Leadership in Harms Way

26 Jul 05

From: HMC(Sel)(SW) Felipe Villasante

To: Naval Air Reserve Chief Petty Officer Association

Subj: LEADERSHIP IN HARMS WAY ESSAY

1. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines leadership as the office or position of a leader; capacity to lead; the act or an instance of leading, and it defines a leader as a person who has commanding authority or influence; a first or principal performer of a group. In the 1965 movie "In Harm's Way", Rear Admiral Torrey displayed the traits of a leader throughout the movie. He took care of his SAILORS, when the widower XO onboard his command was having drinking problems because of the manner and circumstances in which his wife died, RADM Torrey took the time to talk to him and gave him advice on doing the right thing, to quit drinking, let go of the past, and move on with his life. Instead of punishing him, RAMD Torrey tried to help him. During battle, RAMD Torrey was a leader by letting his friend CDR Powell know that it was fine to be afraid, that battles are fought by scared men who find the courage and commitment to fight and carryout the mission. RAMD Torrey surrounded himself with SAILORS he could trust, men who would carry out plans in the face of danger and adversity. I was fond of the scene where the Command Duty Officer onboard the cruiser did not slow down to wait for the ship's CO to catch-up and board, he made a decision to continue at full speed, leaving the harbor during the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack, and thus saving the ship.

A leader must always lead by example, be self-accountable for his/her professional and personal behavior. Have moral and mental strength to do what is right, with confidence and resolution, even in the face of temptation or adversity. A leader must be committed to its SAILORS, so that its SAILORS will be committed to him/her. In today's Navy, we must be leaders in physical fitness and uniform appearance, we can not ask our sailors to be fit for combat readiness and maintain a sharp uniform appearance, if we are not doing so ourselves. United States Navy is getting more technical and educated with Navy Knowledge Online, Human Capital Strategy, Sea Warrior, Five Vector Model, WEB JASS, just to name a few. As leaders, we must have a basic knowledge of above