Hertling’s Found Haiku, ‘Polished Diamonds’

Review by Bill Doughty––

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling concludes his vital book “If I Don’t Return” with deep reflection and a hope that the advice he offer is received as intended: as a gift to help others.

Much of his advice is reflected in a prayer by General Douglas MacArthur, “Build Me a Son, O Lord.” 

Citing elements of the prayer, Hertling writes,

“Be strong enough to admit weakness. Be brave enough to face yourself. Hold you head up in honest defeat and lower it in victory. Be selfless, kind, and fair. Seek the truth and laugh often. Choose service over self. Draw out the myriad motivations that live in others. Polish diamonds –– gently, patiently, precisely –– until their brilliance helps others see. Our world needs all of that, from each of us.”

The following “found haiku” (unintended poetic prose revealed in 5-7-5 syllables) are polished diamonds quoted from Hertling’s book:

In his introduction:

In these pages, strength

In values. In character.

In purpose. In love

From a key section, “Make it Matter”:

Don’t delay. Don’t wait.

Don’t count the days. Instead, make

every day count

Regarding the value of the military family’s support back home (from a saying by Martha Summerhayes written in 1866):

I had cast my lot

with a soldier, and where he 

was, was home to me

On the importance of civilian communities’ expressions of appreciation and kindness to deployed service members:

We should all take that

lesson to heart. Make someone

feel better today

After appreciating the “permanence” of death and environmental destruction in the aftermath of combat:

The awareness that

long after war’s end, it is

the loss that endures

On the biggest “diamond” in his book –– finding and embracing humility:

Victory is a

terrible teacher if you

let it flatter you

Humility is a core value for Hertling, especially important for good leaders. “Take your job, but never yourself, seriously,” he advises.

In a very personal insight, Hertling discusses his Christian faith and how prayer helped him early in his life, especially when deployed to Desert Shield and in Desert Storm.

“Over time, my faith has become less about answers and more about the courage to ask better questions,” he writes. “To walk into uncertainty with conviction, not arrogance.”

Curiosity led him to explore other religious scriptures and beliefs.

“My faith now includes mystery –– and mystery requires humility.” [And THAT is a near found haiku.]

Hertling says, “It’s good to be humble enough to learn. To be bold enough to explore. And to be wise enough to know that culture isn’t about comparison. It’s about connections,” he writes. Hertling made lifelong connections wherever he was stationed, including in Germany (right).

Humility. Connections. Honor, Courage and Commitment…

It is impossible to read “If I Don’t Return” without thinking about current chaos in 2026: the War with Iran and suffering of Sailors aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).; the cruelty by ICE “shock troops” on American streets; ongoing efforts at election interference and other attacks on constitutional democracy; and corruption of the Justice Department, Department of Defense, and the greedy president and his family.

“Humility prevents power from becoming arrogance, wisdom from becoming pride, and strength from becoming cruelty,” Hertling writes. “Humility is not the absence of strength –– it is strength under control.”

Throughout this great book, Hertling not surprisingly quotes a lot of Lao Tzu and Clausewitz, philosophers who have long inspired military leaders. But he also works in some Mark Twain, Epictetus, and even Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, and Yogi Berra.

And, a quote from an episode of the popular show Ted Lasso stands out.

Hertling writes,

“Lasso explains that people often judge too quickly because they think they know enough about someone or something. He mentions a quote he once saw on a wall: ‘Be curious, not judgmental.’ The rest of the episode doesn't matter, because that's the best advice for leaders. Curiosity keeps you learning. Curiosity keeps you humble. And curiosity keeps you open to the possibility that the next great lesson may come from the most unexpected source.”

This book is a must-read for any military leader, and in Hertling’s mind that means anyone in uniform. But it also written as a guide for anyone in business, medicine, sports, or other fields.

American hero and Hertling’s friend, retired Admiral William H. McRaven, agrees. His extended blurb reads:

“‘If I Don't Return’ is the story every soldier wants to tell but struggles to put into words. Deeply personal, incredibly moving, and storytelling at its finest! Mark Hertling has written a timeless tale of life as a soldier, a father, and a wartime leader, but this book is about more than combat— it is about how we face life's greatest challenges with faith, wisdom, and gratitude. Everyone who is searching will find something of value in this beautifully written narrative.”

