What i want to do now is turn this over. As you know were the American Veteran center is presenting the Andrew Goodpasture award and i want to turn this over to the president of the American Veterans center. Jim . [applause] thank you very much, tom. Peter. And officers of the army and navy club, thank you for being our partners for this evenings lecture. Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of my colleagues at the American Study Center i welcome you to the Army Navy Club for the presentation of the eight annual andrew j. Goodpasture award named after a Great American and presented to another Great AmericanLieutenant Colonel ralph peters United States army retired. Id like to say we are honored by the presence of general goodpastures granddaughter and her husband, matt. Would you please stand. [applause] great to have representation as we have always had from the goodpasture family here. I would also like to thank the Bradley Foundation for underwriting the goodpasture award. Diane, would you please stand,. [applause] Joe Goodpasture was a special individual to all of us tet American Veteran center. From 1997 to 2004, he was the keynote speaker at our annual conference, a role which he relished because of the large number of high school and College Students that attend, despite his distinguished records he was always a man of the present and the future. He reminded the students in the audience that world war ii was one essential was won essentially by young soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines not much older than they. That freedom must be defended anew by every generation, and that since the attack on september 11th 2001, America Harris been involved in another world war war on terrorism. Much different than world war ii in nature but equally threatening and that it is heir challenge, the challenge of their generation to wage and win it. Ive been in washington for 40 years now and i know it to be a very factionalized city. General goodpasture rows before that toxic environment. He whereas that rare individual who was esteemed by people across the spectrums. He embodied the qualities we think of as virtues among them courage, loyalty generosity, discipline mod descity diligence, among many others. His was a truly remarkable life. He was a graduate of west point. A highly deck rated Battalion Commander in world war ii. He held masters and doctoral degrees from princeton university, serveds a staff sect to president eisenhower, supreme allied commander of nato. Deputy commander of forces in vietnam. Served in time of crisis as a superintendent of the United States military academy again at west point. He was resivent of two purple hearts and the distinguished service cross. The nations second highest award for valor and the medal of freedom, which is the nations highest civilian award. The was a member of boards and commissions too numerous to mention. Academic scholar author, loving husband father, and grandfather, soldier scholar patriot, family man we will not soon see him again. I thank you for being here to honor general goodpastures history. One of the young people that general goodpasture influenced is tim hole bert, the executive director of northwestern study center and our American Veteran center affiliate and in fact tim is the one would originated they of the goodpasture lecture and prize. I think its appropriate that tim introduce this years awardee, please welcome mr. Tim hole bert. [applause] thank you jim. On behalf of northwestern veteran center, im honored to be here to introduce tonight reside honoree for those knew to the center id like to offer a warm welcome. Tonights lecture is in which we honor the sacrifice of our military men and women of every generation. Over the last two decades the abc has collected thousands of oral histories from American Veterans from the First World War to the present day. We have produced dozens of radio and Television Documentary programs including the recently completed decisions raiders,doolittles raiders. And everybody veterans day week winds we bring together hundreds of students from each of the nations military examples and several dozenve are r. O. T. C. Programs. At the abcs null conference anywhere instilled with the virtues of leadership while gaining a better appreciation for our militarys heroes, past and present. That same weekend the abc produces the honors, the first televised awards show honoring our military veterans and active duty. This veterans Day Television special airs on cable nationwide every fall. And as many of you may have seen the abc sponsors and produces the National Enemy enemy day parades held on constitutional avenue here in washington, which we brought back after a seven year absence from world war ii. We revive elfed in 2005. Revived it in 2005. Its the nations largest memorial day event,ing through 300,000 spectators spectators and a National Television audience. Tonights lecture is especially meaning. Honoring the memory of a great friend and mentor, general Andrew Goodpasture not only to honor his legacy and ospotlight the work of fellow soldier scholars in his mold. Tonights honoree fifths that rolled he rose from pfr to Lieutenant Colonel where he largely serve as a military intelligence officer. This career left him well suited for a career at a writer and strategic thinker publishing numerous essays in military journals such as parameters and military review. Also written for u. S. A. Today the wall street journal, the Washington Post the new york post, and regularly appears on the fox news channel. In addition to several nonfiction works he has the i this fast recipient to be a novelis. His laiders work, the valley of the shadow, is on the civil war and his remarks will draw from this work. Ladies and gentlemen its my distinct honor to introduce recipient over the 2015 Andrew Jackson