Hi Reader,

President Roosevelt asked General Marshall if he wanted to command Operation Overlord.

Marshall refuses to answer.

Keep in mind that Marshall had been championing a “Germany First” strategy before any American doughboy fired a rifle overseas. Marshall led the charge in difficult negotiations with Churchill and the British War Chiefs to pin them down on their commitment to a cross-channel invasion into Western Europe. It wasn't until Stalin himself flew to Tehran and met with Roosevelt and Churchill, and supported Overlord, that the British finally capitulated their strategic resistance.

David Roll said that Marshall exhibited humility and a dedication to the national interest rather than his own desire to command Operation Overlord. I read that sentence with astonishment at the selflessness of Marshall.

BLUF: The United States Military Chief of Staff during WWII set the standard for selfless service. George Marshall's life, talents, and dedication to the Army encourages me to be a better Army officer, chaplain, and leader. He dedicated his entire being to the accomplishment of the mission.

Here is my honest problem with him.

I'm not sure I could lead at the highest levels the way that he did. I'm not sure that I could sustain that level of leadership without making a grievous mistake. I'm too emotionally-volatile compared to the more stoic Marshall. General Marshall possessed an incredible superpower of being able to retain emotional control and respond appropriately when the stakes were the highest.

Now the part I keep turning over.

I see incredible military leaders retiring every day. They post about their military service, the camaraderie, their family, their battle buddies, the incredible missions.

The colonels and senior leaders post because we live in a different era.

Marshall chose not to draw attention to himself because the norms and mores of mid-20th century America shaped this virtue. He operated within a different tradition that shaped and limited how people presented themselves. In the first quarter of the 21st century, those norms and attitudes have shifted where expression of accomplishments publicly and unabashedly establish the baseline.

Furthermore, those who don't promote themselves, their views, their likes, their vacation online, in their yard, on bumper stickers, verbally to strangers are considered aloof or misplaced. Nowadays, everything is shared, everything is disclosed, and little leaguers get participation trophies.

Prudence, modesty, and humility have exited the courtyard of civic discourse. This is not to say that one generation is better than another. It is simply to describe what has occurred and compare it with what is occurring.

I'm not going to sit here and criticize the military leaders for sharing their accomplishments. I recognize it's an acceptable professional practice - even which the AI infographics cause cringes. I want my audience, relatively modest as it may be, to hear that hard work, dedication to duty, and integrity matters.

Marshall's contrast with this generation comes into focus when examining other popular military leaders of his time such as MacArthur and Patton. They were both outspoken and flamboyant.

Marshall was not only a man of integrity, but a man of faith, particularly of the Episcopalian tradition. He was baptized at St. Peter's Episcopal in Uniontown at six months and confirmed there at sixteen. He attended regularly through his career, worked to build up the chapels on the posts where he served, and ended as a communicant of St. James' Episcopal in Leesburg.

In June 1941, with mobilization underway, he told the graduating class at Trinity College: “The soldier's heart, the soldier's spirit, the soldier's soul, are everything. Unless the soldier's soul sustains him he cannot be relied on and will fail himself and his commander and his country in the end.”

In 1956 he left written instructions for his own funeral. No lying in state in the Rotunda. No service at National Cathedral. No eulogy. What he got, in October 1959, was about twenty minutes at the Fort Myer chapel. The canon honored the instruction and said four words over him:

For those who are interested, here is a short clip of his legacy and service from the George Marshall Foundation - https://www.marshallfoundation.org/articles-and-features/nation-mourns-top-soldier/. ​
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Proverbs talks a lot about humility, not being too verbose, and allowing God to recognize you rather than self-promotion. The Bible consistently points us to give Him the glory and not draw attention to ourselves. That's the final lesson.

Marshall didn't draw attention to himself. His own words, the refusal to request Overlord command and the burial and funeral directions, show it. Let your actions speak louder than words. From start to finish, that is what George Marshall did.

This Week's Challenge: Humility is not optional. How do you express or not express it?

Leave a reply. I read all of them.

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Holding the whole picture with you,

Joshua Brooks, CFP®

Army Reserve Chaplain. Founder, Exponential Advisors.

P.S. I haven't read Forrest Pogue's four-volume tome on Marshall. Maybe I'll get around to it when I retire from the military, entrepreneurship, and the boys are out of the house.

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