#1 Like the great command generals, there are other greats who rarely get into the limelight, but are just as important. There are some who are, in fact, piss poor as leaders, but brilliant in other ways.
Logisticians, bureaucrats, administrators and diplomats, in the tight circle of those who know, inspire as much awe and respect as the greatest of field commanders.
I knew one such individual, who as a young Colonel had been on MacArthur's staff. Now in his 90s, he can still recite every major personnel statistic by month for the entire US Forces Pacific Theater for the years 1944 and 1945.
Sounds trivial by today's standards, but remember that they didn't have computers back then. That volume of material in paper could have filled a thick book every month. |