“This
Senior Rater does not have enough time to evaluate the rated officer.” I read
the words with great disappointment and bitterness. My company commander,
sensing my dissatisfaction, offered a few mumbled words of encouragement which
I shrugged off. I was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and it was 1992 in
Kaiserslautern, Germany. With the unexpected collapse of the Soviet Union the
Army found itself much larger than the perceived threat. Looking to balance the
budget, Congress had mandated a significant reduction in force; better known as
the RIF. For a Lieutenant starting off a career Senior Rater comments meant the
difference between promotion and discharge from the active force. An empty
space in the Senior Rater portion of my Officer Evaluation Report (OER) was better
than negative comments; but only marginally. This piece of paper in my record
would not assist me in navigating the treacherous retention and promotion
boards looming on the near horizon. It would show up as a flag, a
discriminator, some excuse for a board to view me unfavorably. What made it so frustrating,
so disappointing, was that ironic nature of the slight. It was not my fault;
not anything that I had done caused this mediocre evaluation.
My
Battalion Commander had engaged in adultery. He’d become enthralled to a young
specialist in one of the other units stationed in Pirmasens. Why is
unimportant. He had a wonderful wife and children. He just succumbed to, as he
put it, “the zipper disease.” His dalliances consumed him, absorbing hours he
should have spent working. Eventually he repeatedly lied to the Brigade
Commander to cover up absences from his assigned duties. The Brigade Commander
lost faith and trust in his subordinate and relieved him for cause. He returned
to the U.S. in disgrace to finish out his commitment and then retire, leaving
the wreckage of a broken family and damaged careers in his wake. No board members
would know the story; only the nagging question of why the empty spot? To make
matters worse, I’d seen the evaluation he wrote. He’d penned glowing words,
words that would have gone far in securing promotion and those plumb assignments all
young officers craved. But, his breach of trust, failure to show himself
truthful eradicated his ability to evaluate subordinates. If he could not be
truthful in one area, why would the Army trust him in another area? Once lost,
trust is ever so difficult to reestablish. The nagging doubt remains and trust
elusively slips away. Fortunately for me, this was not the end of my Army
story.
Time
passed. Assignments came and went; along with promotions. True, I had to wait
for one promotion; but, it would be unfair to lay that at his feet. The blame for
that belongs elsewhere. The dark night passed and my career recovered. But, I
never forgot that particular lesson in truth. We must fully embrace a life
lived in congruence with the truth; especially those of us who claim allegiance
to the Lord. Truth, and an unflinching adherence to it, form the basis, the
foundation, the cornerstone of all public service. To deviate from the truth,
to obfuscate, to falsely accuse, erodes trust and confidence. Additionally it damages those who work for and associate with you. Those of us in
positions of authority and public trust cannot engage in such behaviors. Whether
it is as an officer in the Army, a high-school teacher, or a public official,
we must treat our word as a sacred trust or bond that binds us to our duty. We
should never engage in flippant speech designed to obscure or divert. We do make
mistakes, choose poorly. And when we do so, we must own up to it and move on.
But, when we lash out embellishing or prevaricating, we demean the office and
charge we hold. When we do so, we disregard those whom we serve.
Those
of us in the body politic must hold our leaders accountable, letting them know
that such behavior is not worthy of our trust. We expect truth in all areas. We
understand mistakes, missteps, and even poor judgement. But we will not accept lies.
We will not accept misdirection. We will not accept false accusations to
distract. We will not accept bluster. We will only accept truth. Our leaders
must take a deep breath, gird up their loins and move forward bravely into the
realm of honest and truth.
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