WEBVTT 00:01.240 --> 00:03.930 please welcome the commanding general , 00:03.940 --> 00:06.360 Major General D A . Sims . 00:10.140 --> 00:13.260 Thank you . Mhm . 00:17.040 --> 00:20.960 So again , Thio , everybody , 00:21.110 --> 00:23.480 everybody joining us . We certainly 00:23.480 --> 00:25.647 appreciate you taking time out of your 00:25.647 --> 00:27.813 day , whether your virtual or you here 00:27.813 --> 00:30.091 today Thank you for for coming . Y'all . 00:30.091 --> 00:32.313 It's a It's a real big deal as we start 00:32.313 --> 00:34.480 this off . For those joining virtually 00:34.480 --> 00:36.536 I mentioned earlier it's about , you 00:36.536 --> 00:38.869 know , it's probably only negative five . 00:38.869 --> 00:41.036 Now it's really cold . I mean , I just 00:41.036 --> 00:43.147 point that out and our power did Come 00:43.147 --> 00:44.813 on , of course , after we got 00:44.813 --> 00:46.758 everything set up here . But we're 00:46.758 --> 00:48.758 really excited to start off our our 00:48.758 --> 00:48.470 lecture . Siri's . So , ladies and 00:48.470 --> 00:50.692 gentlemen to the first division in Fort 00:50.692 --> 00:52.470 Riley , special guests here and 00:52.470 --> 00:54.581 virtually welcome to the first leader 00:54.581 --> 00:56.526 session of the Big Red one year of 00:56.526 --> 00:58.414 honor in the next 11 months . Our 00:58.414 --> 01:00.137 intent is to bring you amazing 01:00.137 --> 01:02.303 Americans , military and civilian , to 01:02.303 --> 01:04.470 tell you their stories of living lives 01:04.470 --> 01:06.581 of honor and as a result , to instill 01:06.581 --> 01:08.414 in each of us a greater sense of 01:08.414 --> 01:10.581 connection to this story division , to 01:10.581 --> 01:12.581 our army , our country , and to one 01:12.581 --> 01:14.637 another , and to deepen our personal 01:14.637 --> 01:16.748 understanding of character we divided 01:16.748 --> 01:18.692 our months into three categories . 01:18.692 --> 01:20.680 Valor , victory or virtue and have 01:20.680 --> 01:22.736 invited people of all backgrounds to 01:22.736 --> 01:25.340 discuss what to discuss with us , what 01:25.340 --> 01:27.990 it means to live lives of honor . And 01:27.990 --> 01:30.101 we could not have asked anyone better 01:30.101 --> 01:32.046 to start off our Siri's than staff 01:32.046 --> 01:34.370 Sergeant David Bellavia if you were 01:34.370 --> 01:36.537 tuned into our kickoff event a bit ago 01:37.040 --> 01:39.100 or you knew of him before . You're 01:39.100 --> 01:40.600 aware of his extraordinary 01:40.600 --> 01:42.656 demonstration of valor in Fallujah , 01:42.656 --> 01:44.600 Iraq , in November 2000 and four . 01:44.940 --> 01:47.310 Having been in Mosul at the same time , 01:47.410 --> 01:49.521 I can say with personal understanding 01:49.521 --> 01:52.150 that the fall of 2004 was a time of 01:52.150 --> 01:54.610 great ferocity in the country . Nowhere 01:54.610 --> 01:56.870 Mawr than Fallujah , where staffs are 01:56.870 --> 01:58.814 in Bolivia , was a squad leader in 01:58.814 --> 02:00.814 third Platoon Alfa Company , second 02:00.814 --> 02:02.981 Battalion , second Infantry Regiment , 02:02.981 --> 02:05.148 part of the third Brigade of the first 02:05.148 --> 02:07.426 entry division on the 10th of November . 02:07.426 --> 02:09.648 Staffs are in Bolivia . Squad was given 02:09.648 --> 02:11.981 the mission to clear a syriza buildings , 02:11.981 --> 02:14.092 where it was believed a squad's worth 02:14.092 --> 02:13.860 of insurgents were taking shelter . 02:14.540 --> 02:16.596 After clearing a number of buildings 02:16.596 --> 02:18.651 but no sign of the enemy , his squad 02:18.651 --> 02:20.762 walked into an ambush in one building 02:20.762 --> 02:22.707 from which they took immediate and 02:22.707 --> 02:24.929 effective machine gun fire . I won't do 02:24.929 --> 02:26.651 the story , justice . But what 02:26.651 --> 02:28.651 transpired next would lead to staff 02:28.651 --> 02:30.762 Sergeant Bolivia earning our nation's 02:30.762 --> 02:32.929 highest award for valor . The Medal of 02:32.929 --> 02:34.984 Honor is an enormous honor for me to 02:34.984 --> 02:37.151 introduce him to you today . And to be 02:37.151 --> 02:39.373 present as our first speaker of the Big 02:39.373 --> 02:41.262 Red one Honor discussion . Siri's 02:41.262 --> 02:43.390 begins . Ladies and gentlemen , Staff 02:43.390 --> 02:44.834 Sergeant David Bellavia . 02:52.040 --> 02:52.550 Mm . 02:57.540 --> 02:58.540 It's all you . 03:06.240 --> 03:07.573 Okay . Thank you . Very 03:09.200 --> 03:12.780 appreciate it . Um , it's good to be 03:12.780 --> 03:16.710 home . I , uh I 03:16.720 --> 03:19.130 can't tell you how excited today I am 03:19.130 --> 03:22.660 just to see that , you know , that 03:23.140 --> 03:26.560 unit insignia was 03:26.940 --> 03:29.218 one of the greatest moments of my life . 03:29.218 --> 03:32.020 Was wearing that in combat . That meant 03:32.020 --> 03:35.420 a lot of things . The enemy called this 03:35.820 --> 03:39.730 head moves shot , which went number one , 03:39.740 --> 03:42.073 Infantry , basically number one soldier . 03:42.640 --> 03:46.070 And it it meant mawr than just 03:46.080 --> 03:49.510 American vengeance and defending our 03:49.510 --> 03:51.980 country . But it meant that you are 03:51.980 --> 03:54.202 always going to be treated with dignity 03:54.202 --> 03:57.920 and respect . Um , when we went to 03:57.920 --> 04:01.580 someone's house and we looked for bomb 04:01.580 --> 04:03.960 making material , the first Infantry 04:03.960 --> 04:06.182 Division took an inventory and wrote it 04:06.182 --> 04:09.360 down . We took photos , and we returned 04:09.690 --> 04:12.250 the property of people who didn't do 04:12.250 --> 04:15.080 anything wrong . Locals , civilians 04:15.080 --> 04:17.280 were blown away by that That never 04:17.280 --> 04:19.620 happened to him before . This was the 04:19.620 --> 04:21.650 first time they've seen American 04:21.650 --> 04:24.580 Soldier before . And that Big Red one 04:25.140 --> 04:26.973 meant that they were going to be 04:26.973 --> 04:29.084 treated with respect and that we were 04:29.084 --> 04:31.260 the good guys . Always the good guys . 04:32.010 --> 04:34.250 And it's great to hear that . 