tax Credit Bill), others associated with the school choice movement, and most importantly, many of our ROC and cadet parents.

Unfortunately, I missed the ROC (acronym for Recruit on Campus, yet to become a cadet) parent reception as I attended a luncheon with the Hispanic CREO executives and others in the Georgia school choice and financial aid business (e.g., Eric Pankey, president of one of the SSOs for the GA Tax Credit).  Nonetheless, I did get to visit with some parents before and after the parade.  I was pleased that three RMA Board of Trustee members were present (Margaret Blackstock, Greg Fisher, and Jody Lail) and interacted with our guests.

The cadets performed admirably, and I was very proud of them.  I was particularly pleased with the playing of the Band as I was pretty hard on them at parade practice on Wednesday.

The scope and character of military schools can vary dramatically, although all that I know use some level of military structure to develop self-discipline, leadership skills, organizational skills, and time management.  Moreover, these schools purport to develop character and other whole person dimensions.  I believe there are many fine military academies in America.

Nonetheless, it puzzles me why some well-known military academies (as opposed to colleges) have parted ways with their Junior Reserve Officers Training Programs (JROTC).  It only takes a quick perusal of the JROTC program of instruction to see how these experienced, professional, retired military officers and non-commissioned officers contribute not only to the development of the character of our cadets but to the other qualities that make them able citizens prepared to live and serve in a free republic.

Military schooling is not a new thing.  The ancient Greeks required at least two years of military schooling for all boys.  The Greeks believed that aside from the militaristic purposes of military schooling, this form of education caused the development of a disciplined will; endurance, strength and fitness; and the moral qualities of loyalty, devotion to duty, and self-sacrifice; all qualities expected of able citizens as well as able warriors.

In America, Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, Superintendent at West Point from 1817-1833, was responsible for blending the military, intellectual, and moral training that has proven to be the gold standard for civil as well as military preparation.  Subsequently, the first private military college in America was founded in 1820 as The American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy.  It is presently known as Norwich University located in Vermont and continues to produce the finest citizen soldiers and leaders.

As noted earlier and in present day military education, the scope, tone, and character of military preparatory schools varies dramatically from school to school.  All wear uniforms, seek order and cleanliness in barracks life, and do some degree of marching/close order drill.  At Riverside, we purport to be the more exacting form of the military model of middle and secondary school education.  This applies to classroom behavior, emphasis on close order drill requiring precision movements with rifles, and a demanding daily schedule that leaves virtually no time for non-productive activity (except on Saturday afternoon and Sunday).  Character development, a strong emphasis on leadership training, and a heavily weighted dose of accountability populate the menu of cadet life.

For the many cadets who persevere, they graduate indoctrinated (not a popular descriptor in educational jargon today) with the personal values, social skills, erect carriage, confidence, knowledge, self-discipline, responsiveness, and accountability so hard to detect in many of the graduates of secondary schools without the daily military regimen and barracks life.

No doubt that Riverside cadets receive the full measure of academic preparation while acquiring admirable personal habits, social skills, and leadership training.  Admittedly, when they leave for college, a departure from the military way can occur, but most graduates are quick to point out that many of the habits and techniques acquired at Riverside are life skills, life changing, and memorable.

Yesterday was not a good day in my mind's eye.  As we approach the dates of our reaccreditation visit from SAIS/SACS and the completion of our self-study, the pressures on the staff continue to mount.  Simultaneously, a portion of the cadet population has decided to test our willingness to hold the line on the maintenance of good order and discipline of the Corps of Cadets causing a disturbing number of suspensions and dismissals.  With 368 cadets, teachers and TACs can get behind in their necessary communications with parents.  When that happens and a cadet is involved in a rules infraction that warrants suspension/dismissal, it is embarrassing when we have not given the parents a warning beforehand that we have observed a deterioration in behavior and/or attitude.  The Dean and Commandant have reemphasized the importance of timely communications to parents and TACs.  I am confident that we will do better - we can, we will, we must.

Friday's ROC graduation parade (1330) is important in many ways.  To complicate matters, the weather is affecting our ability to get the Corps ready and many ROC parents and other dignitaries are expected to be in attendance.  Thus, we want the cadets to look and perform at their best.  Incidentally, this ROC class of 49 new cadets has won the respect of teachers and staff alike.  This ROC cycle may have been the most demanding the Commandant and his staff have administered to date.  Anecdotally, we are convinced that a strong ROC cycle portends a better cadet experience and persistence.

