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Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Quote of the day: A Marine captain’s comment upon being awarded the Leftwich Trophy for leadership

Interestingly, Capt. Ben Middendorf is a West Point graduate: “The recognition mustn’t go to me, it must go to the men I was privileged to serve. I was not always nice to them, in fact I was often brutally harsh in training. I had zero tolerance for negligent acts of commission, and demanded what I ...

Battleground Afghanistan
Battleground Afghanistan
Helmand Province, Afghanistan: Captain Ben Middendorf, Commanding Officer of 2/5 Golf Company, posing for a picture outside of the command shed. Aboard Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. (Photo Credit: National Geographic Channels)

Interestingly, Capt. Ben Middendorf is a West Point graduate:

Interestingly, Capt. Ben Middendorf is a West Point graduate:

“The recognition mustn’t go to me, it must go to the men I was privileged to serve. I was not always nice to them, in fact I was often brutally harsh in training. I had zero tolerance for negligent acts of commission, and demanded what I consider to be the highest standard – to act like something different, better. I demanded that they act like a United States Marine, nothing more, nothing less. I needed smart, tough, compassionate, professionals, and they gave me everything they had. If you could have seen them in action, their selflessness would bring you to tears. I know because I cried.”

For those of you unfamiliar with the Leftwich, here is a list of previous winners.

(HT to Matt Cavanaugh)

USMC via National Geographic

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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