by Captain Yinka Faleti 

Fort Knox, Kentucky 

June 7, 2004 

COL Greer, LTC Seidule, distinguished guests, friends,  and soldiers of bravo company, thank you for joining  in this tradition today. Dad, Ronke, uncle and auntie,  MAJ Konczey, and CPT Ford, thank you for your  sacrifice of support. Your presence here makes this  gathering all the more special. I would like to  dedicate this ceremony to my mother, who is surely taking pictures from heaven…..with a really powerful zoom camera.

I would be remiss if i did not thank the almighty for  sustaining my energy throughout a fast-moving 14  months of command. Without him, all who labor do so in vain.

Col Greer, sir, I appreciate the confidence you placed  in my men and me to make training better for our  soldiers. Thank you also for weighing in on our side  when we needed you in our battle against the forces  of bureaucracy.

The success of any unit or organization hinges on two  critical elements—leadership and execution. Poorly led units with excellent execution will fail, and  well-led units with sub-par execution will follow  suit. What makes any organization good, great, or  grand is its quality of leadership and its quality of  execution.  

That said, there is no doubt who the leader of this  battalion is. Everyone here knows who LTC Seidule is,  as I did not before I took command 14 months  ago………Every good tanker conducts a leader’s  recon before embarking on a mission. So, about 15 months ago, after I discovered my assignment to this  battalion, I tried to find out as much as i could about  my then-future assignment and my then-future boss.  In doing so, I spoke with MAJ Skinner, who had onced  worked for LTC Seidule. He offered two gems of  advice—“watch out for the bony finger” and “that  man is intense.” My initial counseling with LTC Seidule validated both of those warnings. After 30 minutes of  initial counseling with him, I briskly walked out of  his office and headed immediately for the nearest  water fountain…..I knew then to say that LTC Seidule is intense is an understatement….Sir, thank you for that intensity, that passion, that  burning desire for and enthusiasm about preparing  soldiers for war. You sparked a duplicate fire in my  men and me and indeed the entire battalion. Your enthusiasm embodied Henry Ford’s definition; and I quote: “you can do anything if you have enthusiasm.  Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hope rise to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the  swing in your gait, the grip of your hand, the  irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your  ideas. Enthusiasts are fighters. They have fortitude.  They have staying qualities. Enthusiasm is at the  bottom of all progress. With it, there is accomplishment. Without it, there are only  alibis.”……Sir, thank you for demonstrating the  synergy of vision and enthusiasm. Thank you, also,  for being more than a commander to me; indeed you were a mentor at times, a comforter when I lost my  mother, and a leader of character all of the  time….the leadership you provided can be summed up  succinctly by the words of another more eloquent  than I. Professor Warren Bennis of the University of  California in his book on leadership states:  

“The manager administers. The leader innovates.

The manager is a copy. The leader is an original.

The manager maintains. The leader develops. 

The manager focuses on systems and structures. The  leader focuses on people.

The manager relies on control. The leader inspires  trust.

The manager has a short-range view. The leader has a  long-range perspective.

The manager asks how and when. The leader asks  what and why.

The manager has his eyes on the bottom line. The  leader has his eyes on the horizon.

The manager imitates. The leader originates.

The manager accepts the status quo. The leader  challenges it.

The manager is the classical good soldier. The leader  is his own person.

The manager does things right. The leader does the  right thing.”

Sir, succinctly put, you are the quintessence of  leadership; thank you for providing it…..indeeed, leadership is important, but as I described  earlier, good leadership with poor execution results  in failure. With that, I now turn my attention to  those responsible for executing the missions of this  company for the past 14 months. Before I begin, however, allow me to set the stage, if you will…...I don’t watch much television...mostly because I’m  too cheap to get cable. But the NBA playoffs, and the  possibility the Detroit Pistons might actually topple the Los Angeles Lakers in the best of seven series as they won game one last night, have piqued my interest. And so, I have seen a few commercials.

