Quotes from Harold G. Moore

The leader must have trust in the people he leads; trust that they will perform their duties well. The people in the ranks must have trust in their leaders; trust that they will perform their duties completely. The people in the ranks must have trust and confidence in one another; trust that each will perform their duties well as members of the team.

Put the welfare of your troops above your own. They eat before you eat; they sleep before you sleep.

Commanders are not always leaders. Commanders are appointed. Leaders are unofficially "elected" by the troops in the unit. Likewise in other fields of endeavor. Every leader is put through an informal process in the first few weeks wherein his people judge him and decide whether or not he is worthy of their trust. He must earn that trust. How? A leader must prove himself by his actions, appearance, demeanor, attitude, and decisions.

Most importantly, a leader proves himself by demonstrating his concern for and relationship with the people under him. The old adage: "Take care of your people and they will take care of you.

WITHOUT EQUAL. Think about it. These words are even more powerful than the "Will to Win" or "#1"…ponder the feeling one gets from these words. I suggest you, embrace these words forever within your institution. And as you enlarge your circles around the world, make these two words your everyday life breath.

Bernard Fall's Street Without Joy and

The most precious commodity with which the Army deals is the individual soldier who is the heart and soul of our combat forces. —GENERAL J. LAWTON COLLINS

Look at what the words start with W and E—meaning "WE." If the Army approved and supplied the pins, and you were my battalion and we were going to war, I would have every soldier wear a pin with the letters "WE," denoting "WE" as a family and "WE" as without equal. This is a war-winning theme that would not let us go down in any battle…ever!

A leader must realize his subordinate leaders will be killed or wounded. He must prepare and train other leaders to step up and take over. He, himself, must train his next-in-line to take command in event he is killed, wounded, or evacuated.

Driver had his own rules of war, and he tried to teach them to me. You know, when you clean a weapon the first rule is always clear the chamber. Not Driver. His first rule was always check to make sure it's your weapon, so you don't end up cleaning somebody else's weapon.

Nothing is more precious than freedom and independence.

We went to war because our country asked us to go, because our new president, Lyndon B. Johnson, ordered us to go, but more importantly because we saw it as our duty to go. That is one kind of love.

Army intelligence said the French owners paid the Viet Cong a million piasters a year in protection money and paid the Saigon government three million piasters a year in taxes. The plantation billed the U.S. government $50 for each tea bush and $250 for each rubber tree damaged by combat operations. Just one more incongruity.

Those who hated it the most—the professionally sensitive—were not, in the end, sensitive enough to differentiate between the war and the soldiers who had been ordered to fight it.

James A. Mullartey from our 1st Platoon made it back to our lines. His story: The NVA had been shooting our wounded. One came up to him, stuck a pistol in his mouth, and fired. The bullet exited the back of his throat, knocked him out and they left him for dead. He survived and when he woke up at night he started crawling to us.

When taking over an organization," Moore said, "you've got to stand out in front of your people, and state clearly what your goals are; what you expect from them; and what they can expect from you. Then shut up and let everybody go to work.

A leader should surround himself with persons who fit his requirements and standards—and then turn them loose to do their jobs.

Then it came across the radio: Bravo Company had found one other survivor from our 2nd Platoon. He had been badly wounded in the legs and had propped himself up against a tree. He had been burned by napalm, waiting in the night, and some North Vietnamese had put a pistol to his eye and pulled the trigger. Shot him in the eye, blinded him, but he was still alive! I saw him being brought in on a stretcher, smoking a cigarette, all fucked up.

This is, perhaps, the ultimate terror: to be lost and alone in a hostile land where the next man you meet wants only to kill you.

It's a key responsibility of the leader, in any field of endeavor (athletic team, military, or business) to assure the successful continuity or ability of his organization to carry on should he die or become incapacitated. It's his duty to plan for such a contingency out of loyalty to his people and, if in a business endeavor, loyalty to his customers and, clients.

Look for and find the really good "horses" in your organization and run them hard. Push them and challenge them with greater levels of responsibility.

Leaders at all levels must know their stuff, be dead honest, have unquestioned personal integrity, set the example, and treat their people "fair and square.

Conduct fun, family-oriented events to enhance unit cohesion.

Never take a subordinate to the woodshed in front of others; do that in private.