Page:The history and achievements of the Fort Sheridan officers' training camps.djvu/390

 388 T HE FORT SHERIDAN ASSOCIATION

There is another kind of fairness — that which will prevent an officer from abusing the privileges of his rank. When you exact respect from soldiers, be sure you treat them with equal respect. Build up their man- hood and self-respect. Don't try to pull it down. For an officer to be overbearing and insulting in the treatment of enlisted men is the act of a coward. He ties the man to a tree with the ropes of discipline and then strikes him in the face, knowing full well that the man cannot strike back. Consideration, courtesy and respect from officers tow^ard enlisted men are not incompatible with discipline; they are part of our discipline.

Without initiative and decision no man can expect to lead. In ma- neuvers, you will frequently see, when an emergency arises, certain men calmly give instant orders, which later, on analysis, prove to be, if not exactly the right thing, very nearly the right thing to have done. You will see other men in emergency, become badly rattled; their brains refuse to work, or they give a hasty order, revoke it, give another, revoke that; in short, show every indication of being in a blue funk. Regarding the first man you may say: "That man is a genius. He hasn't had time to reason this thing out. He acts intuitively.' Forget it. Genius is merely the capacity for taking infinite pains. The man who was ready is the man who has prepared himself. He has studied beforehand the possible situa- tions that might arise; he has made tentative plans covering such situa- tions. When he is confronted by the emergency, he is ready to meet it. He must have sufficient mental alertness to appreciate the problem that confronts him and the power of quick reasoning to determine what changes are necessary in his already formulated plan. He must have also the decision to order the execution and stick to his order. Any reason- able order in an emergency is better than no order. The situation is there. Meet it. It is better to do something and do the w^rong thing than to hesitate, hunt around for the right thing to do and wind up by doing nothing at all. And having decided on a line of action, stick to it. Don't vacillate. Men have no confidence in an officer who doesn't know^ his ow^n mind. Occasionally you w^ill be called upon to meet a situation w^hich no reasonable human being could anticipate. If you have prepared yourselves to meet other emergencies which you could anticipate, the mental training you have thereby gained will enable you to act promptly and with calmness. You must frequently act w^ithout orders from higher authority. Time will not permit you to wait for them. Here again enters the importance of studying the w^ork of the officers above you. If you have a comprehensive grasp of the entire situation and can form an idea of the general plan of your superiors, that and your previous emergency training will enable you to determine that the responsibility is yours and to issue the necessary orders without delay.

The element of personal dignity is important in military leadership. Be the friend of your men, but do not become their intimate. Your men should stand in awe of you; not fear. If your men presume to become familiar, it is your fault, not theirs. Your actions have encouraged them to do so. And above all things don't cheapen yourself by courting their friendship or currying their favor. They w^ill despise you for it. If you are worthy of their loyalty and respect and devotion they w^ill surely giv^e all these without asking. If you are not, nothing that you can do will win them.

It is exceedingly difficult for an officer to be dignified while w^earing a dirty, spotted uniform and a three days' stubble of w^hiskers on his face. Such a man lacks self-respect and self-respect is an essential of dignity. There may be occasions w^hen your w^ork entails dirty clothes and an un- shaven face. Your men all look that -svay. At such times there is ample

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