McRaven is, of course, former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, who under orders from Commander in Chief President Barack Obama found and killed Osama bin Laden.

Filled with polished diamonds of wisdom, “If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal” by Mark Hertling, Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (Retired) is published by Ballast Books, 2026.

Yin/Yang Truths of Fleet Tactics and Naval Operations

Review by Bill Doughty

Technology, information, cyber warfare, and operations in the littorals take the spotlight in the third edition of "Fleet Tactics and Naval Operations" by Capt. Wayne P. Hughes Jr., USN (Ret.) and Rear Adm. Robert P. Girrier, USN (Ret.), with foreword by Adm. John Richardson, USN, Chief of Naval Operations (Naval Institute Press, 2018). 

We get the yin and yang of history/now, art/science, human/machine, and tactics/strategy, among other balanced tensions. 

Updated for modern combat in the information age, this edition is a must for any naval officer and strategist and is part of the Blue & Gold Professional Library, which includes classics such as the "Watch Officer's Guide" and "The Bluejacket's Manual."

Capt. Wayne P. Hughes Jr., USN (Ret.)

Author Hughes writes in the preface, "This book is not a comprehensive guide to all the lessons of twenty-first-century naval warfare, but anyone who reads it will be better equipped to reach sound conclusions about modern combat at sea."

Lessons in history come from the age of sail, Civil War, Mahan's golden age of tactics, World War II battles including Battle of Midway, and maritime operations through the Cold War. Modern revolutions include the influence of information, cryptography and cyberwarfare, new forms of deception and surprise, unmanned vehicles and countermeasures, artificial information, space satellites and tactical information warfare.

Expansion/compression: The book drops anchor on the tense intersection of an expanded battlefield (thanks to "greater weapon range and lethality") and compressed inshore operations (due to geography and "strictures of littoral warfare" resulting in "an explosive mixture of threats – from air, land, sea and undersea").

Old/young: The yin/yang applies to patience and wisdom of experienced seniors compared with the creative insights, confidence and skill of young leaders using new tools. The authors advise, "Preparing future Navy leaders for information warfare should start early."

"To add weight to the case for youth and the need for seniors to help them stay ahead in creativity we remind the reader of some combat leaders and the age when they achieved greatness: Napoleon was a general at age twenty-three, J.E.B. Stuart at age twenty-eight, and George Custer at age twenty-three; and Lt. W.B. Cushing was only twenty-two when he sank the CSS Albemarle. The list of past heroic military achievements by creative young men is a long one. Perhaps skill in information warfare among young men and women today is analogous to the talent exhibited early on by mathematicians and classical music composers. In both of these sharply contrasting professions the truly great ones made lasting contributions while still in their teens."

Sailors pull together at the Center for Information Warfare Training, Information Warfare Training Command Monterey. (Photo by YN1 David Lee)

Control/freedom: "To a person, strong military leaders want freedom for initiative from their seniors and reliability from the juniors," the authors write. "Good doctrine reduces the number of command decisions in the heat of battle, for even a cool head will be gripped by passion and, very quickly, bring emotional and physical exhaustion." "Doctrine must be whole and firm but not dogmatic."

Art/science; leader/follower; East/West:

"Some people emphasize war as a science, while others view it as an art. This book emphasizes the special qualities that commanders must have, which seem to historians or journalists to be instinctive, almost like a 'sixth sense.' An effective leader has the human qualities that brave, wise and inspiring leaders have displayed in the past. When these are present, the debate over whether war is an art or a science seems unimportant. Good practice is an art that grows from good theory that is more scientific. Both are necessary, but neither of them is sufficient by itself to explain the repeated successes of great tactical leaders such as Jervis, Nelson, Suffren, Togo, Spruance and Burke."

Fact/Fiction (truth is truth): The authors bring in examples presented in works of fiction by Erskine Childers, Tom Clancy and Peter Singer and August Cole. The third edition culminates in a fictional narrative by the authors to synthesize their points in an extended "The Battle of the Aegean." While the scenario is false, the principles remain true.

