Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 15, 1993 TAG: 9304150258
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAY TAYLOR CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LEXINGTON LENGTH: Long
POWELL LIFTS ROTC STUDENTS' SPIRITS
Amid the base closings and spending cuts that have delivered blows to the military's ego this year, Gen. Colin Powell arrived Wednesday with a uplifting message for the next generation of military leaders."The president is determined, the secretary of defense is determined, I am certainly determined that we shall not rip the heart and soul out of our armed forces the way we have too often in the past," the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a keynote speech for a four-day seminar at Virginia Military Institute for top college ROTC students from across the country.
In his first visit to VMI, Powell, who arrived by Blackhawk helicopter, conjured memories of Army Gen. George C. Marshall, the decorated war hero and VMI graduate who served as secretary of state and secretary of defense.
"It was Marshall more than anyone else who brought together the millions of GIs, the industrial power and the strategic vision that won World War II," he said. He encouraged the youths to live up to Marshall's character, "his integrity, his compassion, his wisdom. . . . To him, those virtues were simply expected of a man. They are the baseline values that he learned here at VMI. . . .
"Is there a George Marshall among you, here in this room? Perhaps. Only time will tell. But every one of you should aim for the high mark that he set."
Powell drew cheers when he said: "Marshall also threw his weight behind the idea of containment, an idea that was foreign to America's character but vital to her future. The notion was that we should be strong even in peace, that we should use military might to contain an enemy that threatened everything we hold dear."
Attending the seminar were 270 ROTC Marshall Award winners, cadets from programs around the country who have excelled in academics and leadership.
There was silence in the crowd of 2,600 civilians and cadets as Powell walked to the podium.
Powell was named chairman of the Joint Chiefs by President Bush in 1989. He oversaw the invasion of Iraq in 1991, gaining national exposure and a measure of heroism for the crushing defeat of Saddam Hussein's loyalists.
Though reappointed by Bush in October 1991, he reportedly considered stepping down after President Clinton took office, amid speculation that Clinton had little interest in the military.
Powell stayed on, however, and despite controversies over gays in the military and base closings, he has retained his reputation for coolness and apolitical military leadership. In Washington, he is considered hot political property, and some think he holds promise as a presidential candidate.
Powell's speech was not without levity. Every young man and woman in the room with a military future listened intently as he spoke of his first military experience, in Germany at Fulda Gap.
"To me it was a great adventure. Coming from the South Bronx I was going to the Infantry Basic, Airborne and Ranger course, then to Germany . . . . I was tough. I was `bad.' I was nervous. I was scared. Would I measure up? Could I cut it?
"My whole life and future revolved around what those first 40 soldiers I would lead would think of me. Fortunately, it all worked out," he said.
"The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do. If you want them to qualify as experts on the range, you must try to qualify as expert. . . . They must see you sacrifice for them."
His proudest moment, he said, has come not from receiving awards and dining with the elite of Washington, but from overhearing a conversation between two soldiers in an Army camp.
When he commanded a battalion in Korea in the early 1970s; the troops had nicknamed him "Bro P."
He recounted their conversation:
"Bro P says we're not driving to the range next week. We're going to night-march for two nights over those damn mountains."
"You're kidding."
"Naw, it's true."
"Well, OK, if that's what Bro P says."
"No medal," Powell said, "no promotion, will ever mean more to me or will mean more to you than such experiences when your troops believe in you. You must make them believe in you. Competence, courage, caring, sacrifice, selfless service must be your code. And you must love your soldiers with all your heart and soul and mind.
"These rules are not just for young lieutenants or for the military. They are lessons for life wherever your future takes you."
He told the story of his son Mike, who looked toward a bright future after passing through the ROTC program at the College of William and Mary. The younger Powell overturned in a Jeep in 1987 in Germany, and his pelvis was crushed. Near death, he was rescued by a German first-aid team, and eventually sent back to the United States. "They began to rebuild him at Walter Reed Hospital," he said.
"One morning two physical therapists showed up and said, `Mike, the time for being sick is over. It's time to get well. We'll be back tomorrow.' And they turned off the morphine."
Knowing he had to do it himself, he looked into the mirror and remembered basic training and ROTC. "All those lessons came together to give him the strength and courage to face the future," Powell said. This year he will graduate from law school.
"Leave here . . . inspired by the spirit of George Marshall, by the beauty and history of this wonderful place and by the courage of your fellow soldier, Mike Powell," he said.
There was thunderous applause as Powell left for his chopper.
"This will be one of the most significant, most important events in the lives of these young men and women here," said Robert Shepherd, public affairs officer for the U.S. Army ROTC.
"It made me realize that if you put your mind to it, you can achieve what you want," said Robert Poe of Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tenn.
"It is something I'll always carry with me," said Roderick White, a senior at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Fla. Powell, he said, is walking testimony to the adage, "Lead by example."