Through all the long weeks training at OCS, leadership has always been the primary task which we had always focused on. No matter if it is to lead men into the battle field or back at the base in garrison, we have always strived to learn many techniques to better ourselves. Leadership comes with many responsibilities, one being the welfare to the soldiers. How your soldiers view you as a leader will determine how they act as your soldiers. The subject I would like to discuss is to focus on Lt. Richard Winters in the book Band of Brothers, and how he contributed to leadership in the US military.
Lt. Winters went through Officer Candidate School just as we are now, learning how to be a great leader. Through his years as a commissioned officer, he served in one of the toughest Airborne division during World War 2, the 506 Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He was promoted quickly through the ranks for many reasons, but mainly because he showed many positive characteristics of leadership in what seemed to be impossible times.
During D DAY, Lt. Winters' mission was to jump into enemy territory and lead his soldiers into battle. The plane that carried his soldiers took enemy fire attack and ended up being thrown off course, causing him and his troops to jump into an area that they did not know. Despite having to jump into enemy territory with no idea where they were, and also losing most of the equipment, his soldiers did not hesitate to do so. They did not hesitate because they trusted in their leader and his ability to lead and to inspire them.
Many missions would follow this first. Missions that seemed impossible, Lt. Winters could make it possible. His order was to take the remaining of his company and attack German artillery positions firing on friendly troops towards the beach, that had been dug in and camouflaged. Lt. Winters went right to work after receiving his mission, putting together a plan that was simple and concise so even his lowest ranking...