04:35.240 --> 04:37.690 It's great . Thio also know that the 04:37.690 --> 04:38.260 enemy 04:45.740 --> 04:48.650 and to be around this division , 04:49.140 --> 04:52.340 uh , Major General Sims commands are 04:52.340 --> 04:54.760 Major Harris . Thank you for your 04:54.760 --> 04:57.070 hospitality , but more importantly , 04:57.080 --> 04:59.302 this is a stronger , more disciplined , 04:59.302 --> 05:01.460 better division than it was when I 05:01.460 --> 05:03.700 served . And you're all a testament to 05:03.700 --> 05:06.850 that . So it's nice to know that 05:07.440 --> 05:09.500 that you maintained and brought the 05:09.500 --> 05:11.611 standard up to a new level . So thank 05:11.611 --> 05:15.530 you . As we 05:15.530 --> 05:17.863 prepare for questions from the audience . 05:17.863 --> 05:20.580 I just want to start off with a quick 05:20.580 --> 05:24.100 question for you . Thanks . So one of 05:24.100 --> 05:25.989 the initiatives here is Operation 05:25.989 --> 05:28.380 Victory . Well , it is built to build 05:28.380 --> 05:31.260 resilience in our soldiers families . 05:31.640 --> 05:33.640 It's civilians that work your first 05:33.640 --> 05:36.060 Infantry division of Fort Riley . I 05:36.060 --> 05:38.210 just want toe . Have you expound on 05:38.220 --> 05:40.380 your example of resilience . You 05:40.380 --> 05:42.920 initially went into the house . You had 05:42.920 --> 05:45.220 to come out . And then what was it ? 05:45.230 --> 05:47.563 What was that character ? What was that ? 05:47.563 --> 05:50.050 Dr for you to go back in to take the 05:50.050 --> 05:52.460 actions you took on that day . 05:54.740 --> 05:58.460 Do I use this or Yeah . Well , um , 05:58.940 --> 06:02.670 honestly , my I took a lot 06:02.670 --> 06:05.400 of pride being a first Infantry 06:05.400 --> 06:07.700 Division soldier . I know it . It 06:07.700 --> 06:10.890 sounds cliche , but we have our own 06:10.890 --> 06:13.820 movie , right ? No other division of 06:13.820 --> 06:16.660 the army can say that . And growing up , 06:17.730 --> 06:19.952 if you're going to serve your country , 06:19.952 --> 06:21.952 you got to do in the army If you're 06:21.952 --> 06:23.897 going to join the Army , if you're 06:23.897 --> 06:25.952 gonna be a soldier , you gotta be an 06:25.952 --> 06:28.119 infantry soldier . And if you're gonna 06:28.119 --> 06:30.341 be an infantry soldier , you gotta be a 06:30.341 --> 06:30.160 member of the first Infantry Division . 06:30.170 --> 06:32.590 That was it . I didn't want to do it 06:32.590 --> 06:34.812 unless I could be in the first Infantry 06:34.812 --> 06:37.034 Division . That was That's all I wanted 06:37.034 --> 06:40.950 to dio . Um and I remember 06:41.040 --> 06:42.873 just hearing the stories from my 06:42.873 --> 06:45.780 granddad in World War Two . Uh , I 06:45.790 --> 06:48.930 couldn't believe that the enemy we're 06:48.930 --> 06:51.041 gonna make close quarter contact with 06:51.041 --> 06:54.230 the enemy and they were gonna think 06:54.230 --> 06:56.840 that they could stand up toe to toe 06:56.840 --> 06:59.470 with us . It infuriated me , 07:00.040 --> 07:03.550 and I served with 07:03.560 --> 07:06.750 outstanding men and women who just took 07:06.750 --> 07:10.220 leadership . As you know , what 07:10.220 --> 07:12.720 motivates you to do the things that you 07:12.720 --> 07:15.590 do on a daily basis ? You know , it's 07:15.590 --> 07:18.920 love . It really Is it za building 07:18.920 --> 07:21.300 block of why we do what we dio ? And 07:21.300 --> 07:23.650 it's crazy to say , you know , combat . 07:24.110 --> 07:26.220 It's violent . It's ghastly . It's 07:26.220 --> 07:29.400 ghoulish , but it's based out of love . 07:29.400 --> 07:31.456 You you do things because you really 07:31.456 --> 07:33.622 care for people . And I was just lucky 07:33.622 --> 07:35.844 enough to serve with leadership who was 07:36.140 --> 07:39.390 in front of me . Commission 07:39.390 --> 07:42.850 officers standing in front . Captain 07:42.850 --> 07:44.961 Sean Sam's . My company commander was 07:44.961 --> 07:47.017 killed in a house fight . Lieutenant 07:47.020 --> 07:49.190 Edward , I want my executive officer 07:49.210 --> 07:51.321 was killed in close quarter contact . 07:51.321 --> 07:53.377 My sergeant Major commands are Major 07:53.377 --> 07:55.960 Steven Falkenberg , the first fatality 07:55.970 --> 07:59.080 in Fallujah . These are not IEDs . 07:59.540 --> 08:02.070 They're not random . They're not 08:02.070 --> 08:04.740 artillery fire . These were men who 08:04.740 --> 08:06.962 knew the enemy was in front of them and 08:06.962 --> 08:10.260 went anyway . Um , they didn't have to . 08:10.840 --> 08:13.120 They did it because that's what we do 08:13.120 --> 08:15.480 in the first Infantry Division . It's 08:15.480 --> 08:17.540 always about duty it's it's always 08:17.540 --> 08:20.410 about leading from from the front . An 08:20.410 --> 08:23.840 example , Um , but honestly , you know , 08:23.840 --> 08:25.562 people talk all the time about 08:25.562 --> 08:27.620 leadership during co vid soldering 08:27.620 --> 08:30.000 during Covic leadership during combat . 08:30.010 --> 08:32.270 What's what . What's your advice for 08:32.270 --> 08:34.430 people that are leading , you know 08:34.430 --> 08:37.430 during a time of uncertainty , whether 08:37.430 --> 08:39.486 it's what's happened in the world or 08:39.486 --> 08:41.541 what's happening with the pandemic . 08:41.541 --> 08:43.541 Leadership is leadership . When the 08:43.541 --> 08:45.597 bullets start flying , that's really 08:45.597 --> 08:48.230 when you earn it . But you don't change 08:48.230 --> 08:50.286 your leadership style because things 08:50.286 --> 08:52.452 were rough outside . You're a leader . 08:52.640 --> 08:54.696 During Garrison , you're a leader at 08:54.696 --> 08:56.973 peace time . Then when Cove it happens , 08:56.973 --> 08:59.560 you show what kind of you show what the 08:59.560 --> 09:01.782 application of that leadership is . But 09:01.782 --> 09:03.838 if you're changing leadership styles 09:03.838 --> 09:05.838 because of what's happening outside 09:05.838 --> 09:07.893 theme out of mortars coming in , you 09:07.893 --> 09:10.116 know , battle drills or battle drills . 09:10.116 --> 09:12.004 Reacting to contact , reacting to 09:12.004 --> 09:14.171 contact and leadership is consistent . 09:14.171 --> 09:15.727 Find your style . No , your 09:15.727 --> 09:17.949 subordinates know what motivates them , 09:17.949 --> 09:21.080 and then when it becomes riel , that's 09:21.080 --> 09:23.590 really the easiest part . The hardest 09:23.590 --> 09:26.160 part is Garrison at peace . The hardest 09:26.160 --> 09:28.970 part is establishing consistency that 09:28.970 --> 09:31.650 your subordinates know that this is the 09:31.650 --> 09:34.120 standard , and this is the you know 09:34.120 --> 09:36.287 this is how we maintain the standard . 09:36.287 --> 09:38.630 Um , but when it's difficulty , it's 09:38.630 --> 09:40.963 actually the easiest thing in the world . 