Notwithstanding his workload, the Commandant took 22 cadets, in need of attitude adjustment, up and down the trails of Blood Mountain for 36 hours last weekend (this opportunity is known as Eagle Challenge).  The trip entailed a demanding foot march and training in weather appreciation.  Major Jarrard is a workhorse (he consumes enough caffeine in a day to make coffee nervous) who chooses to lead Eagle Challenge on his own time, because he genuinely cares about the cadets' development.  Eagle Challenge may be viewed as punishment by the cadets, but to us it is developmental - and memorable for them.

Yesterday, functioning on little more than 2 hours sleep, I was anything but on top of my game.  When those times occur, I usually reboot my enthusiasm by going home and rereading some of the inspirational works that lead me to love my work.  From Josiah Bunting's (former Superintendent of Virginia Military Institute) An Education for Our Time:

"Working to influence character for good will be a constant and principal obligation of the College (School).  It will be work no doubt criticized.  It will be terribly out of joint with contemporary ideas about "the purpose of education."  Yet this effort to train and influence character is more important than anything we do to educate students' intellects.  Not less important, not equally important, more important.  An ordinary citizen of sound mind and sterling character is infinitely better - as a product of our College (School), as a future leader - than a brilliant and cultivated intellectual of "flexible character."

In that regard, how do we train our cadets in the virtues Pericles imputed to the Athenians?:

1. Unself-concious moral courage

2. Self-forgetfulness and self-mastery

3. Indifference to material success and to "things"

4. Fierce patriotism

5. Willingness to assume respnsibility without calculation of risk or reward

6. Intellectual self-reliance, independence of judgment

7. Retention of a life-long sense of wonder

8. Magnanimity (honor), liberality, generosity

9. Physical hardihood and resistance to fatigue

With that as a backdrop, I interrupted the cadets' breakfast this morning and in a "school circle" gave them an old-fashioned Marine Corps-type call to task (they would probably call it something else).

It is a maxim in the military services that "we cannot take character development for granted", so why should it be any different at military academies.  At RMA, we will not take it for granted.  We will develop it to the best of our ability.

I have commented on occasion at alumni events that RMA's greatest need is dollars to fund scholarships.  It is true that this economy has placed significant pressure on private, independent schools to subsidize families enabling children to acquire a safe and challenging private school education.  This is especially true at military academies where room and board is an additional expense.  When we receive donations from alumni who give back so that others can experience a Riverside education, I am especially gratified and note it in my thank you letter.

Notwithstanding the above, day by day our administrative and academic technology capability continues to deteriorate.  We have very dated software (e.g., 2003 windows application), inadequate functional barracks room computers for current enrollment, and insufficient library computers due to breakdowns from age and use.

It takes RMA 23 servers to do what 3 modern servers could do.  Presently, we are purchasing 5 used desk top computers to replace some of the library computers that are no longer repairable.  We will be purchasing rebuilt computers with short life spans for the forseeable future.

Three Board of Trustee members and two parents are attempting to help us as we seek to modernize our hardware and software.  One parent (Carl Stecker) recently donated $50,000 as a matching gift in hopes parents, alumni, and academy friends would contribute a like amount to move the Academy forward in the resolution of this shortcoming.  Thus, I see the need to elevate the issue right up there with funding for scholarships.  Your contributions in helping match Mr. Stecker's gift would be greatly appreciated.

Employees (cadets) cannot be left to speculate as to the values of the organization (unit).  (Cadet) leadership must give forth clear and explicit signals, lest any confusion or uncertainty exist over what is and is not permissable conduct.  To do otherwise, allows informal and potentially subversive "codes of conduct" to be transmitted with a wink and a nod and encourages an inferior ethical system based on "going along to get along" or the notion that "everybody's doing it."                                      Richard Thornburgh, Governor of PA, 1978-1986

Governor Thornburgh's guidance is applicable to every RMA squad, platoon, company, and the battalion.  Each cadet leader is responsible for eliminating confusion and uncertainty in his unit relative to what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior.  And just as important, each leader must exemplify the behavior that he expects of others.

I remind you once more, that to be respected, one must be respectable.  To be respectable, one must live honorably.