goodpasture prize Lieutenant Colonel ralph peters. [applause] thank you. [inaudible] conversation [inaudible conversations] youre a lucky audience, its thundering raining outside so you time it will. I am so grateful for this award so much so i wont bee be lab youre the point. When i was work only my masters agreeing i wrote a thesis on natos early formative decades and general goodpasture has a very Important Role to play in that. I wish i could remember what i wrote. Its been a while. But i am honored and i thank you. Now, if i were a true washingtonian, what i would do would be to begin by delivering carefully crafted wonderfully humble remarks telling you how great a. But instance im not a good washingtonon, rather i want to talk about leadership. And so although most of the characters i discuss are drawn from the current book be valley of the shadow ill draw from other research e search and im calling this the civil war and the mysteries of leadership. At the end of the day, at the end of many a long day throughout history leadership at its highest level remains a mystery. When i was lieutenant, a second lieutenant, first lieutenant, i dutifully read all the great military books i could get my hand on. And i was looking for the answer. How do you be a great leader . And a lot of valuable information along the way. And the military studies how to turn out leaders and you can check lift certain things, integrity, sense of duty, care for the troops. But beyond the check lists beyond the manuals beyond the helpful hints and memoirs there is this great mystery and leadership is not ultimately form laic formulaache leadership comes in many ways. The remarkable cast of leaders and the great Great Variety and so what id like to do, tonight is to give you some snapshots, some oral snapshots of some of the men who particularly intrigued me. And some are professional soldiers some are not. They all do their best, north and south to serve their country to the best of their abilities. And at times their achievements and courage their ability to galvanize soldiers, to incredible acts of valor again still remains a mystery. And ill start with someone who really is should be the patron saint of soldiers who write books. And that is volunteer general lou wallace. The forth gotten man who served washington. Now, can anybody tell me anything that lou wallace out there . He wrote benhur. Lou wallace was an indiana man politician wouldbe soldier he served in texas and northern mexico briefly in the mexican war. Part of the local militia in indiana, when the war came he was much better prepared than many of the other men who had become political generals as they were called. Lou wallace was very dutiful. Strong sense of duty to the country. Believed in the union. He wasnt a west pointer. That was one strike against him in the west, because general henry hall lack halak was called old brains and he said, other im paraphrase, volunteer generals were no better than criminals. He felt if he werent a west pointer, you simply couldnt do it. Well the interesting thing about lou wallace is he did do it. At fort donaldson grants first important vic, grant is on the river when the confederates locked the attack from fort. Grant is talking to the naval commander on the river and lou wallace is under orders to stay where he is and not move. Well lou wallace sees that the undown lying to his right is collapsing and he disobeys orders and attacks and saves the day. Fort donaldson falls. Fast forward to shilo. At shiloh, lou wallace tries to obey his orders to the letter but theyre very vague orders. The situation overtakes the orders and shiloh is such a near run thing. Such a disaster, that the they needed a scapegoat and as much as i admire grant and sherman the first day at shiloh was not their finest hour. They fought horizon and pulled through but let their guard down and made false assumptions. The army was not prepared. Lou wallace gets an order to march but the route is the wrong routed. He gets there by the evening. Henry halak is the grand wazzu in the west at this opinion and he decides that everything that happened went wrong was lou wallaces fault. So lou wall lace is sent packing back to indiana. He is cooling his heels. He wants to be back in the fight. During the morgans raid he saves the city of cincinnati in ohio. He still cant back in. Finally his supporters in politics on all sides get lou wallace reinstated in active service, and in the military district centered on baltimore. Hardly the front lines. Wallace has no troops under his commend except some invalids, guards rockier tating militia. He does his best. His number one duty is to make sure the elects run smooth hi. He does that in the summer. 1864 something happens. All the Intelligence Services of the undown army, all the intelligence work in washingtons all the information gatherers totally missed between 16 and 20,000 confederates storming up the valley of virginia the into maryland and toward washington. Theyre on a richmond theyre going to take washington. And grant is convinced nobody i admire grant but we all he is convinced nobody has left these lines and pinned them down and he keeps getting reports and dismissing them. The only person getting good intelligence is the head of the b o railroad, hawkerred in baltimore, and the takes the reports from this stationmaster saying the con fred rats are here in strength, tearing up tracks help takes tom lou wallace, and lou wallace believes them. He is the only guy north of the pot tom macthat believes this. Washington keeping pew pewing the rumors that early is comping. Early is nearly to frederick. Lou wallace on his own initiative and his his western boundary is the river. Which flows just south of there. Lou wallace gathers up what we call the clerks and jerks invalids militias and gets between 2,000 and 3,000 