KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - After savage fighting -- much of it hand-to-hand -- a brutal Taliban attack on Combat Outpost Hellfire was stopped recently by the heroic actions of the infantry commander on the ground. While many in the Army are hailing Captain James Wild as a hero of the battle, his West Point professor maintains that the incident is just another in what he calls "a series of extensive leadership failures."
"I just knew something like this would happen if he was in a leadership position. He didn't have any discipline at all. He was without a doubt one of the worst students I've ever had," said Major Martin Sutherland, when asked about the incident.
Now serving as a professor of history at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY, Sutherland speaks from his experiences as an Air Defense officer from 1984 to 1995. His belief is that discipline and standards are of the highest importance to a good Army officer.
"Wild had the worst looking boots in the company. When other cadets were spending their Friday nights shining shoes, and getting their rooms ready for the Saturday morning inspections that I insisted on, Wild would just go out and party. Can you believe that? A 19 year-old kid in college trying to become an officer, and he couldn't even find the time to starch his BDU blouse!"
