Transcript
Jocko Willink (0:00)
This is Jocko podcast number 483 with Echo, Charles and me, Jocko Willink. Good evening, Echo.
Echo Charles (0:04)
Good evening.
Jocko Willink (0:05)
During the night of May 14, 1967, three Marines who were en route to a listening post northeast of the perimeter became confused in the darkness and unknowingly entered an area heavily mined with M2 and M16 mines. One of the Marines inadvertently detonated a mine, which killed him and seriously wounded his comrades. Upon learning of the accident, Major Gray immediately proceeded to the area and realizing that the casualties required immediate medical attention, unhesitatingly entered the mined area to assist them. Disregarding his own safety, Major Gray, accompanied by another Marine, calmly and skillfully probed a cleared path 40 meters through the unmarked minefield to the side of the wounded men. Directing his companion to guide stretcher bearers along the cleared route, Major Gray moved one of the casualties away from a sensitized mine and began administering. Administering first aid to the injured Marines. When stretcher bearers arrived, he directed the safe evacuation of the casualties through the minefield. Subsequently, he maneuvered through the dangerous area to the side of the mortally wounded Marine and left the hazardous area only after he was assured that the man was dead. His timely and heroic actions in the face of great personal danger inspired all those who served with him and were instrumental in saving the lives of two Marines. By his inspiring courage, bold initiative, and selfless devotion to duty, Major Gray upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval service. And that right there is a quote from the Silver star citation of Major Alfred Gray, who eventually became the legendary General Al Gray, Commandant of the Marine Corps from July 7, 1987, until June 30, 1991. He always stood out because he's the only or one of the reasons that he stood out. He's the only commandant to have his official Marine Corps commandant picture taken in his camouflage uniform. So when you look at the long line of commandants of the Marine Corps, they're all in their dress uniforms except for General Gray, who's just in his cammies, reminding all Marines that they are riflemen and warriors, and they're meant for war and not for peace. So General Gray, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1950. He was commissioned in 1952. He served in Korea with the 1st Marine Division. He served in Vietnam as well. And as I mentioned, he was awarded the Silver Star there. He commanded 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. He made full colonel in 1972. He made brigadier general in 1976. He made major general in 1980, commanded the 2nd Marine Division. He was promoted to lieutenant general in 1984 and he's finally promoted to four star and commandant of the Marine Corps, like I said in 1987 until he retired in 1991 after 41 years of service. And while he was a commandant, he was. He drove maneuver warfare and brain power as the crucial weapon of war. He oversaw the creation of FM FM1 war fighting, which was we covered on this podcast. It's just an outstanding field manual we covered on podcast 35. So that was like almost 10 years ago. We covered FM FM1 war fighting. And he made war fighting not just the manual, but the action, the focus of the Marine Corps. And he had a lasting impact on Marines and sailors like me as well, who heard about him because he was the commandant when I first came in the Navy. He died on March 24, 2024 at the age of 95 in Alexandria, Virginia. Now there's a place called the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. And, and they made a document called Gray Isms. Gray Isms and Other Thoughts on Leadership from General Al Gray. It was compiled by a guy named Paul Ott who was also Marine, was published by the Potomac Institute Press, and I think it captures some of the lessons from this great leader and from people who learned from him and they pass it on in this. You call it a book or a document? I don't know, but this book, we'll call it a book, Gray Isms and Other Thoughts on Leadership. So let's get to it. You can get this, by the way, you can just download this, it's online. Here's the intro. From the very beginning of working with General Gray, there were several things that became very obvious. Foremost are how much he loves his Marines along with the sailors who serve with them, and how much they love and respect him in return. He has great ad from admiration for all armed forces. Another thing is how humble he really is. It's never been and never will be about him. And part of that respect is off how often people have General Gray stories to share with you. We gave them a name, Gray Isms. So that's kind of where, where this stuff comes from. Fast forward a little bit. We were able to gain greater insight into this very special Marine who took what he got and made what he wanted. This book is a compilation of many sayings we have heard and heard