The CEO of a multi-billion dollar book publishing company posted his leadership credo as "business is conflict."  He went on to explain by saying that, "you don't get excellence by saying yes.  You may get love but not excellence." 

His thesis was that leaders and managers achieve excellence by saying no - no to performance that isn't to the expected standard - no, we will not pay that much for technology upgrades without justification - no, we will not buy that widget until the staff has proven that it is imperative that we own it and - no, we will not hire the additional staff person until we are sure that this person will make a justifiable difference in our product or service.

Yes, is always the easy answer because it makes folks happy, but that love is short-lived.  Staff must know beyond a doubt that yes is hard to achieve without well thought out justification and documentation.  Otherwise, the organization quietly slips towards mediocrity.

"The moral education of our children is the first priority of a nation.  We're not just talking about learning subjects here, about history or calculus - whatever.  In the education of our children we're involved in nothing less than the architecture of souls."                                        William Bennett, 1994

I sense that many of our schools are so focused on cognitive development (SATs, ACTs, No Child Left Behind, etc.) that they have ceased to understand that education has another purpose - to change behavior.  Ample research exists that parents seek schools that produce graduates who are admitted to our best colleges/universities and thus, compete well for first jobs.  Of course, aspirations such as these serve a useful purpose.  Notwithstanding that and as noted in an earlier blog, we (schools) can do more. 

Does it really matter if our students have memorized the poetry of Browning and Kipling and read Kant and Rousseau if he/she is deceitful in action and word?  I illustrate from Hamlet, "This above all:  to thine own self be true,/And it must follow, as the night the day,/Thou canst not then be false to any man."  Shakespeare, 1600

Vesta M. Kelly wrote that, "Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together."  We have strong evidence of that in northeast Georgia where schools have been closed since Monday.  Since most of our cadets reside on campus, we were able to complete first semester exams.  Even though most teachers could not get in, Dean Robison's initiative enabled us to administer exams by subject matter in the Mess Hall with limited staffing.

The Mess Hall managed to feed 375 cadets with available rations with some food service staff sleeping on campus.  The Mess Hall has now been replenished and food service is approaching the norm.  The nurses were able to maintain 24/7 staffing, which was commendable.  Ray Majors drove around and picked up our laundry staff ensuring that the cadets had clean clothes.  Security maintained 24/7 coverage throughout (Officer Robert Strong assumed the day shift each day at 0530 - I am not sure how he got in except through determination and dedication.).

Larry Robinson and a limited maintenance crew kept the campus running to include snow removal permitting movement throughout the campus.  The Commandant took the ROCs on a force march Monday, snow and all.  His only comment was that, "it will be memorable."

Needless to say, I am pleased with the way the staff stepped up to ensure the cadets' time was not wasted and was memorable to quote Major Jarrard.

With approximately 50 new ROCs and the stand up Company G, many of you are being promoted and accepting leadership responsibilities like you have never experienced before.  I remember well reporting in to Company I, 3rd Bn, 1st Marines, Republic of Viet Nam in 1969 as a new platoon commander.  I was outfitted in new jungle boots, issed an M-16 and a .45 caliber pistol, introduced to my platoon sergeant, and given a verbal order by the company commander to move 15 clicks (kilometers), set up a platoon patrol base, and conduct search and destroy patrols and ambushes.  I remember thinking, "Is that all?"

In his excellent book entitled "Platoon Leader", J.M. McDonough described taking command of his platoon farther south at about the same time.  He wrote, "The first few moments would be crucial.  Obviously, I was the object of interest that morning.  Everyone was wondering what the new Lieutenant would be like, and I would be telling them with my first words, my gestures, my demeanor, my eyes.  I would have no grace period in which to learn my way around.  As I surveyed the soldiers, the nearby village, the distant rice paddies, the heavy undergrowth, the varied terrain, my mind raced back over the years of tactical training I had received.  Conscious of the stares of the men, I hoped to appear composed as I fought back the panic of having to decide, both quickly and correctly."

This analogy is more dramatic than what you are experiencing, but I am sure that you have doubts about your readiness to take charge of your squad, platoon, or company just like we did.  Yes, you do need to appear confident, composed, and ready for the task, but just like we did in Viet Nam, you can seek guidance from your senior NCOs/officers or TAC.  Your mistakes are expected, and the truth is that no one has mastered the complex art of leading effectively day after day.