09:40.963 --> 09:42.797 You don't You don't have to make 09:42.797 --> 09:45.019 anything up those bullets air coming at 09:45.019 --> 09:46.963 us . You know , we all know that . 09:47.550 --> 09:49.717 Let's just do what we're trained to do 09:49.717 --> 09:52.100 and show the enemy that that first 09:52.100 --> 09:54.540 Infantry Division , that Swagger didn't 09:54.540 --> 09:57.780 end in Vietnam that swaggered and stop 09:57.780 --> 10:00.990 enormity . Or Cantigny , that Swagger's 10:00.990 --> 10:04.690 here today . And , you know , that 10:04.700 --> 10:06.089 unit means a whole lot . 10:08.540 --> 10:11.760 Thank you . What railway ? 10:14.440 --> 10:17.860 What ? I'm sorry , but a long way for 10:18.340 --> 10:22.160 God or 10:22.740 --> 10:26.550 Bonds that bring for two 10:26.550 --> 10:29.460 years , right ? Forces ? 10:34.440 --> 10:35.440 Well , 10:41.240 --> 10:44.970 you know , I always , uh I always judge 10:44.980 --> 10:47.470 ah , soldier about how they act in the 10:47.470 --> 10:51.010 rain . Rain is the ultimate . 10:51.020 --> 10:53.180 Uh , it's the common denominator , 10:53.190 --> 10:56.830 right ? You know , we stand there in 10:56.830 --> 10:58.663 the cold . It's miserable , your 10:58.663 --> 11:02.110 miserable I'm miserable . Uh , how do 11:02.110 --> 11:04.920 you react to that ? Are you the leader 11:04.930 --> 11:06.708 that is going to complain about 11:06.708 --> 11:08.763 leadership ? Are you the Are you the 11:08.763 --> 11:10.830 small unit leader that always talks 11:10.830 --> 11:12.700 about the platoon Sergeant ? The 11:12.700 --> 11:14.478 platoon leader of the company , 11:14.478 --> 11:16.422 commander of the battalion to your 11:16.422 --> 11:18.478 subordinates ? Are you the person is 11:18.478 --> 11:20.644 going to complain about the rain . Are 11:20.644 --> 11:22.867 you gonna complain about how hungry you 11:22.867 --> 11:26.160 are , How tired you are ? Um , as a 11:26.160 --> 11:29.120 squad leader , I take 11:29.330 --> 11:32.460 information , and it stops in me . Uh , 11:32.940 --> 11:35.162 my soldiers know exactly what they need 11:35.162 --> 11:38.290 to know , and I don't I don't need them 11:38.290 --> 11:40.700 as a vetting session . They're not 11:40.700 --> 11:43.640 there as as , you know , a sounding 11:43.640 --> 11:47.320 board for me at the same time . I know 11:47.320 --> 11:50.690 exactly what kind of nothing shocked me 11:50.690 --> 11:53.230 about my soldiers under fire . I didn't 11:53.230 --> 11:56.460 learn anything about my soldiers at war . 11:57.040 --> 11:59.040 My So I learned everything about my 11:59.040 --> 12:01.960 soldiers before I went toe war . I 12:01.960 --> 12:04.170 don't want if you can't handle getting 12:04.170 --> 12:07.920 a copy done or , you know , I get a cup 12:07.920 --> 12:10.142 of coffee , you're not gonna be able to 12:10.142 --> 12:12.420 handle anything when it gets stressful . 12:12.420 --> 12:14.420 I knew everything about my soldiers 12:14.420 --> 12:16.476 before a bullet was fired . And when 12:16.476 --> 12:19.260 everyone told me how impressive Ruiz 12:19.260 --> 12:22.660 waas or the whole list or nap , um , 12:22.670 --> 12:25.350 Sandoz any of the guys that they told 12:25.350 --> 12:28.460 me Man , your soldier is incredible . I 12:28.460 --> 12:30.460 know . Yeah , you're right . I know 12:30.460 --> 12:33.620 that . You know , for a fact you're 12:33.620 --> 12:36.100 never gonna tell me my soldier ran the 12:36.100 --> 12:38.670 opposite direction or my soldier didn't 12:38.670 --> 12:41.000 do what they were supposed to do . I 12:41.000 --> 12:43.290 knew exactly how they would respond 12:43.840 --> 12:46.007 because I knew everything about them . 12:46.007 --> 12:48.710 I know what motivated them . I know 12:48.720 --> 12:51.750 what they how how they 12:51.750 --> 12:55.420 were , how they were validated as 12:55.430 --> 12:58.450 a Zeman . I knew 12:58.940 --> 13:02.050 the things that the buttons that if you 13:02.050 --> 13:04.217 pushed , you're not going to get , you 13:04.217 --> 13:07.450 know , a reaction that you want . But 13:07.460 --> 13:09.793 But I knew that I knew them in Garrison , 13:09.793 --> 13:13.100 um , and necessarily wasn't great 13:13.100 --> 13:15.433 friends . I don't need to be your buddy . 13:15.433 --> 13:17.322 I'm not . I'm not there . Thio be 13:17.322 --> 13:19.489 anything but a surrogate father in the 13:19.489 --> 13:21.656 sense of on the squad leader . But for 13:21.656 --> 13:23.711 the most part , nothing should shock 13:23.711 --> 13:26.390 you during adverse times about your 13:26.390 --> 13:28.680 subordinates . If you're like Holt , I 13:28.690 --> 13:31.350 never expected him to do that . I never 13:31.350 --> 13:34.690 expected her to react that way . Well , 13:34.690 --> 13:36.968 then you need to find a new profession , 13:37.140 --> 13:39.580 because on game day you should know 13:39.580 --> 13:41.691 exactly what your team is going to do 13:41.691 --> 13:44.310 because they're your team . You're the 13:44.310 --> 13:46.580 coach . You're putting them out there . 13:46.590 --> 13:48.590 You're feeding them . You're making 13:48.590 --> 13:50.646 sure that they're doing everything . 13:50.646 --> 13:52.812 They're supposed to dio those values . 13:52.812 --> 13:55.800 I know what what my guys are lacking at . 13:55.800 --> 13:58.078 I know what my guys are really good at . 13:58.078 --> 14:00.189 Trying to get them to be better every 14:00.189 --> 14:02.930 single day is the goal . Sometimes 14:02.930 --> 14:04.986 you're successful . Sometimes you're 14:04.986 --> 14:07.263 not . Sometimes you have to get better . 14:07.263 --> 14:09.760 But for the most part , uh , when it , 14:09.770 --> 14:11.940 when it becomes riel , is when you see 14:11.950 --> 14:14.870 every bit of your hard work manifest if 14:14.870 --> 14:16.981 you have a selfish soldier and you're 14:16.981 --> 14:19.148 not correcting your soldier to be self 14:19.148 --> 14:21.150 less if you're not encouraging them 14:21.150 --> 14:24.070 Thio see themselves as an individual in 14:24.070 --> 14:26.960 a community . If they don't get that in 14:26.960 --> 14:29.290 Garrison , guess what's gonna happen 14:29.290 --> 14:31.700 when the bullets start flying . Guess 14:31.700 --> 14:33.756 what's going to start happening when 14:33.756 --> 14:35.922 everyone has to be on lockdowns . When 14:35.922 --> 14:37.756 everyone has to be on a curfew , 14:37.756 --> 14:39.922 they're gonna be the ones that want to 14:39.922 --> 14:42.033 get that pizza . They're gonna be the 14:42.033 --> 14:44.144 one they're gonna find a way to to do 14:44.144 --> 14:46.144 something for themselves . Identify 14:46.144 --> 14:49.160 that now and make sure that you are 14:49.640 --> 14:53.250 reminding your team that this 14:53.260 --> 14:56.230 is our family and there's a lot of 14:56.230 --> 14:58.341 division in the world . There's a lot 14:58.341 --> 15:00.174 of reasons why people want to be 15:00.174 --> 15:03.050 divided , but we are green and we're 15:03.050 --> 15:06.840 red and everything else where this is 15:06.840 --> 15:09.940 our family . And this is the big Red 15:09.940 --> 15:11.940 One is the world's largest adoption 15:11.940 --> 15:14.720 agency . Right ? We'll take you from 15:14.720 --> 15:16.831 whatever walk of life you came from . 