Photo By Maj. Stephen Von Jett | U.S. Soldiers assigned to 7th Military Information Support Battalion cross the Lumber...... read more read more
FORT BRAGG, N.C. – In the spring of 1865 Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman led his forces along what is now U.S. Highway 401, through Fayetteville, choking off the rail junction in Goldsboro, which served as Gen. Lee’s lifeline. Sherman later described crossing the Lumber River, swamps and wetlands of the area as, “the damnedest marching I ever saw.”
It was into this brambled terrain that the leadership of the 7th Military Information Support Battalion embarked September 6, under the guidance of one man to discuss the rules and principles that are the strength of the Army.
Prior to departure, Lt. Col. Patrick McCarthy, commander of 7th MISB, had explained several of the events, which he kept a mystery from his subordinates. “We’re going to tell two lies and a truth,” he said, briefing down a list of activities. A classic game familiar to most every Boy Scout in which the group tries to suss out the truth from three dubious statements. Over the course of the exercise it became clear that ‘two lies and a truth’ was more than just a fireside bonding tool, it was the core of the event.
Staff primaries and command teams for the organization canoed down the Lumber River, marched in Sherman’s footsteps along the marsh, and made camp on a family farm in Hoke County. There they busied themselves with basic field craft, preparing meals, and a slew of mental and physical challenges.
Army field problems are meant to be tough. Under stress, teams are strengthened and bonds are formed through shared burden. Soldiers have long learned to embrace hardship and come away better for it. On paper this event seemed to be just that, a series of leader challenges to create the environment where team growth and suffering intersect, but that was the first lie. Even the name of the event, Warrior Fusion, was set dressing.
That isn’t to say challenges weren’t met and conquered. Along the river the inexperienced rowers dealt with spider-infested trees, quick shifts into panic mode, and capsized canoes. The experienced rowers dealt with inexperienced rowers, often preferring the company of the spiders. The events throughout were decidedly light on tactical application, but heavy on symbolism. This was the second lie. Participants believed the endstate came from the culmination of these events. That knot tying competitions, blind-side volleyball, and similar team building events were meant to tell them something about themselves.
The truth of Warrior Fusion was that McCarthy needed a way to learn about his team, learn what made them tick, and learn where the rough edges of perception and reality met to create organizational friction. He wasn’t going to get that through an airborne operation onto a civil war battlefield, or a sleep deprivation exercise involving night land navigation through terrain association. The activities served to frame a discussion. While not outwardly impressive they aimed to make the staff question business as usual.
To peel back the veneer on his leaders McCarthy led debates about what makes Psychological Operations Soldiers special, aside from being in a special operations unit, or how the PSYOP Regiment brands itself and what its reputation is. Some of the conclusions were dubious, others laughable and easily refuted, but most were earnest and all were different.
If the activities served to frame the discussion then the discussion served to frame the breaks. This ultimately seemed to be why McCarthy pulled his commanders and staff into the woodline for three days; to get them disconnected long enough to truthfully share their concerns, their opinions and their vision with their own commander.
After the first event, most participants weren’t on board with the time away from the office and their families. One mentioned his wife at home, another questioned the value of the exercise when more important matters awaited the battalion. As the exercise wore on McCarthy made inroads and the group came around. Warriors may not have been fused but that was never the endstate. It just so happens that Relationship Fusion is a terrible name for a military operation. Nevertheless, it was mission accomplished.
There is a lot to learn from Sherman about the nature of war and of politics. He even opined about the infernal nature of reporters, but the lesson learned during Warrior Fusion isn’t one to be found in Bartlett’s. It can be found in his moniker, Uncle Billy. Sherman was a Soldier’s Soldier. He led his men by, with and through his very presence. He spent time with them, invested in them and in return they followed him to the sea and right through the heart of the confederacy.
McCarthy is making investments in his leaders. One can forgive a bit of trickery and theater to get people away from the grind, unplugged and out of the office when at the end of the day it’s the best way to be exactly where one should…with Uncle Patty in the woods.
-#4MISG-
| Date Taken: | 09.15.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.15.2016 15:45 |
| Story ID: | 209768 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 213 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Tracing Sherman’s footsteps; battalion leadership forges old trails, new relationships, by MAJ Stephen Von Jett, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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