Strategist Adm. Thomas B. Hayward, former CNO.

Finally we get appendices on terminology and principles of war from Sun Tzu, Clauswitz and Mahan to Nimitz, Mao, Montgomery and Hayward, among others.

Here are some nuggets of wisdom spicing this very readable book:

• "Tactics and technology (are) two sides of the same coin."
• "Our ablest naval officers were tacticians who knew their technology."
• "What is true in ground combat where machines serve human beings, is magnified at sea, where human beings serve machines."
• "A fleet fights on the momentum of two flywheels. One is fleet doctrine; the other is stability in the fighting force."
• "The first aim of every seagoing captain and commander should be to find two officers better than himself or herself and help in every way to prepare them for war. That done, everything else follows." 
• "Ideas not communicated are seeds cast on rocks."

Prose/Poetry: Sun Tzu meets Nelson in this found haiku of their axioms: 

"The seat of purpose

is found on the land" ... ''a ship's 

a fool to fight a fort"

Information warfare tactics inform the truths of strategy and policy, according to the CNO in the book's foreword. 

"Tactics are inextricably linked to strategy and policy," Adm. Richardson writes. "The Information Age is upon us and has dramatically changed everything, including naval warfare and fleet tactics."

In Richardson's words, "This update is a timely 'kick' to remind us to rig for sea and get underway."

PACIFIC OCEAN (June 28, 2018) An MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter, right, conducts underway operations with an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter and the littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4). The Fire Scout variant is expected to deploy with the LCS class to provide reconnaissance, situational awareness and precision targeting support. Coronado is working with Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 1 to test the newest Fire Scout unmanned helicopter. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jacob I. Allison/Released)

'Strategy' in Shadow of Hitler and in Light of Star Wars

Review by Bill Doughty

The opening lines of B. H. Liddell Hart's "Strategy" (Faber and Faber, 1954, 1967) is by Sun Tzu, from "The Art of War": "All warfare is based on deception." The quote is one of a baker's dozen from Sun Tzu's "Art of War" that makes up a sort of extended epigraph to "Strategy."

Another is: "In all fighting the direct method may be used for joining battle but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory."

Hart, then methodically presents examples of leaders, battles and wars that exemplify those principles, first outlined in China around 500 BCE.

At nearly the same time in history, the Persians drew Athens out to do battle at Marathon, weakening their core. Classic deception. (By the way, the Rebel Alliance did something similar in Star Wars: Rogue One – where indirect warfare, subterfuge and diversion was purposefully part of the strategy and tactics.) Don't force the Force.

Centuries later the Mongols employed "the best example of strategy in the Middle Ages." Hart writes, "In scale and quality, in surprise and mobility, in the strategical and in the tactical indirect approach, their campaign rivals or surpasses any in history."

Mussolini rides with Adolf Hitler in 1940. (Photo from National Archives)

Nationalist authoritarian Adolf Hitler's record before the outbreak of actual war was in 1939 was successful (from a Nazi perspective) when he used indirect methods of engagement. Hitler fomented fear, anger and hate that eventually led to suffering and mass death.

Through lies, false promises and indirect use of force, Hitler succeeded by taking Belgium and other less protected countries before going after France and Great Britain. But France failed under "notorious Plan XVII," using a direct approach against Germany's might.

Hart notes, "Later, (Hitler) gave his opponents ample opportunity to exploit the indirect approach against him."

Sun Tzu

Hitler is one among a Eurocentric Who's Who of leaders Hart examines: Bismarck, Napoleon, Miliades, Alexander, Caesar, William of Normandy, Edward, du Guesclin, Sabutai, Cromwell, Turenne, Marlborough, Frederick, Wellington, Allenby, Lawrence, Pershing, Ludendorff, Guderian, Rommel, and Zhukov, among others.

While Hart touches on the war in the Pacific and Yamamoto's use of indirect tactics, he doesn't mention the decisive Battle of Midway, an exemplar of winning strategy and tactics.