15:16.831 --> 15:18.998 Your parents are rich . You don't know 15:18.998 --> 15:20.998 who your parents are . Guess what ? 15:20.998 --> 15:23.390 This is your family now . We are a 15:23.390 --> 15:25.446 family , and we're gonna get through 15:25.446 --> 15:27.501 this no matter what . We kicked down 15:27.501 --> 15:30.450 the door and we see Lucifer himself 15:30.460 --> 15:33.660 playing cards at a table . Guess what ? 15:34.240 --> 15:37.510 We have a battle drill for that . There 15:37.510 --> 15:39.732 is nothing that can take you . There is 15:39.732 --> 15:41.954 nothing that's gonna lick you . There's 15:41.954 --> 15:43.954 nothing that's gonna set you back . 15:43.954 --> 15:46.010 There is nothing that can defeat you 15:46.010 --> 15:47.899 because I'm promising you as your 15:47.899 --> 15:50.290 leader that no matter what you go 15:50.290 --> 15:53.860 through , I am right by your side . 15:54.640 --> 15:57.170 Maybe two steps in front of you . But 15:57.170 --> 15:59.448 I'm right there . And if I could do it , 15:59.940 --> 16:02.770 you're doing it too . You're never 16:02.770 --> 16:04.826 gonna tell me a story about what you 16:04.826 --> 16:07.050 went through . I'm never gonna ask you 16:07.060 --> 16:10.970 what happened . Then I'm there , right ? 16:10.980 --> 16:13.147 That's what leaders do were there were 16:13.147 --> 16:15.150 there to see the story . So 16:16.120 --> 16:19.420 you you work with your team like that . 16:19.420 --> 16:22.910 And that's the results you get . And I 16:22.920 --> 16:25.810 was just an example of leadership . My 16:25.810 --> 16:27.477 commission officers might not 16:27.477 --> 16:30.540 commission officers , you know , they 16:30.550 --> 16:32.883 taught me well . They raised me , right ? 16:34.940 --> 16:35.940 Yeah . 16:38.640 --> 16:42.280 Thank you . Training environment ? What 16:42.280 --> 16:44.970 would you tell your peers ? Wall Street . 16:46.240 --> 16:48.470 What ? They so right ? 16:51.440 --> 16:54.150 Applause That did 16:56.240 --> 16:57.240 they . 17:01.040 --> 17:03.960 So I was in Germany . Vilsack , Germany . 17:03.970 --> 17:06.740 Third Brigade , first Infantry Division , 17:06.750 --> 17:09.910 22 Infantry And everything in 17:09.920 --> 17:13.700 Germany is from World War Two . And we 17:13.700 --> 17:16.010 were not getting the modern equipment 17:16.010 --> 17:18.177 that everyone else was getting . We're 17:18.177 --> 17:20.343 getting ready for combat . And our saw 17:20.343 --> 17:22.343 gunners are younger than the saws . 17:22.343 --> 17:25.380 They're firing , right ? These songs 17:25.380 --> 17:28.780 came out in 1985 86 are saw . Gunners 17:28.780 --> 17:31.590 were younger than the the songs that 17:31.590 --> 17:33.312 they were operating . I was so 17:33.312 --> 17:35.670 frustrated , so frustrated . And 17:35.670 --> 17:38.100 training and Garrison Blank live fire . 17:38.160 --> 17:40.630 I could not get mawr than a two second 17:40.630 --> 17:43.360 burst before my guys were jamming up 17:43.740 --> 17:45.407 and they were just correcting 17:45.407 --> 17:47.407 malfunctions left and right . And I 17:47.407 --> 17:49.462 complained to my platoon sergeant to 17:49.462 --> 17:51.573 anyone that would listen . I need new 17:51.573 --> 17:55.090 saw guns and I had they member of my 17:55.090 --> 17:57.146 brigade come up to me and said , How 17:57.146 --> 17:59.860 about you train them to correct 17:59.860 --> 18:02.740 malfunctions and guess what's gonna 18:02.740 --> 18:04.796 happen . You're gonna have brand new 18:04.796 --> 18:06.907 sauce when you're in the fight . This 18:06.907 --> 18:08.796 isn't gonna be a problem when you 18:08.796 --> 18:11.630 deploy to combat promise you that learn 18:11.630 --> 18:13.852 how to correct the malfunctions . Now , 18:14.260 --> 18:16.790 I had a kid that literally his saw was 18:16.790 --> 18:20.210 a semi automatic ever boom boom . 18:20.250 --> 18:23.470 Every time we get down range with our 18:23.470 --> 18:25.850 brand new sauce as promised by our 18:25.850 --> 18:27.906 division and our brigade here on the 18:27.906 --> 18:30.610 brand new saws . Guess what happened . 18:30.860 --> 18:34.060 That same kid in a doorway . Any 18:34.060 --> 18:36.390 malfunction ? He corrected that like he 18:36.390 --> 18:38.501 was on the Olympic malfunction team . 18:39.140 --> 18:43.120 It was unbelievable . E mean , double 18:43.120 --> 18:45.890 feeds . You bring it . He this thing , 18:45.890 --> 18:48.770 this every one of those guys was able 18:48.780 --> 18:52.200 to control their own destiny because we 18:52.200 --> 18:54.200 didn't just stand there and look at 18:54.200 --> 18:56.256 this subpar equipment that we didn't 18:56.256 --> 18:58.367 understand . And we didn't understand 18:58.367 --> 19:00.533 the supply chain of the Army . We used 19:00.533 --> 19:03.930 it as a learning lesson . And no matter 19:03.930 --> 19:07.360 how or how nasty things got Holy 19:07.370 --> 19:10.770 uh , Maxfield Ruiz . 19:11.140 --> 19:14.930 Uh , Matt Calf , All these kids , 19:14.940 --> 19:17.700 every time they got a jam , that thing 19:17.700 --> 19:19.690 was done through and round , we're 19:19.690 --> 19:22.690 going down range , and it's just a 19:22.690 --> 19:25.040 matter of constantly focusing . You 19:25.040 --> 19:27.207 know , we look at our battle drills in 19:27.207 --> 19:29.970 the infantry , right ? Bunkers ? Well , 19:29.980 --> 19:32.290 we have , Ah , battle drill for for 19:32.290 --> 19:35.370 room clearing . We have a bunker drill . 19:35.370 --> 19:37.703 When are you ever going to see a bunker ? 19:37.703 --> 19:39.580 When ? Very few times on the 19:39.580 --> 19:41.790 battlefield . In the modern built up 19:41.790 --> 19:43.901 area . Are you going to see an actual 19:43.901 --> 19:46.068 bunker ? There's an opening . There is 19:46.068 --> 19:48.390 a crew served weapon , you know . Go 19:48.390 --> 19:50.668 ahead and do execute battle Drill five , 19:50.668 --> 19:52.930 Right . Well , a person shooting out of 19:52.930 --> 19:55.670 a window . That's a bunker . 