One Man's Example
by Capt Nathan R. Packard
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Over the course of 8 years as an officer of Marines I have spent countless hours studying leadership, and I have served with a number of truly exceptional leaders. With this in mind, I never expected that a short, heavy-set Iraqi colonel would teach me more about leadership than anyone else I have ever known. I first met COL Ali in February 2007 when I was assigned as an advisor to his infantry battalion in the city of Fallujah, Iraq. Though not so obvious at the time, more than 1 year later I realize just how much he taught me about being a leader and a role model. What follows is my attempt to share the lessons in leadership taught to me by COL Ali. Nothing that appears here is groundbreaking. It is simply the story of man who, when tested, rose to the occasion and inspired those around him to do the same.
Courage is the first word that comes to mind when I think of the colonel. Throughout 2007 our military transition team (MiTT) accompanied him on more than 150 missions, the most dangerous of which were raids targeting known insurgents. Typically conducted at night and with little notice, these operations took us into neighborhoods not exactly known for their friendliness toward coalition forces. One never knew what to expect—cooperative suspects or streets littered with improvised explosive devices. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t scared prior to these missions. However, I would look over at COL Ali—always calm, cool, and collected—and I would reason to myself, “Well, Ali lives here, and if he isn’t afraid then there is no reason for me to be afraid.”
In addition, due to a lack of capable subordinates, the colonel led “from the front” to a degree that most Marine Corps battalion commanders would consider foolhardy. Even if it meant being the first through the door on a raid, when situations were dangerous, he always went first. The evening prior to our redeployment he told me just how scared he had been on those raids and how on several occasions he had been convinced that someone was going to be killed or wounded. In this way he epitomized the adage about courage not being the absence of fear but rather the ability to overcome one’s fears. In mastering his fears and acting with great courage he inspired those around him and set an example for others to emulate.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of COL Ali’s courage is how he dealt with dangers faced by few U.S. servicemembers—threats to his wife and children. Although it is difficult for Marines to imagine, while he was assigned to Fallujah, hundreds of miles from his home, local militias in his hometown repeatedly harassed his family because of his position in the new Iraqi Army. The colonel loved his family deeply, and his inability to protect them caused him considerable distress. Despite all of this, he didn’t succumb to fear and anxiety and resign from the Army. Rather, he went to work each day in the hope that in the long term his efforts would create a safe and stable Iraq for his family. In COL Ali’s mind, were he to quit, it would simply perpetuate the cycle of murder and intimidation that was then plaguing Iraq. Bowing to their demands would only serve to embolden the militias, and his family would never be safe. I recall thinking to myself, “How would we Americans hold up if we were in Iraq and local gangs were threatening our loved ones back in California or North Carolina?” I only hope that I could deal with similar hardships with the same poise and courage that he did.
Caring is the second word that comes to mind when I reflect on COL Ali’s leadership. Admittedly, I was initially suspect of the caring he exhibited on a daily basis. I could not fathom a man who displayed such heartfelt concern for those around him, and I was convinced that he must have ulterior motives. In time, however, I realized that his caring was genuine and that he extended it to everyone he came in contact with, whether they were his soldiers, Iraqi civilians, American advisors, or even prisoners. Christmas 2007 provides one example. By that time our MiTT had been in Iraq for nearly a year and nobody was looking forward to yet another holiday away from home. Sensing the drop in morale, COL Ali, himself a devout Muslim, traveled to Baghdad and returned with a wide array of Christmas decorations.
He then used them to turn his office into his own version of a Christmas wonderland, with the centerpiece being a rather worn plastic tree with lights and shiny pieces of plastic attached in random places. Although it was the ugliest Christmas tree any of the Marines had ever seen, it lifted our spirits to know that someone with only a vague notion of what Christmas was went to such great lengths to make us feel at home. Anyone who knows the colonel could cite similar instances of his kindness. Perhaps the greatest example was the vast number of civil affairs projects he supported, which went far in securing the backing of the local civilian population. As a leader, he knew those around him, and he looked out for their welfare. In so doing he turned groups of individuals into teammates who were loyal to each other, loyal to him and, most importantly, loyal to the mission. He fully acknowledged and acted on his belief that as a leader, people were his primary business.
The third and arguably the most important element of COL Ali’s leadership cannot be easily defined by one word. Expressions, such as force of will, positive attitude, and strength of character, come to mind. Essentially, it was his positive attitude in the face of adversity that manifested itself in his self-confidence, self-respect, and respect for others; his sense of humor; and his optimism. It was in how he carried himself and presented himself to others. Central to his belief system was the idea that the vast majority of Iraqis, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality, could work together positively if they treated each other with respect and gave each other the benefit of the doubt. The colonel extended this belief out to all humanity, and it infused him with a sense of self-confidence and optimism that was infectious.
It enabled him to tear down walls between people. He often asked other Iraqis—including children, civilians, soldiers, and police—“Who are you?” When they responded with Sunni or Shi’a or with the name of their tribe, he would forcefully remind them that though they were all those things, first and foremost they were Iraqis. Although I heard this speech more than 100 times, the heartfelt conviction of his delivery as well as its impact on the audience always impressed me. His goals were to bring his countrymen together, to promote reconciliation, and to build a safe, secure, and prosperous Iraq. Short of killing him, there was nothing the insurgents could do to deter him from these goals. It was this unrivaled sense of purpose that made others follow him so readily.
Leadership can be defined as employing one’s traits, skills, and personality to get a group of individuals to come together as a team to accomplish a common goal. COL Ali’s objective was to pacify a relatively small area of Al Anbar Province. He accomplished this goal by using his personal skills to reach out and bring together U.S. Marines, Iraqi police, sheiks, imams, local civilians, and even former insurgents. Though much larger than just one man, the success of the Anbar Awakening was, in part, a testament to COL Ali’s charisma, courage, and diplomacy. As a leader, he made everyone he came in contact with believe that a peaceful Iraq was a possibility. If space permitted, I could cite innumerable other examples of his superior leadership. But above all it was his courage, compassion, and positive attitude combined with an overriding sense of mission accomplishment that enabled him to succeed as a leader in the face of adversity.
Though we may never meet again, I will carry the lessons I learned from COL Ali with me for the rest of my life. People like him give me hope for the future of Iraq. Despite our very different backgrounds, he is the single most effective leader I have ever met. To this day, when faced with difficult situations, I wonder, “How would Ali handle this?” I only hope that I can someday return the favor and possibly return to a peaceful Iraq as a civilian to visit with him and his family. As Marines, we must be mindful lest we mislead ourselves into believing that we know all there is to know about leadership. Sometimes you can learn quite a bit from someone you would least expect.
>Capt Packard deployed as the Assistant Team Chief, Mobile Training Team 1–2–1 in January 2007. The team operated in Fallujah for 6 months and then moved in the Thartar region, Al Anbar Province. Capt Packard is currently pursuing his doctorate in history at Georgetown University.
