by Joshua Welle
The greatest generation of the twentieth century lived through the Great Depression and fought a two-front war. Our generation was called to defeat a faceless enemy and return to a country in economic turmoil. We aspire to be the next greatest generation, showing humility and respect for those who came before us. If we are to emerge from the shadows of our grandparents, we must persist in virtuous leadership on every battlefield and in every boardroom. From Baghdad to Washington and from Kabul to Silicon Valley, our commitment is resolute. Our nation’s best days lie ahead, and we are committed to service and making our country great once again.
EPILOGUE
Adm. Mike Mullen, USN (Ret.)
On a trip to Iraq several years ago, I ran into a young naval officer on an individual augmentee assignment. He was working logistics in Baghdad; he seemed pretty good at it.
He could trace the best routes for ground movement on a map, could tell me how long it would take and how much it would cost to move a tanker of fuel to each forward base, and he could quote Army doctrine for keeping the lines of communication open and where reality conflicted with it. I asked where he came from and heard, to my surprise, that he was a Navy Reserve intelligence officer, with no experience in logistics, let alone logistics on land. He had volunteered to go to war. He did not care in what capacity. He did not care for how long. He did not care where they put him. He cared about contributing.
“Sir,” he said, “I’m doing valuable work here, and I'm learning a lot. I’ll be a better officer for all of this.” I had no doubt that he was becoming a better officer. And I was confident then that he would take the lessons he had learned back to the fleet and to his command, making everyone around him better too.
Tens of thousands of other Navy and Marine officers have likewise deployed to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan these last ten years, including many graduates from the Naval Academy Class of 2002. Many deployed in classic roles: Marine ground combat, naval aviation missions, explosive ordnance disposal, and SEAL operations. Others served in more unconventional roles, like my logistician, or highly technical counter-IED work, economic development, rule of law, and good governance. All of them proved vital to the overall effort. Like that young man, they too had to learn new skills, often at the hands of extraordinary noncommissioned officers, adapt their own preconceived notions of what combat really means, what jointness means, and learn to lead America’s sons and daughters in the chaos and fear—and unique challenges—of war.
You have heard it firsthand in these pages. You have read their stories, shared in their fears, celebrated their achievements. You have come to know about them what I have long understood: this is a new generation of great leaders, volunteers all, grateful for the chance to serve their country, stretched by the challenges they faced, and tempered by war. I believe they are positioned, because of their diverse experiences, to lead both in and out of uniform in the years to come.
It is through experience that one develops wisdom, and America will need their leadership through the challenges of tomorrow. Many have seen the worst of it, exposing themselves to danger and bringing back home with them memories and burdens they may find difficult to share with anyone. Some gave their limbs. Others gave their lives, leaving families behind to cope and mourn and move on as best they can. America is indebted to Matt Freeman, Rich Andersen, Joe Houston, and the other thousands who made the ultimate sacrifice. All of them—at sea and ashore—made an enormous difference.
Iraq is now a democracy, still struggling to come to grips with all that entails, but a democracy nonetheless. The Iraqi people have an opportunity now, one they never enjoyed under Saddam Hussein, to decide for themselves how to govern, how to prosper, how to defend themselves. These men and women helped bring about that opportunity. In Afghanistan, war still rages, but the hard and painstaking experience of counterinsurgency warfare wrought on the streets of Iraq are paying dividends in places like Helmand and Kandahar and Ghazni.
No one is underestimating the scope of the challenges that remain. Endemic and pervasive corruption still robs the Afghan people of their rights. Poor governance still denies them the rule of law. Safe havens in Pakistan still offer the enemy aid and comfort. All of this makes the task more difficult and dangerous, but no one can deny that—once again—this new generation of leaders has stepped up to provide a foreign government, this one in Kabul, the opportunity to be more responsive to its people.
