Gros Ventre Campsite

      Today marks the last day at our Gros Ventre Campsite. After wandering through the Black Hills and the Badlands, we packed up camp and moved to Gros Ventre. With the mighty Grand Tetons for a backdrop, the setting was perfect for the camping experience to ensue. With cooking groups fixing up gourmet meals, professors cracking jokes, and the overall weirdness of camping, the Gros Ventre campsite furthered the bonds that we share with each other. Through all the fun of camping and the isolation that it naturally brings, I have had the incredible opportunity to read and reflect on two books, The Heart and The Fist by Eric Greitens and American Spartan by Ann Scott Tyson. Both of these books although military non-fiction at the surface, have much deeper meanings and resounding messages to me as an individual. 

The Heart and The Fist

This book details of the trials and adventures of Eric Greitens, a Rhodes Scholar turned Navy Seal who sacrificed a prominent desk job to serve his country. Although I find myself neither as athletically talented nor as scholarly as Mr. Greitiens, his willingness to pursue something that will impact the lives of future generations is truly inspiring. Entering into a new time in my life and a new school, I hope to give myself the same opportunities to impact future generations as Mr. Greitens. Whether through service to my country or through service to my friends, my desire, like Mr. Greitens, is to not only help others but give them the tools to help others. Without the ability to pay if forward, people will take the service of others for granted. As a future servicemen, I hope to not only give people the opportunities to help themselves but the opportunities to help others who they see in need.      

       

American Spartan

This book details the trials and tribulation of Major Tim Gant, a brilliant yet controversial Army Special Forces soldier who spent years attempting to empower local Pashtun tribes to defend themselves from Taliban assimilation. Not only does Gant respect the Pashtun tribes unlike any other servicemen, but he completely assimilates his unit of American soldiers into the daily life of a local Qalat in Mangwel. The people of Mangwel grow to love Gant and his men, but his tactics were ahead of his time and his eventual stretching of the rules lead to his demise as a Special Forces Operator. Although he no longer operates in the United States Army, his style of selfless leadership and seamless assimilation into the lives of Pashtun tribes is inspiring. Without his willingness to learn and understand the ways of Pashtunwali (a code of honor), then he and his men would have undoubtedly failed their mission. Successful leadership is not always about being blunt and forceful, but it comes down to the willingness of the leader or leaders to listen and understand those they are attempting to lead. The best leaders are those who are willing to sacrifice their own pride and self-gratification for the sake of those they are leading.