19:56.240 --> 19:58.440 You can literally take your 19:58.440 --> 20:00.662 fundamentals of everything you learn in 20:00.662 --> 20:02.970 your battle drill and apply it . Thio 20:02.980 --> 20:05.710 every aspect of the battlefield . And 20:05.710 --> 20:07.599 you could take all the leadership 20:07.599 --> 20:10.990 vignettes in every army , uh , guidance 20:10.990 --> 20:12.990 of every field manual . And you can 20:12.990 --> 20:15.930 apply it to every single day . Reality . 20:15.940 --> 20:17.996 Everything that we go through , it's 20:17.996 --> 20:20.260 all right there . All that is asked of 20:20.260 --> 20:24.260 you is that you're consistent , right ? 20:24.640 --> 20:26.540 I mean , way talk about equal 20:26.540 --> 20:28.870 opportunity and treating people with 20:28.870 --> 20:31.540 dignity and respect . Is that good for 20:31.540 --> 20:34.160 promotions ? Do we treat people with 20:34.160 --> 20:36.382 dignity , respect because it's good for 20:36.382 --> 20:38.760 mission success . Does it help us win 20:38.760 --> 20:40.760 wars to treat people with dignity ? 20:40.760 --> 20:43.230 Respect ? Or is it what we're supposed 20:43.230 --> 20:46.890 to do ? As soldiers maintained the 20:46.890 --> 20:50.790 standard that everyone is treated with 20:50.790 --> 20:53.320 dignity and respect ? I don't need to 20:53.320 --> 20:56.180 put that in my , you know . And so we 20:56.180 --> 20:58.650 are in this rating cycle . He treated 20:58.650 --> 21:01.550 everyone with dignity , respect in this 21:01.550 --> 21:03.606 race , he should be promoted . Why ? 21:03.606 --> 21:05.717 Because he treats people with dignity 21:05.717 --> 21:07.990 and respect . That's your job . It's 21:07.990 --> 21:10.560 like saying he hit targets at 50 m . I 21:10.560 --> 21:12.727 hope to God you should be able to spit 21:12.727 --> 21:14.949 a tick tack at 50 m . You want me to do 21:14.949 --> 21:17.116 a cartwheel because you're not passing 21:17.116 --> 21:19.720 out after a two mile run ? That's the 21:19.720 --> 21:22.560 job . The job . We're not here to 21:22.560 --> 21:26.110 maintain the standard . The first 21:26.110 --> 21:28.388 Infantry Division exceeds the standard . 21:29.240 --> 21:31.407 Every single generation is better than 21:31.407 --> 21:33.518 the previous . And that means that if 21:33.518 --> 21:35.629 you get a subordinate , that's better 21:35.629 --> 21:38.190 than you . Guess what ? We don't We 21:38.190 --> 21:40.650 don't snuff that out . We don't We 21:40.650 --> 21:42.700 don't think that that e five that's 21:42.710 --> 21:44.710 hard charging and getting a college 21:44.710 --> 21:46.950 degree is gonna one day take us out , 21:47.940 --> 21:50.730 right ? We see that hard charging E 21:50.730 --> 21:52.841 five is someone who's gonna raise our 21:52.841 --> 21:54.800 son and daughter to be a warrior 21:54.800 --> 21:57.570 themselves . That e five that's hard 21:57.570 --> 21:59.903 charging is gonna make us a better unit . 22:00.440 --> 22:02.551 He's going to make us more deadly and 22:02.551 --> 22:04.773 disciplined on the battlefield and make 22:04.773 --> 22:06.950 our garrison a better place to work , 22:07.440 --> 22:09.510 right ? Encourage that your 22:09.510 --> 22:11.677 subordinates are supposed to be better 22:11.677 --> 22:13.677 than you . That means you're a good 22:13.677 --> 22:15.566 leader when your subordinates are 22:15.566 --> 22:18.110 better than you , right ? So we don't 22:18.110 --> 22:21.160 professional gold . 10 . Look out that 22:21.160 --> 22:23.327 that one there is getting some college 22:23.327 --> 22:25.493 credits . Might wanna take the air out 22:25.493 --> 22:27.493 of their tires . Right , That would 22:27.493 --> 22:29.716 might be taking us out . That's not how 22:29.716 --> 22:32.150 we see it , right ? That standard that 22:32.150 --> 22:34.480 we have maintaining it is not good 22:34.480 --> 22:37.030 enough . Not in this division . You go 22:37.030 --> 22:39.060 somewhere else to maintain here we 22:39.060 --> 22:41.550 exceed . And here we do these things 22:41.550 --> 22:43.550 because it's required of us and we 22:43.550 --> 22:46.920 don't expect fanfare for it . And when 22:46.920 --> 22:49.210 you do get someone come around , say , 22:49.220 --> 22:51.276 outstanding work , Outstanding job , 22:52.140 --> 22:54.620 it's all about my team . I'm not here 22:54.620 --> 22:56.780 wearing this award because I am any 22:56.780 --> 22:59.400 different than you . I'm not the 22:59.400 --> 23:01.660 toughest person in my unit . I'm not 23:01.660 --> 23:04.670 the bravest person in my unit . I'm the 23:04.670 --> 23:07.120 nothing of the top of my unit . I am a 23:07.120 --> 23:10.330 soldier and infantrymen and 22 Infantry . 23:10.340 --> 23:13.060 And on that night in Fallujah rack , it 23:13.060 --> 23:16.740 was my turn . My side of the house , my 23:16.740 --> 23:19.460 side of the wall . I had a reporter . 23:19.530 --> 23:23.470 He wrote a story and they told that 23:23.470 --> 23:26.950 story . Um , I can't tell you how many 23:26.950 --> 23:29.370 people lost their lives . Nobody saw 23:29.370 --> 23:33.230 what they did . This isn't about one 23:33.400 --> 23:35.590 individual or one story . It's about a 23:35.590 --> 23:38.720 team and that team . You can ask the 23:38.720 --> 23:40.980 enemy about my team . There aren't a 23:40.980 --> 23:42.869 whole lot available for comment , 23:43.440 --> 23:45.496 because we handled our business as a 23:45.496 --> 23:47.662 family as a team . When you came after 23:47.662 --> 23:50.120 one of our guys , you came after that 23:50.120 --> 23:53.520 entire family , and that's what kind of 23:53.520 --> 23:55.880 division we are . That's what our 23:55.880 --> 23:57.780 grandfathers did . It's what our 23:57.780 --> 23:59.669 fathers did in the first Infantry 23:59.669 --> 24:01.891 Division , and that's what our Children 24:01.891 --> 24:05.070 will do in this division . And that's 24:05.070 --> 24:07.348 why I'm super proud to be a part of it . 24:07.520 --> 24:09.631 And I see that and I get a tremendous 24:09.631 --> 24:12.110 amount . Ah , pride when I see that big 24:12.120 --> 24:15.170 red one . What 24:34.740 --> 24:35.160 over ? 24:49.340 --> 24:51.673 You know I mean , to be honest with you , 24:51.673 --> 24:53.770 I think I love a lot of people will 24:53.770 --> 24:55.820 take your generation , the younger 24:55.820 --> 24:58.020 folks , you know , And everyone's tell 24:58.020 --> 25:01.550 you how worthless you are and lazy 25:02.030 --> 25:04.350 and , you know , you just don't get it . 