“George Washington had it, Benedict Arnold didn’t.”
“Character” — that's what counts, according to Gen. (ret.) Gordon Sullivan.
The 32nd Army Chief of Staff, with Ret. CSM Jimmie Spencer by his side, visited with more than 200 senior enlisted, non-commissioned and commissioned officers Wednesday at Fort Stewart’s Club Stewart.
Over lunch, the leaders of the Marne division were greeted by words of encouragement from the Vietnam
veteran, who said each of them represented a “strong sense of personal strengths, selflessness and selfless service to country.”
“Less than one percent of the American people serve in uniform. When these young men and women raise their right hand to say, ‘I am going to serve my country in uniform,’ they and you put yourselves in a very, very special group of people. You represent what is best in America,” Sullivan told the bunch.
The arranged engagement was orchestrated by the Coastal Empire Chapter of the Association of the United States Army.
Sullivan is the current president and chief of operations for the service member organization.
CSM Tydious McCray of 6-8 Cav., 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, said he came up through ranks under Sullivan’s leadership and considers him to still be an example of great leadership.
“One of the reasons I am still around because of his teachings and his mentorship. He always told us to follow the Army standards. Do the hard thing or the easy wrong,” McCray said. “He told us to be Army strong and if we always remembered to do that, we would not have any problems. Take care of the soldiers and everything else will take care of itself.”
The 3rd ID’s commanding
officer, Maj. Gen. Tony Cucolo, said it was a pleasure and an honor to have Sullivan and Spencer visit the fort.
“This is the population of leaders who need to hear how important it is to have their moral compass set on battlefields like Iraq and Afghanistan where we are fighting in and among the people, and where the enemy blends in with the people and where there are great frustrations in how we fight,” Cucolo said. “[Sullivan] is just a wonderful soldier, but he is also a legend to us as one who can speak volumes about character and integrity.”
“Character” — that's what counts, according to Gen. (ret.) Gordon Sullivan.
The 32nd Army Chief of Staff, with Ret. CSM Jimmie Spencer by his side, visited with more than 200 senior enlisted, non-commissioned and commissioned officers Wednesday at Fort Stewart’s Club Stewart.
Over lunch, the leaders of the Marne division were greeted by words of encouragement from the Vietnam
veteran, who said each of them represented a “strong sense of personal strengths, selflessness and selfless service to country.”
“Less than one percent of the American people serve in uniform. When these young men and women raise their right hand to say, ‘I am going to serve my country in uniform,’ they and you put yourselves in a very, very special group of people. You represent what is best in America,” Sullivan told the bunch.
The arranged engagement was orchestrated by the Coastal Empire Chapter of the Association of the United States Army.
Sullivan is the current president and chief of operations for the service member organization.
CSM Tydious McCray of 6-8 Cav., 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, said he came up through ranks under Sullivan’s leadership and considers him to still be an example of great leadership.
“One of the reasons I am still around because of his teachings and his mentorship. He always told us to follow the Army standards. Do the hard thing or the easy wrong,” McCray said. “He told us to be Army strong and if we always remembered to do that, we would not have any problems. Take care of the soldiers and everything else will take care of itself.”
The 3rd ID’s commanding
officer, Maj. Gen. Tony Cucolo, said it was a pleasure and an honor to have Sullivan and Spencer visit the fort.
“This is the population of leaders who need to hear how important it is to have their moral compass set on battlefields like Iraq and Afghanistan where we are fighting in and among the people, and where the enemy blends in with the people and where there are great frustrations in how we fight,” Cucolo said. “[Sullivan] is just a wonderful soldier, but he is also a legend to us as one who can speak volumes about character and integrity.”