repeated as they have been shared form from one Marine to another. And that's from Paul Ott, Corporal USMC 1961-1965. And they wrote this book in 2014. I think it came out in 2015. So, General Gray, there's some cool. The cool thing about these modern generals is there's, like, videos of him talking and you can see he's fired up. What are Gray isms? Gray isms are the embodiment. Embodiment of simplicity. The listing is in no particular order of importance. Grisms, like other words of guidance, become important when they are applied as evidence. From the many times these statements were repeated, they were. They are important to the Marines that remember them. If applied, they will become important to any leader. Straightforward. This guy's just a straight shooter. And guess what it starts off with. Well, the one I'm gonna start with. You are the one responsible. Boom, there you go. General Gray has always seen himself as the one ultimately responsible for what happened to his Marines. In 1990, after a helicopter crash in Korea, Marines were medically evacuated to a burn center in San Antonio, Texas. Sergeant Major Summers was with him when General Gray walked into the waiting room, told the families assembly assembled there that he was responsible for their son's injuries, and asked them what he could do to help. This took moral courage. So there you go. This is such an awesome example of ownership, because here's the commandant of the Marine Corps in charge of almost 300,000 Marines, and there's a helicopter crash. Now, was he flying that helicopter? Was he near that helicopter? Was he in charge of the helicopter's maintenance? Did he come up with a flight plan? Did he even know that thing was happening? No, of course not. He's in charge of 300,000 Marines. But he knows that as the commodore commandant, he is ultimately responsible. That's what I called extreme ownership in the book Extreme Ownership. Fast forward a little bit. It goes back to General John A. Lejeune, our 13th Commandant, when he said that the relationship between officers and enlisted Marines is not one of a superior to subordinate, but more like a teacher and a scholar. And he implored that all Marines should be responsible for their activities and that you owe it to your Marines to see to it that each one is stronger morally, mentally, and physically when he leaves you than when he joins you. And that's the cardinal thought process that Marine commandants share and accept as a responsibility. So that's the way it all starts off. You are the one responsible. There's a little story here. This is under the title Hold Them Together and Point Them in the Right Direction. During Desert Storm and Desert Shield, General Gray went to visit the troops often. The mission each time was to talk to as Many young officers and NCOs as possible. The message, the message, the most critical leadership point is in the first 15 seconds, hold your Marines together and point them in the right direction. Boom. The hardest thing to was when he had to come back to Washington. Sergeant Major Summers said that the general is worried about his Marines and the chemical threat. General Gray was very, very concerned with the possibility of heavy casualties As a result. We spent a lot of time going from one unit to another. I sat in meetings with him constantly. We would come out of the meetings and we would discuss what went on in the meeting. And it was always, what do you think, Sergeant Major? I also often shared with him my worry for him personally. He was so concerned that I was becoming increasingly concerned about his own health. The man didn't sleep, he didn't eat. He was constantly traveling, constantly working, constantly preaching the message of preparedness. And that's from Sergeant Major Summers, who wrote a book called Uncommon Men. So he continues on here. The greatest tribute to General Gray's philosophy for leading came during Desert Storm. There wasn't an officer or enlisted leader on the battlefield that was afraid to make a decision following the maneuver thought process, mission guidance, and commander's intent. So I'll say that again. There wasn't an officer or an enlisted guy that wasn't. That was hesitant to make a decision. They were going to make decisions. That's decentralized command continuing on. We had focused so hard on our capability, on training, on maneuver warfare, on all the things we did in the liberation of Kuwait. To me, it was the final examination. Does it work? Yes, it did. Our Marines went through that place like a knife through butter. We saw young officers and young corporals and sergeants who, in the true sense of maneuver warfare, didn't have to worry about getting authority from higher command. They understood the commander's intent, and that freed them to do what they had to do. So, again, this is decentralized command. Everyone is a leader, and they've got to understand not just what they're doing, but why they're doing it. Next title. Next quote. Don't paint rocks. You ever been on a Marine Corps base?