Colonel Jack Jacobs has one of the most impressive resumes ever seen.
Col. Jack Jacobs believes that "at certain levels you have to be somewhat of a Maoist."
He is a Medal of Honor recipient, he holds the McDermott Chair of Humanities and Public Affairs at the U.S. Military Academy, he was founder and COO of AutoFinance Group and managing director of Bankers Trust, he is currently a principal of The Fitzroy Group (a London-based real-estate development firm), he serves on several charitable boards, he is the vice chairman of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, he is the author of the award-winning memoir If Not Now, When? and he is an on-camera analyst for NBC.
Just reading that can make anyone feel a bit inadequate.
But Jacobs did not accept the invitation to speak at the 15th Annual Wharton Leadership Conference so he could brag about his accomplishments. Far from it. In fact, most of his bio I learned from the conference material, not from his speech.
Jacobs was there to speak about how he learned leadership from his experience in Vietnam. Simply put, he believes in four “principles of war.” Those being:
- The objective: “You must tell a soldier what the mission is before he’ll do what you say.”
- Unity of command: “Don’t have one person reporting to two people — respect the chain of command.”
- The truth: “Honesty is very important when running any organization.”
- You’ll make mistakes, but do nothing that is immoral or illegal: “Anyone who says they don’t know what’s immoral or illegal is a liar!”
Jacobs is Brooklyn-born straight-shooter whose accomplishments in life have more than proved he knows how to be a leader in any given situation, whether on the field in combat or in the office with the board. His speech made those in the audience laugh, cry and feel uplifted and motivated — all at once. Proving, once again, that Col. Jack Jacobs has an overwhelming command over people. He is a natural leader.
Check back over the next couple of days for more posts relating to the amazing speakers I was fortunate enough to hear at the Wharton Leadership Conference, including Jane Golden, executive director of the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and James Quigley, author of As One.
Ms Holbrook,
I understand thatyou are in some form of contact with Col Jack Jacobs, so this comment on todays Memorial Day is directed at both of you. Please forward it to him if you find what I am saying worthwhile.
Im also a native of New York, also served in and saw combat in Vietnam and also tried to make something of my life, having grown up dirt poor in NYC’s Harlem. I wrote about this subject in a book I wrote years ago, now out of print.
That said, here is what I have to add to what I heard Jack say today on MSNBC
1. The biggest problem we have to face in getting the American people to actually feel personally about the wars the country engages in, is to remove one rather large obstacle to serving: no one wants to die in war.
2. The Congress, with the complicity of the elite in our nation, knew this when they crafted the draft. The college exemption to service was deliberate – a safety valve fo those who could afford college, but a “A” draft status for thos of us who could not.
3. Today, the American People, with the Congress, are very far removed from the danger of service and this serves the public very well – spout patriotism all you want, knowing that you will never have to go into danger yourself.
4. This makes it very convenient to tell our “patriots” how brave they are, how they are the pride of the nation, the best of America and other blather. This balm for the soul serves to smooth over what is national cowardice, quite a normal reaction when faced with the possiblity of death by gunfire.
5. What is also means is that the declaration of war is made easier, since those who love the use of the military (the military is OTHER peoples kids), know their own are safe.
6. None of this is rocket science, but very very human. The Colonel and Mr. Charles Rangel of NYC (D), are the only two public figures who would agree with what Ive said here. Others may agree, but prefer to remain silent. Reinstatement of a draft, without exemptions, might place their own family at risk and yes, it is easier to stomach the death of someones elses kids as opposed to your own.
I went to a Memorial Day BBQ today. Neither soldiers,war, death, the draft, nothing of the sort was ever mentioned. Today was a holiday, after all, why talk about such things?
Peter
I want to thank you for your service and congratulate you on your Congressional Medal of Honor. I saw you on Fox and Friends and admired you and the other recipients. The reason I am contacting you is that my father, Acof Steier, has been told that he is being considered for the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in WWII. He fought in four campaigns: Tarawa, Okinawa, Iwo Jima and Saipan. He was a Marine Raider. It was his actions on Saipan saving comrades behind enemy line that earned him the honor of consideration for the Congressional Medal of Honor. He has received several calls from Generals in Washington and assured he is still being considered but they can not find all the records and they want to ask him questions. My father has suffered from PTS for years and does not hear well from years of factory work. These call just upset him and he asks them to call me and they do not. I was hoping that you might be able to let us know what his status is and if someone wants to talk to him, I need to be notified in advance so I can with him.
Thank you for any assistance you may provide. Mike Steier, Green Bay, WI 920-465-1199.