They have done this by working with and through their civilian counterparts in the State Department and in other federal agencies, as well as with partners and allies from other nations. They have learned to be statesmen as well as soldiers, diplomats as well as warriors. Indeed, they have learned that in these new “savage wars of peace” the skills required of military leaders are often the same ones required of any good community leader: patience, understanding, decisiveness, and yes, to a degree, restraint. They have taken to heart the counsel given in the Army’s new counterinsurgency manual that “U.S. military leaders require a strong cultural and political awareness of [host nation] and other multinational military partners.” As Gen. Dave Petraeus put it, “Spend time, listen, consult, and drink lots of tea.”
Yet these young men and women have never feared to fight. They helped kill Osama bin Laden and continue to decimate the ranks of al-Qaeda’s senior leaders. They have defended vital sea lanes of ocean commerce, explored and discovered ways to protect the vast and as-yet-untamed wilderness of cyberspace, and they have kept sharp and sure the instruments by which U.S. national security is preserved.
In other words, this new generation of officers has had to do it all over the past ten years. The devastating attacks of 9/11 ushered in a new era of fighting, a new American way of war, without erasing the old. Even as the military continues to fight modern war, it must also contend with and plan to defeat traditional threats from regional powers who possess robust conventional and, in some cases, nuclear capabilities. The freedom to conduct naval operations in support of joint, allied, and coalition efforts—ensuring access and projecting persistent combat power—can only be preserved through enduring war fighting competencies.
Today’s naval officers must therefore stay ready for wars big and small, for challenges global and local, for capabilities conventional and unconventional. Even a cursory glance through the pages of In the Shadow of Greatness should give any reader confidence that these leaders are battle hardened and ready and that they will remain ready for diverse challenges over the course of their careers.
When I graduated from the Naval Academy in 1968, the fighting in Vietnam loomed large in our minds. My first deployment was aboard the destroyer USS Collett (DD 730) to the waters off the coast of Vietnam, where we supported forces ashore with round-the-clock gunfire. In addition, the Cold War was very hot, indeed. We trained hard against the ever-present threat of the Soviets’ navy, working doggedly to understand every tactic they employed, every weapon system they designed. One became good at being a naval officer in those days in large part by being successful in predicting the actions of the Soviets.
The young men and women coming out of Annapolis in 2002—my oldest son, John, among them—and succeeding classes did not have just a single foe, and neither will their juniors. Their world is a lot less predictable. In 2011 alone, economic and political dynamics were dramatically affected by natural disasters, energy competition, piracy, and the continuing development of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. We have seen the power and speed with which actions, images, and ideas impact military operations, and we have seen the raw power that values-driven political protest can have in literally reshaping the map of the Middle East. This pace of change continually redefines the security environment in which we operate. It will also thus continue to redefine the type of officer we must field to lead it.
To the Class of 2002, I thank you for sharing your stories and opening America’s eyes to the challenges faced by your generation, which in my view really is
the next “greatest generation.” For those in harm’s way today, I commend you for the courage you are demonstrating and for the leadership you are developing.
My advice to you is simple: Continue to listen, learn, and lead in the decades ahead. Your families and your fellow citizens are counting on you. The nation looks to you, and the world needs you.