raw recruits and militiamen out there at frederick. He gets a battery of artillery. Really only two functional guns in the key part of the battle. And finally gets some regular cavalry who are passing. Grabs them. And early is leading combat veterans and lou wallace is determined to make a stand because he knows now everything is about time. And he is on the river hes got his advance guard west of fred rick, trying to delay an entire army marchs as hard as they can, for fredrick and then washington. He is not sure if theyre going to baltimore or washington but bets on washington. And finally washington wakes up. Grant wakes up. They start rushing forces. The elements of the sixth corps up to annapolis and washington but theyre running late. Its close. The night just the day before early is about to hit his wallaces main position. Brilliantly and beautifully chose on the south bank of the river. Regiments start arriving. He get two thirdses of the sixth corps which brings him up to of thousand men half of them who are green recruits. 16,000 and early just he heard just nothing out there but militia. He thinks hell storm over them. Lou wallace and another forgotten name, james rickets multiple wounds, a very, very brave general he is not handsome. Not the kind of guy that electrify the media. And they make this stand on the river. Its dramatized in the book but its incredible what they do. Brilliant tactics finally chosen terrain they hold early off, early from earl in the morning to Late Afternoon when finally theyre enveloped theyre collapsing, and wallace gives rickets the chance to rescue his division and get them out of there in midafternoon and rickets wont do it. They stay and they fight. Take tremendous casualties but buy a day. As a result of that kind of leadership lou wallace out of favor, taking risks daring, doing what had to be done, jim rickets, wallace has no authority over him when troops start arriving. Theyre supposed to go to harpers ferry. Jim rickets decide toes, the fight is here, ill statement theyre risk court marl martials and worst but save the union. When the confederates finally in terribly hot weather on forces marches, two days later they literally get within sight of the knuckly complete it capitol dome and within the same hour that the confederates skimmers are approaching the washington defenses the six. Corps is marching up seventh street and filling into the forts win one hour, had they not made that stand on the river, virtually forgotten today, early would have seized washington and burned it and left the it would have been burned twice. What is the leadership lesson . Sometimes that personal moral courage to do what you believe is right even though you to the there will be penal its and there were personalities. That is penalties. Thats critical. Lou wallace the thanks he gets, henry halak persuades everyone that his stand at the river waisted lives and wallace is fired in disgrace. Now, when jim rickets and others start telling the story he is finally reinstated at his rank, et cetera, but never given a combat command again. Because the indiana politics. Lincoln needs indiana. They do not want lou wallace to be a successful politician after the war so he cant be given a command. He was it was even more political then than now. Grant makes himself governor of the new mexico territories after the war because grant knows what he did. In the then crumbling palless hoff of governors of san jose he completes benhur while dealing with billy the kid and a range war. That sounds like fluff for one career. Later he is appointed the eye quiver lent of ambassador, to the supreme pouter, the assaultan Sultans Court in is stan ball. Lou wallace proud hoosier and american guys, gets to the court which is overregulated to say the least. And at the First Encounter with sultan he walks out and sticks out his hand, and at the sultan is what the . Whiskey tango fox. He takes lou wallaces hand and lou wallace is hi First Western adviser and the sultan theres as close to being friends a you can be in the circumstances. When the President Administration changes in the state and wallace was recalled. The sultan sends a letter the american president say can a mere change of president s rob me of my friend lou wallace so lou wallace goes back and starts a writers renaissance in indiana and does public service. Thats a little more than youve needed by lou wallace but im fascinated by this half forth gotten and forgotten figures and then moved to Shenandoah Valley in 1864. One thing i worry about todays army and military is the Political Correctness to the point you dare not speak. That wouldnt have washed in the civil war because we roman size the civil romanticize the civil war. In the confrontation win early and Bill Sheridan in the late summer and early autumn of 1864, many lives could have been saved if the armies just lined up and sheridan and early walked out in front of the armies and had a cursing contest. They were flamboyantly, imaginatively on sane, profane call it what you will, and the men loved it. They just did. And the curious thing is both of these men served leaders who really dont use on sent. Robert e. Lee is obsessed with the ideals of being basically a gentleman in british terms and his code is locked in the 1820 cozy and 1830s. His speech patterns are. Lee, you dare not curse around lee. Just dont dough do it. Early gets away with it. Hari heath can get away with it. Then grant dunce doesnt use on sents but is awe beated by people who do. He loves sheridan, and share don would goal on these tirades and grants sits there smiling and laughing. The lesson of this is not that you have to curse like a my old drill sergeant to be a successful leader but its that leaders come in many forms. You get the incredibly inspirational robert e. Lee who is a ridgeed gentleman and he gets early.