Remarks at Harvard ROTC Commissioning
by GEN David H. Petraeus
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
As delivered on 03 June 2009
Good morning and thank you for that warm welcome. It’s a pleasure to be here in the center of the Yard today and a true honor to commission a group of what must be the smartest new officers in our military . . .
Finally, of course, congratulations to the Cadets and Midshipmen of the class of 2009! You have worked hard and done exceedingly well here at Harvard and in the MIT ROTC program. And you should feel justifiably proud of all that you have accomplished to reach this special moment.
But, as you are about to embark on your new journey as a commissioned officer and as I am the commissioning speaker, I have, of course, a solemn obligation to share a few thoughts with you – wisdom, if you will. And what I’d like to discuss is the importance of individuals, particularly individual leaders, to the military service you are about to enter and to the nation we all serve.
---
Let me begin by reminding you that individuals matter and that individual leaders really matter. I know that this may sound trite, but it is nonetheless worth emphasizing here today as we mark the beginning of your careers as commissioned officers. The truth is, in fact, that our country has always attached great worth and attributed considerable responsibilities to individuals, and we have encouraged them to demonstrate initiative, to be innovative, and to exercise independence of action and thought. The culture and traditions that encourage and reward such qualities are, indeed, major strengths of our nation. And the attachment of great worth to those qualities is doubly true when the individuals have, indeed, been leaders.
There are the obvious examples of leaders from history – Presidents like Washington, Lincoln, both Roosevelts, and others, and battlefield generals like Grant, Pershing, and Eisenhower. But there are also the examples that can be found closer to home. How many times, after all, have you been inspired and motivated by a teacher, a coach, a pastor, an elected official – or a commissioned or noncommissioned officer? Undoubtedly, each of you can think of numerous such occasions, times when you’ve been encouraged, pushed, and inspired by individual leaders in your life. Such leaders no doubt prompted you to study longer, to work harder, to run faster, to achieve greater results, whatever the endeavor.
Because of the actions of leaders throughout our history and, of course, because of the responses of the individuals they’ve led, leaders are the ones history remembers as having made the biggest differences. And each of you is about to become a leader – indeed, a leader of America’s most precious resource, its sons and daughters in uniform.
---
Many of those respected as great leaders did not – in all likelihood – start out as great leaders. Rather, they practiced, studied, developed, and enhanced their leadership skills over time.
I suspect that, given your talents and your experiences here at this great institution, you have already acquired impressive leadership attributes. From the leadership development and military training you received during ROTC to the knowledge and critical thinking skills you gained through your studies at Harvard, you have likely spent the past four years developing a solid arsenal of leadership tools. And as you progress in your military career, you will undoubtedly draw on the skills you acquired here at Harvard – and at MIT – even as you supplement these skills with on-the-ground leadership experience.
What you will discover once again, though, is that while individual study and education are of enormous importance, you will learn the most about leadership from getting your hands dirty and your boots dusty – particularly when deployed to conduct contingency operations. Indeed, there’s no way to avoid becoming a leader when one is responsible for units in the continuous grind of combat, in determining which local insurgents may be reconcilable, and in making hard calls in the midst of a firefight, on a flight line, or while manning a ship’s bridge.
---
When you find yourself in such situations, as you draw on the education and skills gained here at Harvard and in ROTC, and as you supplement them with on-the-ground-experience, keep in mind five critical admonitions for effective leadership. You will have heard these before. But I’d like to highlight them today because while they are fundamental, they are occasionally forgotten.
First, lead by example. Your troopers will look to you and will follow your lead. If you continue to lean forward, your troopers will, too. But if you slack off, if you blow off the standard, they will do the same. And keep a tight grip on your own attitude. It will echo and reecho throughout your unit.
Second, be humble; listen and learn. Many of the troopers you’ll lead, your noncommissioned officers in particular, will have already experienced the most continuous combat to which our military has been committed since Vietnam. They will have a lot to teach you. Listen. It will pay dividends.
But, third, don’t hesitate to make decisions. When the listening is done and the time for decision has arrived, you must make the call and you must be responsible and accountable for your decisions. There will be many moments when all eyes turn to you for a decision. Be prepared for such moments; don’t shrink from them, embrace them. They will matter.
Fourth, be a team player and a team builder. As a leader, it’s all about the team and how it fits into the bigger team of which your element is a part. Throughout your lives to this point, it’s often been all about you. You’ve generally been graded on your personal performance. As a military officer, however, you’ll be graded on how your platoon or crew or division does, not just on how you do. Build the capabilities of your unit and execute your missions as a team. Your team’s triumphs and failures will be yours.
Fifth, don’t take yourself too seriously, but do take your work seriously. Your troopers want someone who knows the profession and is technically and tactically competent – not someone who is too cool for school. The tasks in which we’re engaged at present are deadly serious – and I know you’ll be equally serious about developing the competence your troopers deserve.
Well, those are my brief words of advice to you today. Please keep in mind that the best leaders live these admonitions every day. So, internalize them and reflect on your actions to ensure you are abiding by them. They cannot guarantee success as a leader, but they can take you a long way toward achieving it.
---
Let me close today by congratulating each one of you, and your families, for your accomplishments and for raising your hand to serve our country in uniform.
Tom Brokaw – who wrote the book, The Greatest Generation, the best-seller about the World War II generation – spent a terrific period with my unit, the 101st Airborne Division in northern Iraq in 2003. After seeing all that our troopers were doing, he told me, “General, the World War II generation may, indeed, have been the original greatest generation, but these young soldiers surely are part of the new, greatest generation.” I agree with him.
You are soon to take your places as leaders of members of this new, greatest generation. And as you prepare for your first assignments, you should draw confidence from the fact that you are well prepared for what lies ahead. You’ve just completed four years of study at one of the world’s greatest universities. And you have been part of one of our country’s finest ROTC programs. You thus embark on your careers in uniform with the benefit of exceptional backgrounds.
All of us here know that you will discharge the duties assigned to you in an admirable fashion. We look forward to your many accomplishments in the years ahead and to the great leadership you’ll provide to the members of the New Greatest Generation for whom you will be responsible.
Good luck, Godspeed, Go Crimson, and thank you very much.