There's a bit of irony there, since the seeds for successful strategy come from the East to the West – Sun Tzu and Genghis Khan and the Mongols being cases in point.

In his multi-trilogy mythology phenomenon "Star Wars," George Lucas explores the impact of Eastern teachings in warfighting. In the attitudes and attributes of Jedi Masters like Yoda we see the mythic wisdom and playful joy of Zhaozhou (Joshu in Japanese), coupled with Eastern martial arts. Lucas speaks through Yoda: "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

Hart focuses more on Britain and Germany and seems to channel Clausewitz. Hart's skill is matching a pedestrian recitation of history with deeply planted insights worth quoting in their own right. For example:

"In war, as in wrestling, the attempt to throw the opponent without loosening his foothold and upsetting his balance results in self-exhaustion, increasing in disproportionate ratio to the effective strain put upon him."

"In most campaigns the dislocation of the enemy's psychological and physical balance has been the vital prelude to a successful attempt at his overthrow."

"Helplessness induces hopelessness, and history attests the loss of hope, not loss of lives, is what decides the issue of war."

"The most effective indirect approach is one that lures or startles the opponent into a false move – so that, as in jyu-jitsu, his own effort is turned into the lever of his overthrow."

"Two historic lessons – that a joint is the most sensitive and profitable point of attack, and that a penetration between two forces or units is more dangerous if they are assembled shoulder to shoulder than if they are widely separated and organically separate."

"Force can always crush force, given sufficient superiority in strength or skill. It cannot crush ideas."

Hart concludes by examining theories of strategy, military strategy, and grand strategy; the relationship of strategy to policy; the difference of strategy, tactics, object, and national aim; and the balance of offense and defense.

Nazis march after successfully invading Poland. (National Archives)

First published just nine years after the end of the Second World War it is understandable that the heart of Hart's examination of warfare pierces the nearly contemporaneous rise and fall of the Third Reich. Hitler's shadow still seemed to loom over the Western world in 1954 even as fear of global communism grew.

Hitler's "flair for offensive strategy was not matched by a corresponding sense of defensive strategy. The immensity of his earlier successes led him, as Napoleon had been led, to believe that the offensive offered a solution of all problems," Hart writes.

"Hitler gave the art of offensive strategy a new development. He also mastered better than any of his opponents, the first stage of grand strategy – that of developing and coordinating all forms of warlike activity and all the possible instruments which may be used to operate against the enemy’s will. But like Napoleon he had an inadequate grasp of the higher level of grand strategy – that of conducting war with a far-sighted regard to the state of the peace that will follow. To do this effectively, a man must be more than a strategist; he must be a leader and a philosopher combined. While strategy is the very opposite of morality, as it is largely concerned with the art of deception, grand strategy tends to coincide with morality: through having always to keep in view the ultimate goal of the efforts it is directing."

Hitler in-Vader

The Nazi empire under Hitler spread "germs of resentment from which resistance to their ideas would develop." Is the Islamic State (ISIL, ISIS, DAESH) or Al Qaeda or other militant extremists any different? Fear+Anger+Hate=Suffering.

How did the Empire create resistance and a rebel alliance in George Lucas's world, and how did the heroes come together to defeat evil villains in the name of hope for a better future? It's explained (or foreshadowed) in "Strategy."

"Strategy" is featured in the "canon" of books recommended by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson in the Navy Professional Reading Program.

Reading Deeper with CNO

By Bill Doughty

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson's reading list is online, and it offers an opportunity to dive deep into a sea of history, heritage, strategic thinking and practical advice for sailors and civilians interested in seapower and national defense.

Published several weeks ago and maintained by the Naval War College, the list includes about 150 titles for the revived Navy Professional Reading Program and includes a core "Canon" of books that provide thought-provoking insights for leaders and communicators.

Titles in The Canon include: Handel's "Masters of War," Hart's "Strategy," Madison's "The Constitution," Jefferson's "The Declaration of Independence," Sun Tzu's "Art of War," and Richardson's "Navy Leader Development Framework," among others. "Framework" includes a great quote from President John F. Kennedy: "Learning and leadership are indispensable to each other." Read to lead.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson.

