At the end of a steamy day of training, seventy-five tired, sweat-soaked new Marines sat in the dirt, looking up at the lanky lieutenant standing before them, lecturing on the topic of the day. It was September 1942.
Nine months had passed since the attack on Pearl Harbor, bringing America into World War II. The Marine Corps had tripled in size since numbering 55,000 in June 1941, and it was still growing. Parris Island and San Diego were cranking out new Marines in droves. Meanwhile Quantico was producing brand new Second Lieutenants like the one in front of these Marines: Henry Van Joslin. He had still been in school at William and Mary in April. But on the first day of September, the 21-year-old had arrived at Camp New River and taken command of this newly formed rifle company: Company “F”, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines.
Destined to be one of the 27 rifle companies of the 4th Marine Division, “2-F-23″ would fight in four operations: Roi-Namur, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima. But for now, the company was not yet two months old, numbering only 75 Marines, with a “green” Second Lieutenant in command.
Young Joslin had in his command a 40-year-old Gunnery Sergeant. Leonard Galiher had been in the Marine Corps for 23 years, longer than Joslin had been alive. He had done four tours in China and had most recently returned from duty in Iceland. He was all-business and the picture of a salty “Old Corps” Marine. No one doubted that he had some experiences that would have made young Joslin blush. Now, like so many other China Marines dispersed throughout the Corps, Galiher served as the nucleus for the new rifle company. He was there to train and indoctrinate the high school kids who were now flooding into his Marine Corps. The old Gunny stood nearby as Joslin talked with their Marines.
Thirty minutes into the lecture, 2ndLt. Joslin stopped suddenly. Gesturing to Galiher, he said, “Gunny, you’ll have to come forward and take over from here. That’s all they taught me in Quantico.”
Joslin took a seat with the rest of the Marines. Gunny Galiher took over.
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The lecture topic is long forgotten. But if we are sitting amongst the Marines that day in 1942, what is our impression of what just happened? Is the Marine Corps turning out officers who don’t know their job? Am I supposed to go to war and put my life in the hands of someone like that?
When consulting with corporate leadership teams, the author often challenges them with this scenario and asks a few questions:
Does Joslin think leadership is all about him?
Does he think it’s his job to know everything or to ensure that the unit does?
Which is more important to Joslin: looking good or making sure the team is prepared?
Do you think his motives are Self-oriented?
Do you question his Integrity?
Do you question his Courage?
Is Joslin going to allow the team or the mission to suffer?
Does Joslin “know what he doesn’t know”, and will he get the answers?
How do you think Henry Van Joslin will do when having to make the tough decisions under fire?
Do you have confidence in him?
Harold Douglas was a young corporal sitting in the dirt that day. When 2-F-23 sailed into combat, it was Douglas who was the Company Gunny. He later retired as a CPA with the hawk-eye of an auditor. The author asked him how the Marines responded.
“You talk about a young officer that just laid it on the line,” said Douglas. “Of course, his men thought the world of a leader like that. He didn’t give ’em any bull crap and try to fake his way through the situation. He just turned it over to the Gunnery Sergeant. That’s where people got to like Henry Van Joslin. Now that’s the kind of leader we had. I have nothing but admiration for those young officers like Henry Van Joslin, the first one.”
Henry Van Joslin went on to lead with distinction in a different rifle company through four operations, culminating with Iwo Jima. His Gunny through the war was Keith Renstrom, who said of Joslin, “…HE was a Company Commander. And he was a good one.”
The team is always watching. Young Joslin had just demonstrated his willingness to put the requirements of the mission and the team above his self-interest.
Those young Marines were likely far less impressed by what Joslin knew than by his recognition of what he did not, and his willingness to do something about it. No one doubted his intelligence. But they now knew that he was smart enough to listen, to learn, and to use his position to put real expertise at the fore, when it mattered most. And he had the Selflessness, Integrity, and Courage to do it with everyone watching.
Steve McCloud is the founder of Trident Leadership. He is the author of the forthcoming book, BLACK DRAGON: The Experience of a Marine Rifle Company in the Pacific, the story of “Fox” Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines, 4th Marine Division of WWII and is an Honorary Member of that company. He presents PMEs for the Marine Corps and leads battlefield leadership experiences and BSR/PMEs at destinations including Normandy, Cowpens, Saipan, and Chickamauga, and presents workshops around the theme: “Work as One. Win as One.”
Reference:
Marine Corps University:
https://www.usmcu.edu/Research/Marine-Corps-History-Division/Research-Tools-Facts-and-Figures/Chronologies-of-the-Marine-Corps/World-War-II-1941-1945/
Douglas: Recording discussion with the author, 10 February 2014
Renstrom: Recorded interview with author: August 2003