Photo By 1st Sgt. Luisito Brooks | Twenty years ago, on April 14, 2003, the U.S. military launched a lightning-fast...... read more read more
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Twenty years ago, on April 14, 2003, the U.S. military launched a lightning-fast assault on Baghdad, known as the “Thunder Run.” This pivotal battle was a significant moment in the Iraq War. To commemorate the anniversary and provide a capstone event for the cadets taking MX400, Officership, the U.S. Military Academy hosted a Mission Command Conference on April 5-6 at West Point.
Staff, faculty, cadets and Soldiers gathered from the academy and across the country for the two-day conference at USMA to hear from these heroes. The guest speakers included a diverse military personnel, including commanders, Soldiers, support staff and the families involved in the historic “Thunder Run.”
“First of all, it’s amazing how quickly time flies,” said retired Gen. David Perkins, the keynote speaker. “The second thing is it's been incredible to reconnect with many of the Soldiers and hear some details on stories that I had never heard before.”
Perkins added that he is amazed whenever he hears the stories of the Soldiers who served under his command during the “Thunder Run” in Baghdad.
“I mean, it is just mind-blowing how many individual acts of heroism and courage there were to make that mission happen,” Perkins said. “Cadets are engaging and interactive, wanting to hear from the horse’s mouth what it was like for us during that time.”
Perkins said that sharing these real stories with the Army’s future officers would also give them a greater understanding of Mission Command.
Mission Command is the commander’s exercise of authority and direction using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander’s intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in conducting unified land operations.
“The success of the ‘Thunder Run’ was all because our organization used the principles found in Mission Command,” Perkins said. “We hope the cadets here take all the lessons learned from our experiences.”
These cadets are literally weeks away from being commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army. They will move immediately from these historic grounds into leadership positions in units across the world.
“I can’t think of a better capstone event to send them out the door with than making sure they understand the organization’s leadership philosophy, Mission Command,” Perkins said. “This conference has been an opportunity to build relationships, to learn from one another, and to strengthen our collective ability to lead and to serve.”
The conference was structured as a panel discussion, with several speakers taking turns to share their experiences and insights from the operation. With the audience’s full attention, the speakers discussed several topics, including the planning and execution of the “Thunder Run,” the challenges they faced during the operation, and the lessons learned from the battle.
One of the highlights of the conference was the personal stories shared by the speakers. Many of the guests recounted the intense fighting and the bravery displayed by their comrades. They spoke of the fear they felt during the operation and the camaraderie and bond that developed among the Soldiers.
“All the stories they shared with us were amazing and inspiring,” said Class of 2023 Cadet Annalise Callaghan. “It’s the inspiration that really counts and that’s what draws people to our profession, and that’s something that we need to spread within our ranks and to the American people.”
Callaghan is a West Point cadet currently taking the MX400 course, and she noted how seamlessly the lessons from the conference coincided with her MX400 course.
MX400 challenges cadets to become commissioned leaders of character who demonstrate virtue, honor, patriotism and subordination to civilian authority. In MX400, cadets look both to the past and the future, reflecting on their character-development experiences as part of the West Point Leader Development System and studying the enduring and emerging ethical challenges of the profession they are about to enter.
“Throughout our academics here, we learn not only tactical competencies but also what it means to lead honorably with character,” Callaghan said. “Through MX400 and this conference, we also understand what it means to be a part of a profession and to maintain the trust vested in us by the American people. Our loyalty is not to a person or party but to a constitution, a particular creed and a set of values we know are worth defending.”
During a break between sessions, Callaghan expressed the patriotism and loyalty that each and every cadet possesses.
“We want to serve our country and have sworn to defend what it means. We also understand the unlimited liability in defense of those things,” Callaghan said. “We take our profession very seriously. We are committing to do something that not only we’re capable of giving to our country but that we are obligated to give -- knowing that’s what our nation and the American people in the future will demand of us."
“It’s important because we are responsible for protecting and defending a way of life in a certain set of values and ideas that make the United States of America unique,” Callaghan said.
In the crowd and among the cadets from USMA were cadets from other institutions who were invited to participate in the conference.
Brandon Johnson, a Morgan State ROTC cadet, said attending this conference was an honor.
“It is such a privilege to be here because I was able to see and hear from the panel the importance of mission command because it allowed their Soldiers to make decisions based on their training and expertise,” Johnson said. “They spoke of the critical role of trust, communication and collaboration in achieving the mission’s objectives.”
The conference concluded with a discussion on the legacy of the “Thunder Run” and its impact on the Iraq War. The guests spoke of the importance of remembering the sacrifices made by Soldiers and their families during the conflict. They also emphasized learning from past lessons to improve future military operations.
“The personal stories shared by the guests highlighted the human cost of war and the importance of supporting our troops,” Perkins said. “As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of this pivotal battle, let us honor the sacrifices made by our Soldiers and continue to work toward a more peaceful and just world.”
| Date Taken: | 04.18.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.18.2023 15:55 |
| Story ID: | 442853 |
| Location: | WEST POINT, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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