John Basilone was a traditional guy. He loved his country and he loved the brothers he fought with. However, he wanted more than anything else to have a wife and family of his own. He is quoted to have said, “I wanted to know how it was to love somebody the way Pop loved Mama. At least I wanted a few days, or weeks if I could get it, to know what it is like to be married. I wanted to be able to say, ‘I love you’ a few times and mean it.” (Quote from Hero of the Pacific, James Brady)

GySgt John Basilone, a USMC Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, and Purple Heart recipient from the WWII era is rightfully revered by Marines throughout the generations due to his courageous leadership under fire in some of the most desperate battles in WWII. Reading more about his life, something that struck me was he didn’t just teach his Marines how to fight in a tactical sense. He prepped their minds, hearts, and souls for battle...

I felt a twinge of guilt that I wasn’t as engaged in the lives of the men and women who work for me and that I work with as I should be. I had let the tyranny of the work schedule and wanting to succeed professionally start to overtake one of the most important aspects of leadership…taking care of your people. We like to say in the military or at least the Marine Corps: “Mission First…People Always.” I wish it was exactly like that but confess that sometimes I don't get this right...