25:05.140 --> 25:07.990 And I laugh because I I look back at 25:07.990 --> 25:10.340 history and , you know , read some of 25:10.340 --> 25:12.980 the op EDS And the World War Two 25:12.980 --> 25:14.702 generation , the World War one 25:14.702 --> 25:16.702 generation said that their Children 25:16.702 --> 25:18.830 were lazy . The Children that stormed 25:18.830 --> 25:21.430 the beaches in Normandy were entitled 25:21.440 --> 25:24.690 and privileged , right ? They didn't 25:24.690 --> 25:26.912 know how tough they had it in World War 25:26.912 --> 25:29.190 One . That was the war to end all wars . 25:29.190 --> 25:32.780 Trench warfare , gas . You have no idea 25:32.780 --> 25:35.170 this this Pacific campaign , this 25:35.180 --> 25:37.540 European theater , please . You don't 25:37.540 --> 25:39.762 know what it was like in CA technique , 25:39.762 --> 25:42.130 right ? And then the World war two 25:42.130 --> 25:44.270 generation , they do their thing . 25:44.280 --> 25:46.502 Their kids were born and they're like , 25:46.502 --> 25:49.250 Oh , please , Vietnam . What do you 25:49.250 --> 25:51.930 know ? That's nothing like what we went 25:51.930 --> 25:54.700 through . You guys are all privileged 25:54.700 --> 25:57.460 and lazy and worthless . And then what 25:57.460 --> 26:00.200 happens ? Every generation talks about 26:00.200 --> 26:02.256 the next generation , and you're all 26:02.256 --> 26:04.256 worthless and you're all lazy . And 26:04.256 --> 26:06.478 guess what ? none of it's true . It's a 26:06.478 --> 26:08.700 parlor game and we've been doing it for 26:08.700 --> 26:12.180 years . You people that 26:12.190 --> 26:14.940 are under the age of 30 . Right now 26:14.950 --> 26:16.950 you're going to save our republic . 26:17.740 --> 26:19.851 You're gonna make our . You're You're 26:19.851 --> 26:22.160 saving us from co vid . You're gonna 26:22.160 --> 26:23.970 save us from any threat to our 26:23.970 --> 26:26.940 democracy . You might think differently . 26:26.940 --> 26:29.360 Love differently . Vote differently . I 26:29.360 --> 26:32.130 don't care . Do your job do what 26:32.130 --> 26:34.890 Americans do and everything is gonna be 26:34.890 --> 26:36.980 perfect . And when you talk about 26:36.980 --> 26:39.720 humility and leadership , I don't 26:39.720 --> 26:41.664 necessarily think that needs to be 26:41.664 --> 26:43.498 added . I think that's a part of 26:43.498 --> 26:45.331 leadership . I think humility is 26:45.331 --> 26:47.276 automatically guaranteed . I don't 26:47.276 --> 26:49.620 think you are a leader if you don't 26:49.630 --> 26:51.940 exhibit . If you're constantly 26:51.950 --> 26:55.260 reminding people of who you are and 26:55.260 --> 26:57.720 what you do , you're not very good at 26:57.720 --> 26:59.664 doing it , and you're probably not 26:59.664 --> 27:01.710 really worth worthy of any 27:01.710 --> 27:04.770 acknowledgement anyway . You know , um , 27:05.440 --> 27:08.580 if we're here to be remembered , 27:09.920 --> 27:12.360 then we're not really we're wasting our 27:12.360 --> 27:15.560 time . I don't want you to think about 27:15.560 --> 27:17.338 the Iraq war and think about an 27:17.338 --> 27:19.900 individual's name . I want you to think 27:19.900 --> 27:22.090 about the Iraq war and think about the 27:22.090 --> 27:25.370 sacrifice that was made those names 27:25.380 --> 27:29.350 that aren't here . Thio get recognition , 27:29.740 --> 27:31.962 but also I want you to think about what 27:31.962 --> 27:33.860 was accomplished , what the team 27:33.860 --> 27:36.980 actually did and all throughout the 27:36.980 --> 27:39.000 years . Every time the world has a 27:39.000 --> 27:42.550 problem , they call on us as an army 27:42.560 --> 27:45.630 they calling us for our jobs and our 27:45.630 --> 27:47.640 skill sets . But they call on this 27:47.640 --> 27:49.910 division time and time again . And it's 27:49.910 --> 27:52.021 not just about taking out the enemy , 27:52.021 --> 27:54.830 which were amazing at , if that just 27:54.830 --> 27:57.500 about that it's about co vid . When 27:57.500 --> 27:59.389 there's Ah , Storm , when there's 27:59.389 --> 28:02.710 unrest , you name it , we're there and 28:02.710 --> 28:05.060 will continue to be there . So I think 28:05.640 --> 28:08.200 you know , you're gonna hear your And 28:08.210 --> 28:10.432 by the way , your 10 years removed from 28:10.432 --> 28:12.154 saying the next generation are 28:12.154 --> 28:14.760 worthless and lazy and and pathetic to 28:14.760 --> 28:17.038 you're all going to say the same thing . 28:17.040 --> 28:19.373 And it's not true . It's not true today . 28:19.373 --> 28:21.484 It wasn't true in 1919 , and it won't 28:21.484 --> 28:24.360 be true in 2035 . When you say it about 28:24.740 --> 28:28.070 private Snuffy , it's a it's a parlor 28:28.070 --> 28:29.848 game that makes old people feel 28:29.848 --> 28:32.330 validated and fun . We like Thio , say 28:32.330 --> 28:34.760 what worthless , lazy fools you are . 28:35.140 --> 28:37.630 But the truth is you are the 28:37.630 --> 28:39.963 preservation of everything we hold dear . 28:40.440 --> 28:43.360 And if my generation had PlayStation 28:43.360 --> 28:46.410 one and we played a 12 hours a day , my 28:46.410 --> 28:48.370 generation sat on our couches and 28:48.370 --> 28:51.150 listen to Nirvana . And we're proud the 28:51.150 --> 28:53.670 fact that we showered every moon phase 28:54.040 --> 28:56.380 right and then the towers fell . And 28:56.380 --> 28:59.340 now we get free passes to Seaworld and 28:59.340 --> 29:01.284 everyone thinks we're the greatest 29:01.284 --> 29:03.396 heroes of any generation because of 9 29:03.396 --> 29:05.820 11 , it's no different . You know 29:05.820 --> 29:08.042 you're gonna do your part . Humility is 29:08.042 --> 29:10.209 a part of leadership . Doesn't need to 29:10.209 --> 29:12.940 be . In a way , it's like telling . So 29:12.940 --> 29:15.051 when you're the most humble person in 29:15.051 --> 29:17.162 the world is exactly humility of it , 29:17.162 --> 29:19.870 right ? I'm so humble we should all be 29:19.870 --> 29:23.200 that way because the truth is that's 29:23.200 --> 29:25.540 That's why we're here . Well , listen , 29:25.550 --> 29:27.717 I'm an Infantry Mount . Proud of being 29:27.717 --> 29:29.772 a non commissioned officer in United 29:29.772 --> 29:31.883 States infantry . I can't do anything 29:31.883 --> 29:34.320 without an 88 Mike . I can't . I can't 29:34.320 --> 29:36.209 bring my Bradley fighting vehicle 29:36.209 --> 29:38.431 driving for 500 miles . I can't do it . 29:38.431 --> 29:40.709 I can't do anything unless I could eat . 