IN MEMORY OF
THE FALLEN NAVAL ACADEMY GRADUATES SINCE SEPTEMBER 11
For their conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
Captain John D. Yamnicky, USN (Ret.), Class of 1952
Pentagon, American Airlines Flight 77, Passenger
Rear Admiral Wilson F. Flagg, USNR (Ret.), Class of 1961
Pentagon, American Airlines Flight 77, Passenger
Kevin P. Connors, Class of 1969
World Trade Center
Captain Charles F. Burlingame III, USNR, Class of 1971
Pentagon, American Airlines Flight 77, Pilot
Kenneth M. McBrayer, Class of 1974
World Trade Center
Kenneth E. Waldie, Class of 1978
World Trade Center, American Airlines Flight 11
Captain Gerald F. DeConto, USN, Class of 1979
Pentagon
Captain Robert E. Dolan, USN, Class of 1981
Pentagon
Commander Patrick Dunn, USN, Class of 1985
Pentagon
Commander William H. Donovan Jr., USN, Class of 1986
Pentagon
Lieutenant Commander Ronald J. Vauk, USNR, Class of 1987
Pentagon
Lieutenant Jonas M. Panik, USN, Class of 1997
Pentagon
Lieutenant Junior Grade Darin H. Pontell, USN, Class of 1998
Pentagon
POST-SEPTEMBER 11
Commander William C. McCool, USN, Class of 1983
Space Shuttle Columbia, accident, February 1, 2003
Commander Peter G. Oswald, USN, Class of 1984
Training mission, El Salvador, August 27, 2002
Lieutenant Kevin A. Bianchi, USN, Class of 1985
Training flight, helicopter crash, Italy, July 12, 2003
Lieutenant Colonel David S. Greene, USMCR, Class of 1986
Combat operations, al-Anbar province, Iraq, July 28, 2004
Lieutenant Commander William R. Muscha, USN, Class of 1987
Training flight, Gulf of Mexico, May 8, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel Brett M. Bekken, USMCR, Class of 1989
Training mission, jet crash, California, April 21, 2004
Major William R. Watkins III, USAF, Class of 1989
Combat operations, jet crash, Iraq, April 7, 2003
Lieutenant Colonel Mario D. Carazo, USMC, Class of 1991
Combat operations, Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 22, 2010
Lieutenant Commander Robert E. Clukey III, USN, Class of 1991
Fighter jet crash, Italy, November 3, 2002
Lieutenant Commander Anthony R. Domino, USNR, Class of 1991
Operational training, jet crash, Fallon, Nevada, April 18, 2003
Lieutenant Commander Christopher C. Tragna, USN, Class of 1991
Training flight, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, April 2, 2002
Lieutenant Commander Scott A. Zellem, USN, Class of 1991
Operational mission, jet crash, Kita, Iwo Jima, August 10, 2004
Captain Matthew W. Bancroft, USMC, Class of 1994
Refueling mission, aircraft crash, Pakistan, January 9, 2002
Lieutenant Commander Scott T. Bracher, USN, Class of 1994
Operational flight, jet crash, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, September 21, 2005
Lieutenant Kylan A. Jones-Huffman, USNR, Class of 1994
Combat operations, al-Hillah, Iraq, August 21, 2003
Lieutenant Joel A. Korkowski, USN, Class of 1994
Training mission, fighter jet crash, Monterey, California, October 18, 2002
Lieutenant Commander Frank C. Wittwer, USN, Class of 1994
Operational mission, fighter jet crash, El Centro, California, January 17, 2006
Lieutenant Commander Erik S. Kristensen, USN, Class of 1995
Combat operations, helicopter crash, Kunar province, Afghanistan, June 28, 2005
Major Megan M. L. McClung, USMC, Class of 1995
Combat operations, al-Anbar province, Iraq, December 6, 2006
Major Douglas A. Zembiec, USMC, Class of 1995
Combat operations, Baghdad, Iraq, May 11, 2007
Lieutenant Terri S. Fussner, USN, Class of 1996
Helicopter crash, Mediterranean Sea, March 12, 2002
Lieutenant Thomas M. Adams, USN, Class of 1997
Helicopter crash, on exchange with the British Royal Navy, March 22, 2003
Captain Franklin R. Hooks II, USMC, Class of 1997
Training mission, fighter jet went missing, Azores, June 26, 2004
Lieutenant Michael M. McGreevy Jr., USN, Class of 1997
Combat operations, helicopter crash, Kunar province, Afghanistan, June 28, 2005
Sergeant Steve Morin Jr., U.S. Air National Guard, Class of 1997
Combat operations, Umm Qasr, Iraq, September 28, 2005
Lieutenant Raul D. Jimenez, USN, Class of 1998
Operational flight maneuvers, injuries sustained near Corpus Christi, Texas, January 27, 2006
Captain Seth R. Michaud, USMC, Class of 1998
Operational exercise, helicopter accident, East Africa, June 22, 2003
