Lead by Example

"Witnessing how you handled the situation, I would say that you're not ready yet," Sergeant Badger told me.

"I don't understand," I say aloud. I mainly said it to myself, but Sgt. Badger overheard.

"You lack the respect of the other Marines," he says bluntly. You come into the room and start yellin' at the others for their shortcomings, yet you do nothing to help them improve. You point out flaws without offering solutions. Corporal Jenkins, you're a good Marine. You score well on your PT score and combat fitness test. You are a great shot and have a sound tactical mind, but you constantly yell at the lower enlisted."

I hear what Sergeant Badger is saying, but I don't understand what the hell he is talking about. Corporals are hard on the junior enlisted in every unit I have ever been in. "That's the Marine Corps Sergent. If they aren't tough enough to get yelled at every now and then, they have no place serving in the platoon and might as well get sent to work at a desk."

"Devil, just because things have been done the same way for so long doesn't mean it's right." He responds.

Sergeant Badger holds up a finger, reaches into the cargo pocket of his cammies, and pulls out a can of Grizzly Wintergreen Long cut. He packs the can of dip by encircling the can with his thumb and middle finger and shakes the can up and down, and his index finger hits the top of the can, making a clack-clack-clack noise. He opens the can, pinches tobacco the size of a gobstopper, and places it between his cheek and gums. He continues to speak, "Think about those commands and how fucking toxic it is. There is a time and place for everything. There is a time to yell and strike fear into the boots, and there is a time for you to lead by example. Almost every situation calls for the latter. Gunny Ramirez pulled you out of formation a few weeks ago and chewed your ass out. Remember that?"

"Yeah, I remember that, but he doesn't know what he is talking about. He is some fucking paper pusher and hasn't been on a fire team in so long that he has completely forgotten what it's like." I reply

"And that's exactly the view that the Lance corporals and below feel about you when you come in there and start shouting at them about how fucked up they are and then just tell them to fix it and walk away back to the smoke deck." Sergeant Badger spits a wad of brown saliva onto the ground. A subtle smell of mint floats in the air. "You're not ready to become a fire team leader, frankly. Just because you are a corporal does not entitle you to that leadership role in my eyes. Until you start leading by example to go by, then I will be in charge of the platoon and this fire team." Sergeant Badger spits onto the ground once more, gets up, and leaves.

Fuck him, I think. It's not my fault these idiots can't access a basic room entry. I take a long drag from my cigarette and then press the butt into the wooden bench to put it out, then throw it into a coffee can. I walk back toward the barracks and make my way to my room. Marines stand out on the walkway, drinking beer and listening to music. As I walk toward my room, Marines doors are open, and you can see some playing video games, some are playing cards, and most are laughing and having a good time with each other. Never noticing it before, I noticed that most of them averted their eyes when they saw me coming. "Fuck," I say quietly as I open my door and head into my barracks for the evening.

The next day, I show up to formation, Sergeant Badger gives a brief to the platoon, and we will be working on morning patrol drills. He pulls the fire team leaders to the side and talks with them outside of the ears of the lower enlisted and me. The guys are all hanging out and shooting the shit, laughing, and I go off alone to the smoke pit. "Hey guys, what's up?" I say to the Lance Corporals that were there smoking.

"Rah Corporal," they say in response. They promptly put out their cigarettes and walked away, leaving me alone. I sit alone, smoking my cigarette, until I hear Sergeant Badger call the fire team together. I stamp out my butt and walk on over.

"Alright, guys, we are going to be working on patrolling today. We have a lot of boots here straight out of infantry training battalion that have no clue how the real world works and we are going to show them." He says. There is a chuckle among most of the guys. "We will start with the ranger file formations and run some contact drills. Everyone get to the armory and grab their rifles, and we will head out to the field for the day." The Marines collectively yelled, "Kill!" in response.

Once in the field, Sergeant Badger went over drills and tactics with the Marines in the fire team. The team worked together to the best of their ability to follow his instructions. When they made mistakes, he would do what he called "break it down Barney style," so even those with the simplest of minds could understand. And the guys hung onto his every word. It was more about just his rank. Sure, he was a sergeant, but he was knowledgeable and fostered the respect of the junior enlisted under his command. Only at one point throughout the day did he even raise his voice at a Marine, and it was because the PFC kept pointing his muzzle at the guy in front of him. Throughout the training, the Sergeant kept bringing me up to use as an example, and it took no time to understand what he was doing. Sergeant Badger wants me to succeed and take over as the fire team leader so he can focus on his role as the platoon sergeant. And he did that by leading by example.

At the end of the day's training, Sergeant Badger holds formation and debriefs the Marines on what they did wrong, what they did right, and how they will work towards improving those deficiencies. "Alright, boys, that's it. It's time for the weekend. Remember, Don't add to the population. Don't subtract from the population. Stay out of the hospital, newspaper, and jail. If you do end up in jail, establish dominance quickly. Roger that?"

Everyone responded in unison, "Kill!"

Everyone broke off into small groups and went their separate ways. I walked over to the smoke deck to have a cigarette before going back to my room. As I sat there enjoying a cigarette, Sergeant Badger showed up.

"Do you see what I mean by leading by example?" He says, "Instead of yelling at the guys for their shortcomings, I showed them properly how I wanted them to execute the mission. I used you as my partner to show them how things are supposed to be done."

I nodded but did not respond. He continued to speak, "When you start showing the guys that you care about their success instead of just beating them down like a dog, you will then truly gain their respect. You may have a higher rank than them, but just because you outrank them does not mean you have earned their respect, and that is important if you ever expect to lead. You need to demonstrate competency before anyone will give a fuck about what you have to say. Do you get what I am saying?"

"I do," I said. I look up at him in his eyes and say again, "I do."

"Good to fuckin go," He says back. "Well, you're in charge of the fire team on Monday. Don't fuck it up." He punches me on the shoulder, and I let out a chuckle and respond back, "Ooh, Rah Sergeant."  I will treat others the way I wish I was treated, I will find deficiencies and help the Marines improve. I will be a part of the solution and no longer repeat the cycle of doing things the way they have always been done just for the sake of it. I will be a leader.