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Article: An Open Mind For A New Army.(David Petraeus, commander of the 101st Airborne Division)(Interview)(Biography)
- Article from:
- U.S. News & World Report
- Article date:
- October 31, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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I have an image of David Petraeus burned in my mind. It was just days after Baghdad had fallen to American forces, and Petraeus, the commander of the 101st Airborne Division, had joined other leaders of the division at a memorial service for two soldiers who had just been killed.
Before the service, I had overheard the battalion sergeant major reprimand a noncommissioned officer who had been shaken deeply by the deaths. His face was reddened with emotion, and that reaction, the sergeant major told him, was unacceptable. "Your soldiers need to see a stone face," the major told the NCO. Emotion is distracting; safety depends on soldiers staying focused on their ...