Transcript This Veteran’s Day, remember

America’s 21st Century Spartans
Iraq
Afghanistan
When policy makers finish talking, when debate has ceased, when
negotiations have failed and orders are given, it becomes the mission of the
young men before you to execute national policy.
Baghdad
You’ll engage in vicious close combat in one block, protect children as they
attend school in the next and restore water and power on the third. All of this
simultaneously.
The vast majority of your Drill Sergeants and your
Company Commanders have been to the battlefield. They
have moved under fire, they have seen the enemy up close
and they know that this endeavor is deadly serious.
The best and the brightest are not necessarily on campus or in the
corporate boardroom right now. Men, don’t ever think that the kids
running around on some university campus have anything on you.
You are privileged to have the one advantage that they all covet,
you will know, you will have facts about the goings on in Iraq,
Afghanistan, Djibouti, the Philippines, the Balkans and many
other places.
You’ll hold more responsibility and do more in the next few years than most
people will do in an entire lifetime. High expectations, to be sure, but you will
succeed, because you are the 21st Century American Spartan.
“It would be awesome if you could find a way
To share this with our countrymen.”
1st Sgt Dave Jobe
Baker Company, Marine Infantry Division
While serving in Baghdad, my brother, LT Carl R Ward, lauded www.anysoldier.com
for their support of our troops. Rest assured, your packages reach their destination!
This Memorial Day, my sister-in law is
serving in Afghanistan. Please remember
all of our troops who are away from home
and family this holiday.
With Special Thanks
• I was thrilled to find Bill Coffey’s slide presentation, 21st
Century Spartans, on the Internet.
• Soon after September 11, Sgt Jobe’s photo arrived in my
Inbox. At his request, I share it whenever I have the
opportunity.
• I assembled the slides, the transitions and the special
effects. Photo credits go to Sgt Jobe, Bill Coffey, my
brother and his wife.
• We are a military family and understand fully the price
that these men, women and their families pay to keep us
safe. We can never repay them. We can only pray to
God to keep them safe and bring them home again.
Pam Adams, President, CPI Training Solutions, Inc.
February 24, 2008
To all American Warriors & Patriots,
In Nov 2007 I released a PowerPoint presentation tribute entitled, “These Are My
Credentials”, and in January 2008 I released a similar tribute “On Point”, both of which generated
an unexpected quantity of positive responses. (Google “These Are My Credentials Coffey” to find
several links to these slides ). I Thank you for your kind and supportive words.
This presentation, “21st Century Spartans” , provides the verbatim text of a
speech given in the summer of 2006 at Fort Benning Georgia during the “Boot Camp” graduation
of Army Infantrymen. The speaker at this event, the Battalion Commander of the 2 nd Battalion of
the 58th Infantry Regiment, LTC Randolph C. White Jr., and his remarks need no introduction or
comment from me. I will however, share with you a long standing personal opinion; I have
always maintained that the one thing the best Soldiers in the world deserve, our American
troops, is the best leadership in the world. Leadership which ensures our Soldiers are always
the first priority, that their training and equipment is the best in the world, that their every need is
addressed and satisfied to the best of our Army’s and our nation’s ability and that their service,
bravery and sacrifices are always appreciated and never wasted. I believe LTC White is one of
these leaders. Please read his verbatim remarks in the following slides to draw your own
conclusions. Always remember our Soldiers, who make the sacrifices, take the fight to the
enemy, get shot at and take the bullets, so we don’t have to.
Bill Coffey, Soldier (Retired)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
[email protected]
Bill Coffey,
Basra Iraq, June 2006
This presentation is provided fully without restrictions. You may use it, post it, distribute it, use its parts in any
way you would like. This presentation may be considered “public domain”, while some of the photos may be
copyrighted. I receive many photos without credit to the originators and therefore do not know the sources for
many of them. The full text of this presentation can be found in the “Notes Page” section of this slide.