Someone once wrote that, "A diamond is a chunk of coal that made good under pressure."  Not that our cadets are chunks of coal, but they do make good under RMA faculty and TAC pressure.

In rereading former Marine, Governor Zell Miller's book, "Corps Values," he wrote of an old Marine Corps maxim that fits at Riverside as well - "Equal opportunity for all; special privilege for none."

As I compile notes for my next book, I will share some very rough excerpts:

"Successful leaders are often characterized by:

- Being frustrated at things others don't even observe,

- A mere tolerance for vacations,

- A life of arduous hours,

- A preference for perfection but a learned willingness to settle for excellence,

- A full measure of impatience,

- A healthy instinct for pessimism that permits them to avoid surprises,

- Being hard to satisfy and feeling frustrated that others do not always do things to the expected standard and with the same urgency as self."

On this cold and windy Saturday, I took the 45 new Recruits on Campus (ROCs) on a 70 minute force march (unlike a hike, a force march and run is up and down the hills and through the woods of our 206 acre campus).  The trails, rough and gullied with steep hills, were a challenge for many.  However, aside from two lightly sprained ankles, foot blisters from newly acquired boots, and some abrasions from a fall, all returned tired, spirited, and relieved as they had no idea what to expect.  Although we had 15 or so stragglers, cadet leaders and TACs pushed them and made them catch up at several short recovery intervals.  Activities such as these develop esprit de corps, self-discipline, confidence, and fitness and are mostly unlike anything the ROCs have ever done before.  They are scheduled for another force march on Monday with the Commandant.

Today Mary and I had lunch with parents of an RMA senior who was just admitted to the college of his choice.  This is a delightful family that has experienced considerable success in life that is committed to the Riverside military, college preparatory form of education.  I was struck by the relevance of something the father said when explaining how he took on another challenge; "You can always do more."  I will use the quote in a future speech as it reminds me of a story General Mark Clark told years ago.  It was the story of John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church.  He was a dimunitive soul, 5' 4" tall.  Each morning he arose at 4:00 a.m. and often delivered his first sermon at 5:00.  At times he traveled 60-70 miles a day by horseback preaching to all who would listen.  At night he wrote sermons, hymns, and books by candlelight.  I am sure that John Wesley believed that he "could always do more."

From a recent speech I made in Gainesville and will be included in my next book:

1.  It has been said that leaders do not suffer fools.  I suggest that one can suffer fools longer than one can suffer disloyalty or dishonesty.

2.  Employee (cadet) morale is the oxygen of the organization - plan for it.

3.  Establish high standards or expectations for the work force (cadets).  They will work better at full stretch.  Remember the Wilson Pickett tune -"99 and 1/2 won't do, got to have 100?"

4.  Do not debate the importance of form versus substance - you have to have both.  Part of being good is looking good - that applies to your person, grounds, and facilities.

5.  Title to learning - Give 10% of your time to professional development, whether it is professional education, individual study, or just plain reading.

6.  There is a difference between being in control and controlling.  Know the difference and refrain from the latter.

7.  When in doubt, trust your instincts, decide and don't look back.

8.  You must possess self-awareness; display your strengths and hide your weaknesses, as you work diligently to eliminate them.

9.  Associate with others who possess strong character and personal values; bring no one into your confidence who does not possess both. 

10.  Remember when you are in charge, you are accountable; thus, knowledge, supervision, and oversight are preludes to success.  A great Army General once told me, "In God I Trust -everything else I check."

 I am not enamored with the idea of a Blog, but others have influenced me that it is a good means to communicate with parents, alumni, and cadets.  Admittedly, there are times when I observe the cadets and think how good it would be to share the observation with parents and alumni.

At a recent meeting of the Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), a president emphasized Blogs as a means for parents and alumni to better know the president/superintendent/head of the school.  As I considered the thought, I concluded that parents and alumni would better understand my philosphy of life, education, and success by reading my book, "So You Want to Be a Leader."  But realizing most aren't going to buy a book to know the school head, I decided to experiment with the Blog.

I make no promises except surely I will not add to it on a daily basis any more than parents, alumni, and cadets are going to read it on a daily basis.  Some days I may simply share a quote that strikes me as relevant to our mutual situation and interests.  On other days, I may bore you with educational philosophy.  Whatever the subject, your feedback is always welcome.

Dr. James H. Benson, COL, USMC (Ret)