Leaders take “Staff Ride” lessons to heart

Officers, NCO learn from Battle of Shiloh

By Sergeant 1st Class Pete Mayes
101st Sustainment Brigade

FORT CAMPBELL, KY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009 – First Lieutenant Chidiebere Kamalu’s first “staff Ride” in his military career took place some very hallowed ground in Tennessee.
He and 60 other officers and senior non-commissioned officers of the 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, spent two days learning about the Civil War at Shiloh National Military Park, the site of the famous “Battle of Shiloh.”
“The lessons from a century and a half ago are relevant in today’s army,” the assistant Officer-in-Charge of the S-2, 716th Military Police Battalion said. “In terms of intelligence, logistics, command and control, all of those things were big issues then, as they are today. I really learned a lot about those aspects.”
Sustainment Brigade leaders uses Leadership Professional Development, or “Staff Rides,” as a means of mentoring officers and NCOs under their command using history. Groups will travel to a historical landmark, where the Soldiers will be given an impromptu history lesson of what happened there.
The lessons learned from previous battles such as Shiloh help leaders and Soldiers as they fight future wars, said Sergeant Major James E. Davis, financial management operations Sergeant Major for the 101st Sustainment Brigade Financial Management Company.
“Shiloh was a logistical challenge, and we were able to discuss its advantages and disadvantages for both the Union and Confederate Soldiers,” he said. “We bring leaders here to discuss tactics, operations, and what the residual effects of the battle were.”
The Battle of Shiloh, commonly known as the Battle of Pittsburgh Landing, was a major Civil War battle fought in Western Tennessee April 6-7, 1862. The Confederate Army achieved some success on the first day of battle, but was ultimately defeated by General Ulysses S. Grant and his Union forces.

Navy Captain Steven Knott, an instructor at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pa., said while war fighting tactics of the 19th Century differ from today, leadership issues remain the same.
“The human element of war does not change,” he said. “It’s all about leadership dynamics. When you go back and look through a historical lens and see how people were facing what I believe was the most dangerous time in history of the republic and how they dealt with a crisis of that magnitude, a lot can be learned from it.”
Fellow instructor and former Sustainment Brigade Commander Colonel James Scudiere said wanted the Soldiers to think about what they do and how it is done.
“What we saw here are folks trying to fight a war while conducting a military campaign,” he said. “The armies have to go from place to place and come up with a game plan, while requiring logistics support and sustainment.”