The Passion of Command

Posted on 25 April 2018 by Bryan McCoy

Author royalties go to Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund Active duty Marine Colonel B P McCoy expertly relays his innermost thoughts and feelings, drawing on his mastery of personal leadership He understands the intangibles that make up our modern day warriors, those young Americans on whom we place so much responsibility when we send them into harm s way Col McCoy describes the total cost of combat and the price paid by all who choose to become a warrior By pointing to positive training examples and keying on the effects of situational training, battle drills, conducted prior to and during combat, he successfully trained his Marines and developed the proper habits that would be the difference between life and death during combat He directed his Marines to become experts in the application of violence without sacrificing their humanity The essence of war is violence and the act of killing legitimate human targets without hesitation To accomplish this, he instituted meaningful training and used his refined principles as a human being to guide him in the leadership and administration on the moral code that rules the field of battle He is the perfect example of all that we hold dear in our warrior culture He loved his men, showed them the right way through his personal example, guided his actions with passion and relayed his feelings to his men completely He was quick to note his own shortcomings and how he overcame them and was the inspiration to the team that triumphed when all Marines survived the day Emotionally riveting, The Passion of Command provides inside information into the warrior culture and allows one to grasp the complexities when hardening the mind, body and spirit for the rigors of combat Most find it hard to communicate the human effects of combat to people who have never experienced the harsh realities associated with actually engaging an enemy Col McCoy doesn t have that problem he opened the door and let the reader in. Read The Passion of Command author Bryan McCoy – kino-fada.fr ADM DAVIDSON INDOPACOM recommended this book to me It is a Quick read with great value added for the leader who takes men and women into harms way I will re read this prior to deployment to make sure my warrior leader ethos is ready. The Passion of Command The Moral Imperative of Leadership is a concise and acute monograph on leadership Lt Col Bryan P McCoy, now Col Ret , was the CO of 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines 3 4 in 2003 during Operations Iraqi Freedom, at which time they were the first Marine unit to enter Baghdad, and Vigilant Resolve in 2004 where they participated in First Fallujah Much of the book is devoted to his training doctrine and methodology in preparing 3 4 for deployment He emphasizes the importa The Passion of Command The Moral Imperative of Leadership is a concise and acute monograph on leadership Lt Col Bryan P McCoy, now Col Ret , was the CO of 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines 3 4 in 2003 during Operations Iraqi Freedom, at which time they were the first Marine unit to enter Baghdad, and Vigilant Resolve in 2004 where they participated in First Fallujah Much of the book is devoted to his training doctrine and methodology in preparing 3 4 for deployment He emphasizes the importance of drill, muscle memory and mastery of the basics as a route to building individual confidence It is oft repeated that Every Marine is a rifleman , and as such, marksmanship is perhaps the most basic skill in the Corps and one that Lt Col McCoy was fanatical about Additionally, the weapons companies and other support unit were drilled incessantly with their mortars, squad automatic weapons, TOW missiles, etc., and not just on the range T...When I picked up this book, I thought that it would be another drawn out story about a list of things that one needs to do to take charge and be in command I was so wrong This book doesthan just guide you through the mentality of leadership It gives great examples and explains why you need to do certain things It draws up a s...I would break this book into three takeaway sections.1 Dedication to strong performance enhancer training such as becoming a master of the basics through repetition, training like you play in full gear and high stress environments , and cohesive team building 2 Building real relationships with the people you are leading, so that those people want to follow you , even without being asked As McCoy puts itA commander must genuinely love his men and win their affections in return, and w I would break this book into three takeaway sections.1 Dedication to strong performance enhancer training such as becoming a master of the basics through repetition, training like you play in full gear and high stress environments , and cohesive team building 2 Building real relationships with the people you are leading, so that those people want to follow you , even without being asked As McCoy puts itA commander must genuin...Note to self read this at least once a year Passion of Command is the most demanding and insightful books on combat leadership that I ve read to date Colonel McCoy s battalion s success is evidence of the strength of the methods put forth in the book It presents clear, no nonsense training standards and challenges the young officer to live up to its high standard Most importantly, the book recognizes that proper command is a moral imperative Preparation is never done and learning cannot c Note to self read this at least once a year Passion of Command is the most demanding and insightful books on combat leadership that I ve read to date Colonel McCoy s battalion s success is evidence of the strength of the methods put forth in ...Are you a hunter or prey The author has a number of profound statements I wish I had a highlighter when I read this even though I have no plans to be in combat anytime soon The passion of a commander is equal parts love, zeal, and a quiet wrathThis was a great primer on leadership Mostly geared for the military, but has many cross over applications for those in business and in your personal life as well I really liked the quote Do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason, and you cannot go far wrong.Good, short read on detailing the internal and external challenges of combat leadership McCoy starts off with a description of a battle in Iraq and then proceeds to discuss what makes a good leader and the type of sacrifices a military leader must make.Seems boring, simple, and rehashed stuff over and over in professional development and leadership courses but puts it into a good format and is pretty short.Passion of Command is a great narrative on leadership, drawing heavily on Colonel McCoy s experience as Battalion Commander of the 3 4 in Iraq Quality discussion on the human factors in combat.

English
25 April 2018

Bryan McCoy