Creative Writing

Editorial note – This blog post is part of our Scribbles series. If interested in submitting creative content, view our guidelines here or contact Cassie Crosby at cassie@fromthegreennotebook.com.

By Christian Lance Relleve

“The one quality that can be developed by studious reflection and practice is the leadership of men”  -Dwight D. Eisenhower

We have been ingrained upon to read voraciously of anything related to military leadership to further our professional development. We are encouraged to live by the values that have been taught to us preceded by notable historic commanders. These commanders have lived through and exemplified unique values of leadership. Of course, not all individuals will be able to live and abide by these values, but we may only invoke these qualities at a surface level if not fostered nor nurtured.

Genuine leadership is a perspective that has potential to lead to understanding true leadership. Not all individuals are meant to live through the values Patton has exemplified, such as his sheer forwardness; Eisenhower’s optimism; Shalikashvili’s studiousness; nor Marshall’s rigor and fairness. Let’s face it, some individuals of today do commit to try and live these values but are not genuine. It is all surface with no depth—bluntly, an emulation. These traits have been proficiently demonstrated by these leaders because it is thoroughly distinct to them, in fact— Genuine. Genuineness comes from the heart.  Developmentally, Genuine leadership stems into three factors: art, passion, and reflection. The intent to live by these values is to realize an individual’s self-importance and his or her potential to become a genuine leader.

Editorial note – This blog post is part of our Scribbles series. If interested in submitting creative content, view our guidelines here or contact Cassie Crosby at cassie@fromthegreennotebook.com.

By Daniel Sukman

“James”

“Please come in, James. I am surprised to see you this afternoon. It’s unusual for officers to use my open-door policy. In fact, it’s unusual for anyone to use it.”

“Thank you, sir.” I replied. However, it didn’t surprise me that nobody had ever approached Colonel Stark to have a conversation. For the past six months, after he had assumed command of the brigade, Colonel Stark instilled fear among his subordinates. It wasn’t his physical presence. In fact, Colonel Stark was a bit on the diminutive side, standing only about 5 foot 6 inches and weighing perhaps 140 pounds soaking wet. What kept people away from Colonel Stark was how he treated his fellow human beings.

“So, what is it that you want?” Colonel Stark said, as he sat behind his desk, his eyes still looking at his computer.”

LTC Kelly McCoy

This is the final in a series of four vignettes designed as a supplement to the 2019 series of mission command articles (Part 1, 2, and 3) led by General Stephen Townsend. The vignettes follow a fictional character, John Miller, through his career as an Infantry officer. Each vignette is a stand-alone story reflecting the principles of mission command and how it is applied in terms of leadership. 

If you did not read the introduction and the other vignettes linked above, we would encourage you to do so. Vignette number four follows.

Vignette 4: Commander’s Intent & Mission Orders

When communication is unreliable and the situation is evolving chaotically – establishing shared understanding and intent is critical. When MG John Miller realizes his original plan is about to fail, he must depend upon the trust he has established up and down the chain of command and develop new mission orders to prevent strategic loss.

Editorial Note: This vignette is part of a four-part Mission Command series that will run every Tuesday for the next four weeks.

By Kelly McCoy

This vignette is the third in a collection of four designed as a supplement to the 2019 series of mission command articles (Part 1, 2, and 3) led by General Stephen Townsend. The vignettes follow a fictional character, John Miller, through his career as an infantry officer. Each vignette is a stand-alone story reflecting the principles of mission command and how it is applied in terms of leadership. 

If you did not read the introduction and vignette one or vignette two, we would encourage you to do so. Vignette number three follows.

Editorial Note: This vignette is part of a four-part Mission Command series that will run every Tuesday for the next four weeks.

By Kelly McCoy

The following is the first vignette in a collection of four designed as a supplement to the 2019 series of mission command articles (Part 1, 2, and 3) led by General Stephen Townsend. These vignettes follow a fictional character, John Miller, through his career as an infantry officer. Each vignette is a stand-alone story reflecting the principles of mission command and how it is applied in terms of leadership. These vignettes, while purely fictional, are the result of collaboration from multiple officers – spanning years of service, command experience, and a desire to provide personable and realistic vignettes that can be used in leadership development. These vignettes will challenge your perspective and natural inclinations for what it means to lead by mission command. In each scenario, you should ask yourself: What is the appropriate level of control required to ensure the best possible decision is made at the right level and at the right time given the circumstances and information available?

Editorial note – This blog post is part of our Scribbles series. If interested in submitting creative content, view our guidelines here or contact Cassie Crosby at cassie@fromthegreennotebook.com.

By Aaron Utsler

Oliver sat in the drab wooden chair in the rear of the Executive Conference Room.  The Division Chiefs in their cheap, poorly tailored suits arranged along the oval extended table with the Director at the head.  A complement of video monitors adorned the main wall with smaller satellite TVs along the sides of the room so the staffers could follow along.  The carefully scripted presentation illuminated the monitors, having been carefully filtered by the various functional chiefs so as to shield the the Director from any intelligence notices that might challenge the narrative espoused by the machine in Washington.  Another useless update brief.  Another opportunity for the bureaucratic hacks to deepen their rice bowls, he thought to himself.

Oliver now found himself reassigned to the Dungeon’s headquarter’s staff.  A menial position disguised as career progression.  The truth of it is that the assignment was punishment after a verbal altercation with the Patriarch turned physical while assigned to the House in Doha. The Dungeon was the pejorative term used by field operatives for the National Intelligence Agency’s headquarters in Washington D.C.  Houses were the outstations positioned around the globe to act as the eyes and ears of Washington.

A lot had changed since the fast paced counter-terror missions of the earlier years of the 21st century.  It was 2065 but it might as well be 1965.  A new Cold War guided geopolitical thought and behaviors in the world.  The globe was once again divided into East and West with small enclaves in one hemisphere aligned with dominant hegemony in the other.  Like its predecessor a century earlier, the U.S. and Russia dominated the lesser states.  America was overstretched fighting religious zealots across two continents and Russia sought to regain the former glory of the czars as the regime fought to annex the Crimean and bolster its Syrian puppet.

Editorial note – This blog post is part of our Scribbles series. If interested in submitting creative content, view our guidelines here or contact Cassie Crosby at cassie@fromthegreennotebook.com.

By Ryan Crosby

As a new 2nd Lieutenant, you’ve got a lot of questions. You come out of school and your Basic Course and you’re green as hell. Then you’re at this huge infantry Division with a storied history, and everyone just got back from The Invasion, and you’re eating chow next to combat arms gods. There’s a PFC with a CIB, and at the Class A inspection, the 2nd Squad leader has a Silver Star. They saw the real thing, and you’re trying to figure out how to put your new rucksack together. You know you’re all Going Back at the end of this year. It seems like you cannot prepare enough. You have no idea where to begin, really. 

By Cassie Crosby
The Nation appears fractured with the January 6th assault on the U.S. capitol interrupting America’s most sacred democratic process. If you’re like me, and you’re watching the news 24/7, you can begin to feel like our nation really is divided, maybe even irreparably so. At a minimum, several perceived realities are playing out on a national scale, depending on the social system in which one interacts. However, I want to offer an alternative perspective and a model for unification of these realities: our nation’s military.