Lieutenant Matthew Shubzda, USN, Class of 1998
Fighter jet crash, Pacific Ocean, October 18, 2002
Captain Jennifer J. Harris, USMC, Class of 2000
Combat operations, helicopter crash, al-Anbar province, Iraq, February 7, 2007
Lieutenant Christopher H. Snyder, USN, Class of 2000
Anti-drug operations, helicopter crash, Pacific coast of Colombia, December 20, 2005
Second Lieutenant John N. Wilt, USMC, Class of 2000
Training flight crash, T-39 Sabreliner, Gulf of Mexico, May 16, 2002
Lieutenant Bret Miller, USN, Class of 2001
Training mission, T-34C Turbomentor crash, Gulf of Mexico, October 28, 2009
First Lieutenant Ronald D. Winchester, USMC, Class of 2001
Combat operations, Iraq, September 3, 2004
Lieutenant Richard F. Andersen, USN, Class of 2002
Operational mission, helicopter crash, Fallon, Nevada, May 7, 2007
Captain Matthew C. Freeman, USMC, Class of 2002
Combat operations, Kapisa province, Afghanistan, August 7, 2009
Lieutenant John J. Houston, USN, Class of 2002
Training mission, T-34C Turbomentor crash, Gulf of Mexico, October 28, 2009
Lieutenant Nicolas J. Juron, USN, Class of 2002
Anti-drug operations, helicopter crash, Pacific coast of Colombia, December 13, 2005
Second Lieutenant James P. Blecksmith, Class of 2003
Combat operations, Fallujah, Iraq, November 11, 2004
First Lieutenant Brian R. S. J. Deforge, USMCR, Class of 2003
Training exercise, fighter jet crash, Fort Hunter Liggett, California, June 26, 2006
First Lieutenant Michael Licalzi, USMC, Class of 2004
Combat operations, al-Anbar province, Iraq, May 11, 2006
Lieutenant Brendan A. Looney, USN, Class of 2004
Combat operations, helicopter crash, Zabul province, Afghanistan, September 21, 2010
First Lieutenant Travis J. Manion, USMC, Class of 2004
Combat operations, al-Anbar province, Iraq, April 29, 2007
Captain Aaron D. Cox, USMC, Class of 2005
Training mission, Super Cobra crash, San Diego, California, May 5, 2009
Captain Brandon A. Barrett, USMC, Class of 2006
Combat operations, Helmand province, Afghanistan, May 5, 2010
Captain Daniel B. Bartle, USMC, Class of 2006
Heli
copter crash, Helmand province, Afghanistan, January 19, 2012
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This sentiment is exhibited throughout In the Shadow of Greatness: Voices of Leadership, Sacrifice, and Service from America’s Longest War. Drawing on contributions from more than one hundred authors, advisers, friends, and family members, this book is a team endeavor.
The U.S. Naval Academy alumni and financial donors from the Class of 2002 involved in this project are too numerous to list, so to avoid leaving anyone out, we would simply like to express a collective and heartfelt thank you to all for their generosity and the time they spent on this group effort. We must, however, recognize a small number of folks by name.
Emmy Spencer Probasco, Logan Plaster, Bryce Holt, Barbara Welle, and Chip Crane sacrificed months to mentor untrained writers in the art of nonfiction. Some of our classmates submitted contributions that did not make it into the book. Their efforts are equally praiseworthy and can be found on the book’s website. Special appreciation goes to T Alford, Caroline Murtagh, Nick Huber, and Julia Floraday Wells, leaders in our class who advocated the project when others were skeptical. Another thank you goes to our dear friend Meg, our most constructive critic and detailed observer and now an honorary member of our class.
Rodney Cocks, Fred Kacher, and Jon Kirby, leaders in military and political affairs, advocated for this book among senior officials in government and business. Without their support, we would have fallen short. Special appreciation goes to a behind-the-scenes group of believers: Maj. Guy Berry, Claude Berube, Chris Brownfield, Capt. James Campbell, Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Angela Mikolajewski, Bill Murphy Jr., Charles Nolan, Gordon Peterson, Cdr. Tom Robertson, and Michael Zuckerman. Each of them provided motivation when the project could have lost steam. We would also like to acknowledge the Center for a New American Security for supporting the book and providing a forum to share our stories with the Washington, D.C., community.