29:40.709 --> 29:43.190 And if I get dinged up , my medics are 29:43.190 --> 29:45.412 the reason why I have the confidence to 29:45.412 --> 29:47.301 kick down the door because I know 29:47.301 --> 29:49.468 whatever happens , God forbid my medic 29:49.468 --> 29:51.690 is gonna save me . Put me back together 29:51.690 --> 29:53.801 and I'm gonna be there the next day . 29:53.801 --> 29:55.968 That's all a part of the team , and we 29:55.968 --> 29:58.079 can't do it without each other . So , 29:58.079 --> 30:00.134 uh , no one's gonna stand around and 30:00.134 --> 29:59.740 say that their job is the most 29:59.740 --> 30:01.629 important . Er , they're the most 30:01.629 --> 30:03.851 important person . So to me , it's kind 30:03.851 --> 30:06.018 of an oxymoron to say the humility has 30:06.018 --> 30:07.962 to be added into , ah , leadership 30:07.962 --> 30:10.620 trait . It's part of what we signed up 30:10.630 --> 30:11.630 for . 30:14.640 --> 30:15.060 Here 30:20.640 --> 30:24.460 it's Yeah . What are you 30:27.640 --> 30:28.640 What ? 30:37.940 --> 30:41.170 Whatever it was , please 30:42.040 --> 30:44.540 parts for it . Yeah . I mean , look , 30:44.540 --> 30:46.707 I've been giving that speech for years 30:46.707 --> 30:48.762 now . I just No one listened to it , 30:48.762 --> 30:50.984 you know , I was mowing the lawn when I 30:50.984 --> 30:52.596 was giving it , and I had an 30:52.596 --> 30:55.550 opportunity toe Thio just share . 30:56.440 --> 30:58.496 I think there's a mindset . First of 30:58.496 --> 31:02.170 all , my number one ambition Now 31:02.180 --> 31:06.170 with this thing is thio share it with 31:06.740 --> 31:10.360 the American people to remind them that 31:10.940 --> 31:13.980 they should be here . Our sons and 31:13.980 --> 31:16.560 daughters should all be doing what 31:16.560 --> 31:19.170 you're doing right now . Serving , 31:19.740 --> 31:22.030 serving your country , serving your 31:22.030 --> 31:24.197 community because here's the reality . 31:24.340 --> 31:27.200 College is fantastic . College is 31:27.200 --> 31:29.640 wonderful , right ? But there is a 31:29.640 --> 31:32.160 mindset where we're breeding perpetual 31:32.160 --> 31:35.560 adolescence . Let's be young for a long 31:35.560 --> 31:39.530 as we possibly can . I'm 43 . I think 31:39.530 --> 31:42.420 I've got a really fresh hip sound in my 31:42.420 --> 31:44.587 hip hop music . I'd like to release an 31:44.587 --> 31:47.650 album . You're 43 . I mean , no offense . 31:47.660 --> 31:49.771 Mom and Dad didn't love you enough to 31:49.771 --> 31:52.640 tell you . 43 year olds don't release 31:52.640 --> 31:54.840 hip hop records . We have 31:54.840 --> 31:58.500 responsibilities . Adults have to 31:58.500 --> 32:01.530 do adult things . It's fun to be Peter 32:01.530 --> 32:04.430 Pan . It's wonderful . And many 32:04.430 --> 32:06.652 universities everyone wants to be Peter 32:06.652 --> 32:09.550 Pan . Adult Coloring Book Sell out on 32:09.550 --> 32:13.050 Amazon These are adults coloring , 32:13.540 --> 32:15.860 and it's a popular thing . Here's what 32:15.860 --> 32:17.930 the Army did for me . It took my 32:17.930 --> 32:20.560 adolescence and it crushed it into dust . 32:21.040 --> 32:24.030 Because the army needs adults , it 32:24.030 --> 32:26.450 needs men and women to do the things 32:26.450 --> 32:28.950 that men and women do . And it's It's a 32:28.950 --> 32:31.540 tough world out there , and we need men 32:31.540 --> 32:34.150 and women to bear the burdens of the 32:34.150 --> 32:37.050 world and you are not Children 32:37.940 --> 32:40.107 and you will never be Children again . 32:40.540 --> 32:42.540 And maybe that's tough for a lot of 32:42.540 --> 32:44.762 people do acknowledge that because when 32:44.762 --> 32:46.984 they look at you and they see their own 32:46.984 --> 32:50.310 Children , they think , yeah , there is 32:50.310 --> 32:53.280 a disconnect here . That young man and 32:53.280 --> 32:55.800 young woman looked me in the eye . That 32:55.800 --> 32:57.967 young man and young woman actually did 32:57.967 --> 32:59.967 what they said they were gonna do . 32:59.967 --> 33:02.133 This is a little bit of an alien , you 33:02.133 --> 33:04.133 know , experience for May . I'm not 33:04.133 --> 33:06.670 used to that . I'm used to you asking 33:06.670 --> 33:09.080 for money and a place to live at 37 33:09.080 --> 33:12.550 years of age . That's not who we are . 33:13.240 --> 33:15.462 That's not what we were trained to be . 33:15.462 --> 33:17.850 And it's not our destiny . Our destiny 33:17.850 --> 33:20.570 is greatness . And as important as the 33:20.570 --> 33:23.100 job you're doing in uniforms right now , 33:23.110 --> 33:25.870 that pales in comparison toe what 33:25.870 --> 33:27.926 you're going to do when you get home 33:27.926 --> 33:30.700 outside of this uniform . That's when 33:30.700 --> 33:33.320 we saved the country . We're doing it 33:33.320 --> 33:35.376 now as a member of the United States 33:35.376 --> 33:37.431 Army , in the greatest force of good 33:37.431 --> 33:39.598 the world has ever seen . But the rial 33:39.598 --> 33:41.970 salvation of America comes when 33:41.970 --> 33:44.900 veterans , men and women off all 33:44.900 --> 33:47.750 different ethnicities and sexualities 33:47.750 --> 33:49.750 and religions . I don't care if you 33:49.750 --> 33:51.970 like the Boston Red Sox or if you're a 33:51.970 --> 33:54.830 New York Yankee fan . But you come home 33:54.830 --> 33:58.280 to your community and you start showing 33:58.290 --> 34:01.220 American citizens how adults conduct 34:01.220 --> 34:04.190 themselves that we can disagree without 34:04.190 --> 34:06.650 getting crazy , that we can work 34:06.650 --> 34:08.594 together and actually come up with 34:08.594 --> 34:12.310 solutions together . And I'm sorry , 34:12.310 --> 34:14.588 but that's few and far between . Today , 34:14.940 --> 34:17.710 everything is emotion . Everything is 34:17.710 --> 34:20.320 based on yourself . What ? What do you 34:20.320 --> 34:22.431 get out of it ? Where do you get your 34:22.431 --> 34:25.210 validation ? If 450 people like 34:25.210 --> 34:27.266 something , that means it was really 34:27.266 --> 34:30.590 good , right ? And so now you as a 34:30.590 --> 34:33.770 soldier , you go home as a civilian and 34:33.770 --> 34:35.714 you get a job . And you know , the 34:35.714 --> 34:37.770 craziest thing is , you get a job in 34:37.770 --> 34:39.960 finance and your and your financial 34:39.960 --> 34:42.071 advisor , your team that you work for 34:42.071 --> 34:44.770 is going to say , Hey , I need 100% 34:44.770 --> 34:46.937 risk assessment . Before you make this 34:46.937 --> 34:49.850 investment , I need 100% risk 34:49.850 --> 34:53.180 assessment . I need 98% risk assessment 34:53.180 --> 34:55.347 to know this is a good decision . Have 34:55.347 --> 34:57.480 you ever had 98% in your entire 34:57.480 --> 35:01.380 military career ever ? If I told you 35:01.380 --> 35:05.240 that you were 75% successful , 35:05.250 --> 35:07.306 if you did something , would you not 35:07.306 --> 35:09.700 jump at that opportunity . Life doesn't 35:09.700 --> 35:12.780 give us the opportunity to be 100% 35:12.780 --> 35:15.870 certain . You know what you can dio . 