From the February 19th Kansas City Star:

Photo by John Moore / Getty Images

Photo by Tom Fitzsimmons

I attended a forum at Harvard last night, at which five veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan discussed leadership on the front lines. The veterans, 3 Army officers and two Marine Reserve officers, discussed how to be a successful leader in hostile situations.

Major Ewers explained that during the most dire of circumstances, how you handle yourself and how you react is when those under you most look to you as a leader. That is why you must always act ethical and honorable.

When asked about how he and his men deal with the crumbling support back home Major Ewers said he highlights and focuses on the importance and all of the good being done. He explained how he doesn’t waste his energy worrying about something that is outside of his influence.

When all of the veterans were asked why the continue to volunteer for service and make tours to Iraq they said that if they don’t go, someone else will, and they would rather put themselves in harms way.

“You get to the place where you would do anything for the guy on your left or the gal on your right, because frankly, you know they would do anything for you.” – Captain Maura Sullivan

The panel:
Lt. Col. Oscar Hall, U.S. Army Armor Battalion Commander, Iraq; KSG National Security Fellow ‘07
Major Daniel Wagner, U.S. Marine Corps Civil Affairs Officer in Iraq; Planner, Afghanistan ‘02; KSG MPA ‘02
Major Joseph Ewers, U.S. Army Infantry Company Commander, Iraq; HBS MBA Candidate ‘07
Captain Maura Sullivan, U.S. Marine Corps Operations Officer, Iraq; KSG & Stanford MPA & MBA Candidate ‘08
Lt. Col. Fredrick Wellman, United States Army UH-60 Aviator, Public Affairs Officer, Iraq; KSG Mid-Career MPA ’07

Also in attendance was Lieutenant General Douglas E. Lute, Director of Operations, Joint Chiefs of Staff.

More photos and information from the forum can be found here:
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2007/02.22/05-vets.html

My grandmother forwarded this to me:

One sunny day in 2008, an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he’d been sitting on a park bench.

He spoke to the Marine standing guard and said, “I would like to go in and meet with President Hillary Clinton.”

The Marine replied, “Sir, Mrs. Clinton is not President and doesn’t reside here.”

The old man said, “Okay,” and walked away.

The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, “I would like to go in and meet with President Hillary Clinton”.

The Marine again told the man, “Sir, as I said yesterday, Mrs. Clinton is not President and doesn’t reside here.”

The man thanked him and again walked away . .

The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same Marine, saying “I would like to go in and meet with President Hillary Clinton.”

The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, “Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mrs. Clinton. I’ve told you already several times that Mrs. Clinton is not the President and doesn’t reside here. Don’t you understand?”

The old man answered, “Oh, I understand you fine, I just love hearing your answer!”

The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, “See you tomorrow.”

Not much has changed since my last update. The leg feels great one week and terrible the next. The only time I know it’s going to hurt is when we’re going to get rain. I’ve scaled back my workout routine at the gym slightly, I don’t want to injure myself before my orthopedic appointment on the 27th. Hopefully things will look good enough at that time to proceed with scheduling the surgery to remove the screws. I am really looking forward to getting them out. Now that it’s so close I think about how nice it’s going to be without them all the time. I hope they let me keep them…