Character Matters

I can’t imagine what it must have been like for Jim Mattis during his tenure as the former Secretary of Defense in the Trump administration.  I often wondered how he managed, and I was always comforted by the fact that he was there.  Perhaps I’ll find out more about that when I read his new book, Call Sign Chaos:  Learning to Lead.  In reading reviews of the book (which was begun in 2013), however, it seems to be more of a leadership manual than an account of his time as defense secretary.

Jim Mattis spent forty years in the Marines.  His record appears to be without blemish (though like all of us, he has some blemishes). He served as commander in Afghanistan, and once served as the supreme commander in charge of NATO transformation.  He was head of Central Command under President Obama, and most recently served as defense secretary until his resignation in December 2018.

In 2017, in an impromptu encounter with U.S. troops in Jordan, Mattis tells the soldiers,  “Our country right now, it’s got problems we don’t have in the military.  You just have to hold the line until our country gets back to understanding and respecting each other and showing it.”  That little speech became a YouTube sensation—and I was impressed by Mattis’ courage—and most of all, his character, and because of his “character” I figured he wouldn’t last long under the 45th president.

Mr. Trump began to apply his usual public bullying techniques several months before Mattis’ submitted his resignation.  He suggested that Mattis might be a Democrat.  In regard to NATO, Trump said, “I think I know more about it than he does.”  Trump has always implied that he knew more than the “generals” about everything and anything—but this attack was personal.  He was attacking his own secretary of defense and attempting to denigrate a man who had served his country for over forty years (and Trump brags about respecting “his” military!).

How did Mattis respond?  In a recent NPR interview, when asked about his relationship with Trump, Mattis said, “I don’t discuss sitting presidents…I believe you owe a period of quiet”  (which is what an apolitical military person does). In that interview Mattis stressed the need to work closely with allies, making this iconic statement:  “Throughout history, we see nations with allies thrive, and nations without allies wither.”  

I wish Jim Mattis were still at the Pentagon—but I know how difficult it must have been for a man of character to work with a president who seems to lack any semblance of character.