35:15.880 --> 35:18.450 You know what your subordinates conduce . 35:18.450 --> 35:20.617 Oh , and you know what The commander's 35:20.617 --> 35:23.380 intent is , right ? Here's what I could 35:23.380 --> 35:25.713 do . Here's what my equipment could dio . 35:25.713 --> 35:27.936 Here's what my people can do And here's 35:27.936 --> 35:30.090 what My commander's intent is done . 35:30.100 --> 35:33.470 Let's do it . That's life . 35:34.140 --> 35:36.250 That's what adults do . That's what 35:36.250 --> 35:38.880 professionals do . So now you get into 35:38.880 --> 35:40.602 an environment with a bunch of 35:40.602 --> 35:43.000 civilians and they're like , I need 80% . 35:43.000 --> 35:45.670 You're like you need want to 80% . I 35:45.670 --> 35:48.480 could do it with 40 . Watch me . I'll 35:48.480 --> 35:50.813 do it faster than you , Better than you . 35:50.813 --> 35:52.924 And I'll make a decision quicker than 35:52.924 --> 35:55.250 you because we know as soldiers . The 35:55.250 --> 35:59.050 biggest sin we can commit is what is it 35:59.050 --> 36:02.930 making the wrong call ? No , it's 36:02.930 --> 36:05.040 not . Is it getting acknowledged for 36:05.040 --> 36:07.890 making the right call ? Who cares ? The 36:07.890 --> 36:11.000 sin is not making a decision . That's 36:11.000 --> 36:13.820 the sin . Worrying about making a 36:13.820 --> 36:16.410 decision is the biggest , unforgivable 36:16.410 --> 36:18.521 sin you could make in any situation . 36:18.630 --> 36:21.140 Make a call . It's the wrong call . I 36:21.140 --> 36:24.000 got five people here to correct it yet 36:24.000 --> 36:26.222 you said West . No , no , we want to go 36:26.222 --> 36:28.278 east , Sir , we want to go east . No 36:28.278 --> 36:30.389 problem . Let's go east . It's over . 36:30.389 --> 36:33.460 Move east , right ? Hemming and hawing 36:33.460 --> 36:36.500 about what direction to go . That is 36:36.500 --> 36:39.090 what's unforgivable . And that is why 36:39.090 --> 36:41.650 we are different than civilians . 36:42.230 --> 36:44.450 Because we understand that we have to 36:44.450 --> 36:46.500 be accountable . We have a moral 36:46.500 --> 36:48.620 compass . We stand behind something . 36:48.620 --> 36:50.940 We do it . We executed . If it's the 36:50.940 --> 36:52.996 wrong thing , it gets corrected . If 36:52.996 --> 36:54.718 it's the right thing , it gets 36:54.718 --> 36:56.662 sustained . But we are ever moving 36:56.662 --> 36:58.829 forward towards mission . Success on . 36:58.829 --> 37:01.570 We don't have enough of that and you as 37:01.580 --> 37:04.120 soldiers and veterans coming home . You 37:04.120 --> 37:06.342 make your communities better , you make 37:06.342 --> 37:08.176 your families better and you are 37:08.176 --> 37:10.453 employable and you employ other people . 37:10.930 --> 37:13.170 And that , to me , is the rial essence 37:13.170 --> 37:15.400 of what you do for your country is when 37:15.400 --> 37:17.840 you come home from your service . Mhm . 37:18.630 --> 37:21.920 It's thank you for those words . Or 37:21.930 --> 37:24.240 junior leaders think how you 37:24.930 --> 37:28.190 exemplified selflessness . Leading by 37:28.190 --> 37:31.400 example truly will help our owner live 37:31.410 --> 37:33.730 with honors . They move forward now , 37:33.730 --> 37:35.770 I'd like to welcome our command , 37:35.770 --> 37:38.680 Sergeant Major Sergeant Major errors as 37:38.690 --> 37:41.760 we close out today's helping but 37:42.330 --> 37:45.790 appreciate it . David , I'm gonna come 37:45.790 --> 37:48.012 up here with you if you can come around 37:48.012 --> 37:49.068 and come up here . 37:52.630 --> 37:55.020 And so I want to echo Colonel Brown 37:55.020 --> 37:57.100 said , And for being here , Really ? 37:57.100 --> 37:58.933 Thanks for that On your words on 37:58.933 --> 38:01.044 leadership , because it means a lot . 38:01.044 --> 38:02.989 And I think what you brought was a 38:02.989 --> 38:04.989 great way for our younger leaders . 38:04.989 --> 38:07.100 Really ? To take a look at leadership 38:07.100 --> 38:09.322 and how to develop soldiers as we , you 38:09.322 --> 38:11.156 know , really operationalize our 38:11.156 --> 38:10.820 victory wellness . And we talk about 38:10.830 --> 38:12.886 people first and getting to know our 38:12.886 --> 38:14.941 soldiers . You put that into words , 38:14.941 --> 38:17.163 and it made it meaningful for everybody 38:17.163 --> 38:19.219 that's here listening both virtually 38:19.219 --> 38:21.497 and that's , you know , here in person , 38:21.497 --> 38:23.552 eso The one thing that the Commander 38:23.552 --> 38:25.719 and I wanted to do was one present You 38:25.719 --> 38:27.886 with the division coin . Now , to talk 38:27.886 --> 38:30.052 about this division coin , I will tell 38:30.052 --> 38:32.219 you it's the best division coin in the 38:32.219 --> 38:34.163 Army period on a lot of the former 38:34.163 --> 38:36.274 dangerous sixes and dangerous Simmons 38:36.274 --> 38:38.219 that are watching virtually almost 38:38.219 --> 38:40.441 guarantee had this same exact coin on . 38:40.441 --> 38:42.386 So this coin hasn't changed in I'd 38:42.386 --> 38:44.552 venture to say probably about 15 to 20 38:44.552 --> 38:46.774 years on It's the best coin in the Army 38:46.774 --> 38:48.997 because we give it to the best soldiers 38:48.997 --> 38:51.052 in the division . On behalf of Major 38:51.052 --> 38:53.274 General Sims and myself , we wanna make 38:53.274 --> 38:55.441 sure that you had the best coin in the 38:55.441 --> 38:57.441 Army is part of being a big red one 38:57.441 --> 38:59.497 soldier . Because if you're gonna be 38:59.497 --> 39:01.552 one , be a big red , have suddenly , 39:01.552 --> 39:03.886 then somehow is the future of questions . 39:03.886 --> 39:04.886 Because my Okay , 39:10.120 --> 39:13.350 thanks again , soldiers leaders for 39:13.350 --> 39:15.590 attending today's opening ceremony . 39:15.600 --> 39:19.240 Please stay seated as our thanks . 39:24.720 --> 39:25.740 Thank you , Appreciate .