Down to Bed Rock
No one on earth complains like a soldier in combat or has more reason to. He suffers from hunger, thirst, exhaustion, fear, and the perceived incompetence of those “above” him. And he doesn’t suffer in silence. Expressing himself effectively with a mixture of profanity and humor is a matter of professional pride. Sgt. Ray Salisbury was with the U.S. forces in North Africa in 1943 and had his own observations on this trait of the American soldier:
We can complain to ourselves, grouse about conditions and yell about anything or everything but when something comes up that needs everyone’s cooperation the Americans are there to do it. Then they go back to their complaining… Just to witness the ingenuity of soldiers who aren’t provided with the comforts of home, to see them make crystals for their watches out of a turret canopy—to watch them repair their shoes with nails made from carpet tacks. There are countless other things they do. They do not complain because they are without facilities—they make their own… Here is where you get down to bed rock. Here is where you discover that you have pools of energy that have never been tapped.161
It is the same now as it was then: our soldiers are a product of the society they come from. They are used to thinking for themselves and don’t usually hesitate to state their opinions, even when they irritate those “above” them. The smart officer (as well as employer or parent) doesn’t fight this ingrained trait. They do better to facilitate it. You will have a better military unit, business, or family if those under your supervision have a regular way to express their opinions. When you insist on positive suggestions along with the complaints, you tap into the “bed rock” mentioned above: the creative potential and energy of people molded in the spirit of freedom.
I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.
—Psalm 119:32
Soldiers landing on North African beaches (National Archives)
