Hack,
Just finished reading your latest book "Steel My Soldiers' Hearts"
. . . for the third time. I'm a former Ranger noncom and worked in various
leadership positions including: mortar section leader, rifle squad leader,
and rifle platoon sergeant. I served in the 2nd and 3rd ranger Battalions
as well as two tours as an instructor at the Army's Ranger School. I
was discharged from the Army in 1987 after blowing my left knee.
A while back you made a book signing appearance here in Columbus, Georgia.
I knew of your visit in advance, having heard about it on a local radio
talk show. That day, while I was home for lunch, I told my wife, Laura,
that you would be in town later in the day. Both she and I read your
columns on a fairly regular basis and enjoy them, as well as your appearances
on FOX News, very much. Laura Encouraged me to attend the signing and
get your John Hancock on a copy of "Steel . . .", which I
had expressed an intrest in purchasing. I responded that I would be
working late that evening and probably wouldn't have a chance to do
so. To my surprise, and great delight, upon my arrival at home that
evening, she presented me with a brand, spanking, new copy of "Steel
. . ." with your signature on the title page. My wife described
you as a "real nice guy" and a "gentleman." You
also graciously agreed to pose for a couple of pictures with my 10 and
12 year old sons. For that, and for your polite demeanor, I thank you.
As for your book: It is quite simply, one of the most important books
on modern warfare ever written. It's lessons are so profound and valuable
that, were I still on active duty, I would make it required reading
for every man in my platoon. Including, and especially, the Lieutenant.
I can't even begin to summarize the importance of the principles presented
in "Steel . . ." as they are to be found on virtually every
page. A single reading simply isn't enough for a soldier to mine the
wealth of useful information contained within. Congratulations for your
outstanding effort.
Finally, your assessment of the importance of good, well trained officer
leadership at the company level and below is right on target. Fire for
effect! I've simply never been able to understand how the Army can continue
to cling to a system which places immature, inexperienced and unprepared
young officers in command of troops who are more experienced and better
qualified than they are and who's lives are endangered by he very fact
of their position. It hurts my head to even think about it. Even in
elite units, like the Rangers, platoon leaders and company commanders
are relatively inexperienced compared to the career NCOs that they lead.
Many of them simply show up for a couple of years and then move on to
the regular army never to return again. Enlisted Rangers, on the other
hand, often spend their entire careers as Rangers laboring under a succession
of young, eager, albeit unqualified, officers who imagine that they
know what they're doing. Eventually, as always, someone dies as a result.
Your critique of the disaster in Mogadishu, Somalia was dead on too.
Believe it or not, a couple of weeks prior to the battle, I predicted
exactly what would happen. We were watching an account of one of Task
Force Ranger's fast rope operations on CNN, and I said: "I don't
like this" My wife responded: "What don't you like about it?"
I said: "This is about the fourth, or fifth account of one of these
raids that I've seen on the news and they seem to be using the same
tactics over and over again." In fact that is exactly what they
were doing. I then explained to my wife that even though third world
fighters are relatively unsophisticated, compared to us, they aren't
stupid and they're pretty good at using what they have to maximum effect,
and if you continue to do things the same way time and time again, eventually,
the bad guys will figure it out and bushwack you. I then said: "I
hope they have some serious contingency plans if things don't go exactly
right." Well, they didn't. After reading "Blackhawk Down",
I was stunned. How could this happen? In Ranger school, we taught students
that you have a contingency plan for EVERY conceivable eventuality,
if possible. How could general and field grade officers hang our boys
out to dry like that? Friends died there that day, and I cried over
the television images of their bodies being dragged through the streets
like so much garbage. Lord help us.
Hack, you may be a voice shouting in the wilderness, but you just keep
right on hollerin'. Maybe someone will hear. Thanks and God Bless
Jeff Pace
SFC
US Army