Last year in Proceedings magazine, Richardson promised this updated reading list. And he has delivered on that promise.


"Reading can teach us the fundamentals of our business. Thucydides, Clausewitz, Mahan, Corbett . . . these masters wrote works of the highest quality that have stood the test of time. As the challenges the naval service faces have multiplied, knowledge required to meet those challenges has also grown. This means that I cannot possibly dictate a comprehensive list of 'the' books to read. Still, I will soon share with you what I consider to be a canon of classic works. I am also thinking of ways I can highlight other books that I have found interesting because they helped me to think through a problem or see things differently. I will make it easy to obtain these books through an e-book program that can be easily accessed through your personal electronic devices. Finally, I will open up a way for all of us to talk about what we are reading."


The CNO outlined his plans in that article, written with Lt. Ashley O'Keefe, which resonates in his Design for Maritime Superiority. Richardson notes that warfare requires sharp thinking and the ability to adapt.
 

FN Matt Baumgardt reads aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69)
last April.  (Photo by MC3 Taylor Jackson)

"Usually, the team that can think better and adapt faster will win. Today, as we prepare for operations and war with an increasingly complex set of potential adversaries, we must do more to sharpen our thinking, learn the lessons from history, and expand our minds. The margins of victory will be razor-thin—we cannot be complacent. What we do in peace will be decisive in war."
"I want to revitalize the intellectual debate in our Navy. We all—officers, enlisted, and civilians—need to develop sound and long-term habits for reading and writing during the entire course of our careers. We must challenge our own assumptions, be informed by the facts, and be aware of the current context. We must commit to self-improvement, through formal schools and courses, and especially through self-education. I strongly encourage you to read, think, and write about our naval profession. Our Navy benefits from a vigorous intellectual debate."

Lt. j.g. Shelby Naughton of USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), reads a book to a Timorese child 
during Pacific Partnership 2016. (Photo by MC3 Trevor Kohlrus)

The 150 titles in the new Navy Professional Reading Program are categorized in The Canon, Core Attributes, Naval Power, Fast Learning, Navy Team and Partnerships and include authors such as Kaplan, Stavridis, Winchester, Toll, Daughn, Hornfischer, Morison, Carlson, Singer, Leavitt and Gladwell. One criticism of the choices offered so far: a dearth of women authors. 

But the commitment to provide e-book availability is noteworthy. And for the first time we see movies, series and documentaries recommended, including "Saving Private Ryan," "Band of Brothers," "Zulu," "Black Hawk Down," "John Adams," "Lawrence of Arabia," and "Eye in the Sky," which stars Helen Mirren: "Col. Katherine Powell, a military officer in command of an operation to capture terrorists in Kenya, sees her mission escalate when a girl enters the kill zone triggering an international dispute over the implications of modern warfare."
CNO Richardson values reading professional journals as well as books. And he encourages online discourse.

CNO Adm. Richardson speaks with Sailors in Pearl Harbor in 2015.
(Photo by MC2 Jeff Troutman)

"...more recently, online blogs, have hosted professional conversations. Thoughtful, well-researched articles can offer useful insights and, when needed, can help us change our minds," he writes – as he encourages his sailors to write.

"As reading leads to broader thinking, writing leads to clearer thinking. If you have not written much, I urge you to get started. A sharp pen reflects a sharp mind. But writing is not for the weak. The writer must form and then expose his or her ideas to public scrutiny. That takes confidence. But an argument properly conceived and defended can be of great value to our profession."

"It is not my purpose to offer writing lessons," Richardson says, "but in my experience, simple is better. Avoid acronyms or code. Be clear and concise. Keep in mind Mark Twain’s warning, 'The more you explain it, the more I don’t understand it.'”

He also recommends Zinsser's "On Writing Well," a Navy Reads favorite and a book recommended by former Chief of Navy Information Rear Adm. (ret.) John Kirby.

So, dive deep into reading and writing.

