CLC3 Day 13: OPD

This morning I participated in an Army running study. I think the idea was to examine the mechanics of individuals' running styles and see if they correlate to related injuries. It didn't take up much time.

At 8:30 we had a dress uniform inspection. Considering I have my DA photo on Thursday, it was nice to know I have on my new Logistics branch regalia properly.

After that, our schedule changed to accomodate the video broadcast of a general's "officer professional development" speech. In reality he was going over his command philosophy, which -- to a company level -- doesn't convey a lot of information.

This is true with a lot of command philosophy briefs I've seen. Everyone wants to have their cake and eat it too, but the real question is, "If you have to choose, which one do you want?"

For example, "the mission always comes first." OK, that makes sense. We say it in the Soldier's Creed: "I will always place the mission first."

But what if safety is an issue? If a mission can be done tomorrow, would it still be your intent to put a soldier's safety at risk to accomplish a mission today? What about maintenance? Should send a truck out with one headlight to get a mission done, or say we can't do it? These kinds of things, conveyed through a commander's anecdotes, are what I really appreciate.

Before this finished, I had to leave to attend a  brown-bag luncheon with some colonels. We were organized into groups of six -- two senior officers for every four juniors. One thing I learned is that -- when I get to my next unit -- I should try to get a battalion staff position as S1 (administrative) or S4 (supply). Experience in these areas will help once I get command.

In the afternoon, we studied cross-cultural affairs and did a mock negotiation.