Commodore's Corner

Hold the Line

By CAPT Teague "Metro" Laguens, USN

One of my all-time favorite movies is Gladiator. It has fantastic scenery and high drama, but they are not the best parts; Russell Crowe’s Maximus character provided us with those. His respectful leadership of the Roman army against the barbarians and his enslaved gladiator days are both applicable and appropriate to us. In one of the earliest competitions at the Coliseum, Maximus found himself surrounded by an unguided, scared group of men ready to battle individually to certain death. He observed this and immediately rallied them saying, “If we work together, we survive.” In spite of the overwhelming disadvantage in the arena, he gathered his team, exclaiming, “Hold … Together," until the time was right for their strike. His decisive patience and expert combat knowledge earned him the reverence of those men and respect of the crowd. In that moment, he won the battle and ultimately the war. Under tremendous pressure where everything was seemingly stacked against him, Maximus adapted his leadership, and earned the favorable outcome due to his unrelenting belief in his goal. Throughout all the adversity, Maximus maintained an unwavering dedication to the founding principles of his country and a heart for his family.

I love that movie!

Mic drop … lesson over … homework assigned. Go watch Gladiator.

Metro out.

Since I am not a SWO and I do not have great comm discipline, I meant “over” not “out!”

As our leaders have unpacked GPC (Great Power Competition) and what they envision that fight to look like, the CNO aptly challenged us to further develop our team of seasoned naval warriors. He is asking us to fight beyond all obstacles, be successful, and persevere in the end. Hopefully now it makes sense to you why I chose a fictional movie character to lead off this article. Put Russell Crowe in a flight suit, or a flight deck jersey, or some Type IIIs and he is you or the Sailors we are privileged to serve alongside as we do our nation's bidding across the globe. For years we have been relatively unchallenged in our efforts to maintain the postWWII status quo in the global maritime commons. That is changing and we must adapt too.

I have always said that E5s and LTs are the backbone of the NAE. These are the people who carry the burden of the workload; the resident keepers of the most up-to-date procedures (and the gouge); the truth-tellers unencumbered by the naiveté of inexperience or the politics of promotion. The backbone, however, cannot operate alone. It needs to connect to a set of hands to hold tools, a pair of legs to do heavy lifting, a mind with which to strategize, and a heart to bring it all to life. Our source of naval power comes from the strength we gain from all our combat-minded Sailors - the true heart of our weapons system.*

If I personally sought you out and asked if you were combatminded, I would be willing to bet you some tasty Kentucky brown water that I would get a resolute “yes” from most if not all of those who stumbled upon the article. And I would believe you because I have seen you in action and because we come from a long line of historic combat-minded Sailors …

Battle for Lake Eire

• John Paul Jones replied, “I have not yet begun to fight!” when outgunned and outmaneuvered by the British.

• Captain James Lawrence issued his final order, “Don’t give up the ship. Fight her till she sinks!” before being carried below decks and dying.

• Oliver Hazard Perry flew a large blue battle ensign stitched in white with the phrase “DON’T GIVE UP

THE SHIP” in the Battle of Lake Erie during which he fortuitously stated, “If a victory is to be gained, I will gain it.”

• LTJG Howell M. Forgy, a Chaplain who was prohibited from actively participating in combat, motivated his fellow New Orleans Sailors by patting them on the back exclaiming “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!” while they hand-carried ammunition up from the magazines below decks during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

• Cook Third Class Doris Miller manned an antiaircraft gun for which he had no training and shot down numerous Japanese aircraft after his ship was hit and sinking during Pearl Harbor.

If those five people do not motivate you, go back to the homework assignment I gave you earlier, and then pick back up here later …

Technological superiority and force size did not help America win the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, or WWII; the imagination, creativity, and pure grit of Americans did. Despite a potentially overwhelming advantage of technology and size by our peer competitors, they are severely lacking the critical component. Combat-minded people remain our asymmetric advantage. Gritty Sailors are the heart of our weapons systems.

We have huge shoes to fill, and I am optimistic that if we are called to similar action, we will emulate the examples of those who have gone before us. We will risk it all for something greater. We will relentlessly pursue victory. We will persevere. But let us not fool ourselves into thinking that it is going to be easy. Combat-mindedness is a hard choice that requires daily mental preparation, an indomitable spirit, and extraordinary action.

As you finish skimming this article, like any highly trained Naval War College student would, I implore you to do me one favor. Hold the line. When faced with tremendous pressure where everything is seemingly stacked against us, we will be decisively patient and creatively strike when the time is right in defense of our families and the founding principles of our great country … together!

Keep Winning … Commodore Metro

* Thank you to my friend and the world record holder for most burpee pushups (573) in an hour, LCDR Phil Dobbs for the inspiration and being the ultimate combat-minded Sailor!