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Those questions the American people are asking today don't seem to have any positive answers. Citizens want to know why their views relative to proposed federal legislation are not being taken into account. They want to know why favoritism is being shown toward political supporters to the detriment of the entire country. They want to know why they should be forced into government-mandated programs ranging from the cars they drive to the healthcare they receive. They want to know why unelected or unconfirmed czars are being placed in positions of great power and control.

One man being interviewed on television put it quite succinctly when he asked, why doesn't Congress have to live under the same laws, rules and regulations they make for everyone else in America? To many of us the answer seems to be that those we place in leadership positions usually seem to lack the basic traits and skills of individuals we view as good leaders.

Often, in these writings I have hearkened back to my years serving as an active duty Marine. From Corporal to General every Marine NCO and officer has one thing in common.... leadership training. This is also true of those placed in positions of trust in every branch of the armed forces.

It matters not if you are the leader of a small combat unit, or a base commander, those who are charged with issuing orders to others are expected to provide leadership by example.

A good leader is expected to take care of all those under his or her command..."first". Before anything is done for the leader, be it a shelter for the night or food for the body, everyone else is cared for before the leader. It is traditionally a case where "the first shall always be last."

In truth, there are few politicians who follow such traditional leadership rules or deserve to be admired. One who does rank high on my list is former Senator Zell Miller. During the time he was serving as Governor of Georgia and I was president of the combat correspondents association, I had the honor of meeting him. Over several months we developed a casual friendship that resulted in him accepting an invitation to speak at our national conference.

At the time he had just written a book titled Corps Values -- Everything You Need To Know I Learned In The Marines. His address to the combat correspondents, or CCs as we are called, was how all the major decisions in his life were formed around the values he learned as a Marine.

He said the things he learned as a Marine were essential "for the survival of a society in which individuals can achieve for themselves and contribute to the advancement of mankind as a whole. These values include neatness, responsibility, persistence, discipline, shame, brotherhood, courage, achievement, punctuality, respect, pride and loyalty." He concluded his remarks saying the one thing that guided his private and public life was the Marine Corps motto...Semper Fidelis, "Always Faithful".

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