May 26, 2015: Our speaker was ROD GRAGG, Director of the CresCom Bank Center for Military & Veterans Studies at Coastal Carolina University. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and an expert in history. He has written over 20 books on history. He recalled growing up after World War II and having tremendous admiration for the veterans of that war. We all live in a country of heroes and we all need to get to know them. Great leaders have evolved from these veterans and he spoke of the 5 traits that make leaders:
- Real Leaders Take Care of Their People. He spoke of a naval commander who was interned as a POW in a Japanese camp. When one of his me was given 50 lashes of punishment, the commander stepped in an offered to take the rest of the punishment. This so stunned the Japanese that they stopped the punishment and left the area.
- Real Leaders Don’t Give Up Easily. He told of the mother of a soldier who spent every night helping operate a canteen for troops passing through on the train. One night the mother received word of the death of her son. After one day away she returned to the canteen for the rest of the war.
- Real Leaders Take Responsibility. General Eisenhower was the architect of the massive D Day invasion of France. While a huge enterprise, Eisenhower knew that it could fall and had a speech all recorded for broadcast in the event D Day failed. It did not fail and within a year the war was over. People recognized that Ike was willing to take responsibility and later twice elected him president.
- Real Leaders Do the Right Thing. He told of a soldier whose religious beliefs would not allow him to kill an enemy so he registered as a Conscientious Cooperator and served as an army medic. His most momentous event was the saving of over 75 wounded soldiers, dragging them back to safe lines one by one. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery.
- Real Leaders Lead by Example. A 22 year old lieutenant never went off duty when his men were working. He worked alongside of them no matter how dirty or difficult the task. He rose to major and then battalion commander. As time went on the men who served under him never forgot and continued to honor him.
These are the stories of leadership to share on Memorial Day.
— Fred Sales, Keyway Committee