I am so
proud of the fact that a graduate of Tulane, General David H. Berger, is now
Commandant of the US Marine Corps. He is the commanding officer of some 186,000
active-duty marines and another 38,500 marine corps reservists.
Anna long ago I introduced you to
"Jack's 2% Rule." In simple language only 2% make it to the top in
their profession.
General Berger passed a 4-year training
program to become a US Navy officer while at Tulane. When he decided to be a US
Marine officer, he was sent to Marine Corps OCS at Quantico, Virginia. It is
rougher than US Marine Corps boot camp and with a high failure rate.
Once he graduated, he became a second
lieutenant in the US Marine Corps. He ended up getting combat tours in the
first Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq. Statistically some 5% of marines are
killed or seriously wounded in combat. He survived this. Much to the surprise
of many, far more marines die or are severely injured in helicopter or aircraft
crashes, training accidents, etc. General Berger survived this also.
As a career marine officer, it is
possible to earn the rank of Lt. Colonel or Colonel. Only 2% of officers at
this level advance to general. The stereotype of a general is someone who is
cigar-smoking, hard-drinking, vile-mouthed, and a right-wing extremist. In
reality, a general is someone who is a great conceptual thinker and has
extraordinary leadership capabilities. Once one makes 2-star general, it gets
very competitive to get a third star or the fourth star of the Commandant of
the US Marine Corps. General Berger passed through all these filters to make it
to the top.
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