And in our humble opinion, books offer the deepest dives into insight and wisdom.
"No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance." – Confucius
Bill Dawson, the last surviving member of the first Naval Combat Demolition Unit (NCDU) shows CNO Adm. John Richardson a copy of "Before they were SEALs they were Frogs" during Navy appreciation night at Nationals Park last May. Photo by MC1 Nathan Laird.

World War III – & Questions Raised

Review by Bill Doughty

Is war with China possible? If it were to occur, how would it likely be fought and where?

These questions are posed in a work of fiction by P.W. Singer and August Cole, working in the big shadow left by Tom Clancy but with some cyber-subversiveness inspired by William Gibson ("Neuromancer").

"Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War" (an Eamon Dolan Book, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015) says the war would be fought largely by the U.S. Navy, centered in Hawaii. 

Understandably, the book opens with a disclaimer: "The following was inspired by real-world trends and technologies. But ultimately, it is a work of fiction, not prediction."

But as unbelievable the action and scenarios seem, the technology is real, according to the authors: rail guns, lasers, cyber, drones, and a "metal storm" swarm of weapons.

Singer and Cole paint in bright colors on a wide canvas.

QM3 N. Wylie launches PUMA II UAV aboard USS Gonzalez
(DDG 66) Sept. 3, 2015. (Photo by MC2 D. C. Ortega)

"Captain Jamie Simmons stood in the lee of the helicopter bay and scanned the blue sky. Even with the chill that grew as they moved farther north, the rhythmic rise and fall of the following Pacific swell made the moment wholly pleasant. It was the kind of beauty that unexpectedly wormed its way into the experience of war."

Their book opens "243 miles above the earth's surface" then plunges 2 miles below sea level in Mariana Trench before ultimately centering on Hawaii.

There are some weird moments: Alice Cooper pirates, psychosexual spies, "Battle of Kamehameha Highway," air war over Kaneohe, boarding party in space, and Walmart warfighters. But most of the book is straight ahead techno-thriller – with riveting descriptions of surface naval warfare aboard USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), the physics of air battles, the cool effectiveness of Navy SEALs and what the future might be for unmanned vehicles in combat.

Richly developed characters act out strong themes of honor, courage and commitment, with a complicated father-son relationship and an accurate description of the sacrifices of military families. Throughout – the influence of Mahan and especially Sun Tzu.

This Sun Tzu quote opens Part 1: "You can fight a war for a long time or you can make your nation strong. You cannot do both."

Lieutenants Ken Taylor and George Welch, U.S. Army Air Corps, 1941. 

History is remembered, especially in the primary setting for this novel, Hawaii. The authors describe the heroics of two young U.S. Army Air Corps pilots at Wheeler airfield during the attack on Oahu of December 7, 1941:

"Ignoring the usual pre-takeoff checklists, each pilot climbed into a P-40 Warhawk fighter plane and took off down the airstrip. Only once they were in the air did they figure out they were about to take on over three hundred enemy aircraft. Undeterred, Welch and Taylor plowed straight into the second wave of of the Japanese attack. They didn't stop the attack, but they did manage to shoot down six planes before they ran out of ammunition. More important, the two pilots put up enough of a fight that Japanese planners assumed there were far more defenders in the air. They decided against sending in a final, third attack wave designed to pummel Pearl Harbor's fuel storage, maintenance, and dry-dock repair yards, an attack that would have set back the American war effort at least another year."

Static display of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), Sept. 9, 2015. (Photo by MCC James E. Foehl)

No question that Adm. (Ret.) James Stavridis enjoyed this book. The endorsement by the former supreme allied commander of NATO, now dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, reads, in part: "...Singer and Cole lay out a plausible, frightening, and pitch-perfect vision of what such a war could look like. This page-turning marvel is the best source of high-tech geopolitical visioneering since Tom Clancy's 'Red Storm Rising' and Sir John Hackett's 'The Third World War.' A startling blueprint for the wars of the future that needs to be read now."

The ultimate questions generated by "Ghost Fleet" are these: Can our idealism, morality and ethics catch up with advances in technology? Can we evolve beyond our natural tendencies to act out of greed, violence and mistrust? Can we remain vigilant and ready?