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• Plan for medevacs. On foot, vehicles and air. Don't count on
air. Look for LZs [landing zones] at all times.
• Plan for a react force for any major event. Have that reserve ready. We used it several times. CAAT, LAR, JAV [anti-tank missiles], even five trucks of HQ-type guys with SAWS [Squad Automatic Weapons] is better than nothing.
• Plan for where you put your heads. It's a big deal with over 200 Marines in a matter of hours.
• PM [preventive maintenance] everything as time permits. Our vehicles never ran better because Marines did not want to get stuck on side of road.
• Spread your MT Mechs [Motor Transport mechanics] all over BLT [Battalion Landing Team]. These guys saved us everyday.
Take Care of Your People and They’ll Take Care of You!
• Start a sleep plan before you go ashore and ensure your Marines sleep…Look at your Marines daily if you can. Ask questions. Marines will not tell you they are sick until they go down hard. They are a proud bunch.
• Know first aid. Make it a top training event. Get medical supplies and put them in each vehicle. We used an ammo can with pressure dressings and IVs. Teach your Marines how to give IVs.
• Ensure your Marines write letters on anything they can get their hands on. MRE [Meals Ready-to-Eat, field rations] boxes work great. I put an ammo can on my vehicle for outgoing mail. Get mail out. There is always a way. Pass if off to other units if you have to. Find a helo and give him your mail. Give him a can of dip to do it for you.
• Training in combat? You bet. Talk through it; walk through it. Use sticks and rocks. Get Cpl [Corporal] up there to brief what is going on; he knows more than most. Immediate action drills for everything.
Planning for unexpected…preparing for worst…taking care of details! That’s kind of managerial common sense (or parental advice!) business owners can go to school on and readily apply. And Berry, a native of Mount Pleasant, Ohio, a Marine since 1986, has probably never been anywhere near Harvard Business School!
Want More? Send questions and comments to w.willard3@knology.net.
Sources:
• “From Warlords,” 1stSgt. Paul Berry, USMC, www.usmc.mil • “A First Sergeant's Timeless Advice To Fellow Marines,” By David Wood, Newhouse News Service, 2003 • “Corps Values,” David H. Freeman, Inc. Magazine, April 2001 • Assistance with acronyms provided by 1st Lt. William L. Willard, Jr. USMC
Bill Willard has also been writing high-impact marketing and sales training primarily for the financial services industry for 30 years—but as Will Rogers put it: "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.” Through interactive, Web-based "Do-While-Learning™" programs, enewsletters and straight-talking articles.