One  commercial in particular remains memorable….it  opens up with this scene:

A father and his son are  standing on a beach barefoot with ocean waves  lapping their sand-speckled feet. Each has in his hand a string floating in the air; on the skyward end of the strings are kites dancing in the wind. This scene  continues for a few moments before a caption appears  on the bottom of the TV screen. The caption reads,  “the greatest things in life aren’t things.”

In the same  way, the greatest things about these past 14 months in command weren’t things. The greatest things  about my command have been the people…..these professionals in front of you have amassed enough accolades to fill several television screens.  They have made training more realistic, more  challenging, more demanding—physically and mentally. They have broken many molds and allowed their creativity to better prepare soldiers for war. However, those are not the greatest things. Indeed, these NCOs, these merry few, this band of  brothers are greater than their collective  accomplishments.

 These non-commissioned officers have given their  blood, sweat, and time to fulfill their duty. Their watchword is professionalism. They execute their primary mission whenever and wherever they are  called. Some habitually work through the night to  support training. All work on weekends……..and they do it without complaint. They do it…without the glory….they do it because no one is more  professional than them.

 It has been a priveleged pleasure to command this fine group of gentlemen warriors. They always gave  me 100% of their abilities 100% of the time.  Sergeants Apollo, Bajorek, Baker, Beasley, Brannon,  Bunda, Cain, Castle, Caudil, Cayson, Cederburg, Christensen, Comeaux....you are stalwart soldiers of  steel.

Sergeants Dejesus, Dobbins, Ford, Gennings, Gregorio, Hopkins, Horner, Hoxworth, Ivey, Johnson, Johnsen, Keller, Kepple, King, Kirkendall, Lotter, Lozano, Lucas, Mclaurin…your names are etched forever in  the books of history.

Sergeants Moore, O’Bryan, O’Ryan, Padgett, Pettigrew,  Phipps, Price, Sanders, Santoro, Scaife, Schafer, Serna,  Spath, Wilson, Wolkens, Wooding, and Ybarra…You  will never be forgotten.  

To all bulldogs present and past…Thank you for the  experience of a lifetime.  

To SFC Auvil, my first First Sergeant, an excellent 1SG and an even better human being. To describe  you…Words fail….…You will never be forgotten.  

To 1SG ridens, my current 1SG, thank you for your  hard work and diligent dedication. I will miss your  sharp wit and sound counsel. A special thanks to SFC Lucas. You were always there when the company  needed you. Your sacrifices have been tremendous, so  too shall your memory be within me. To my XOs, 1LT Maas and CPT Pillai…You are both fine officers and  will make fine commanders one day…and potential walk-ons on a basketball team (keep working on your jump shots). Your complete commitment to the  company helped to make it a success. Thank you.

MAJs Williams and Keck....two words…iron majors. You were always there to support the command. Thank you.

My fellow commanders past and present…CPTs Shea, Cuviello, Bono, Baldanza, Braniff, Vivian, and  Cheverie. Thanks for having my 3, 9, and 6. You helped to make this experience fun. To the first sergeants…Thanks for always treating my NCOs like  they were your very own.  

You…Are…The…Backbone…..MAJ Konczey, what you taught me as a platoon leader in alpha company, 3-8  cavalry, helped mold the template for my command.  Thank you for being a patient teacher then and for  standing with me now.....to anyone I omitted, forgive  me, and thank you.  

……………….

……………….

For those unfamiliar with my native tongue of Yoruba, please indulge me for just a moment…..Olaronke Mofoluwake Nikepo, aya mi, mo  dupe gidi, gidi, gidi, gidi. Ku iduroti, ku itoju mi ati awon eyan mi, o de ku ife mi. Olorun atu ma wa pelu e.  Olorun o ni fi e si’le. Olurun a de tu ma bukun e.  Owunkowun ti o ba fe se ni ile aye yi, ko si ni, wa se ni  aseyege…..o de ni ku. Mo ni ife re. Ronke, you are my heartbeat. I love you.

Many of you with us today have by now seen the movie Troy. Please, by a show of hands, how many of  you have seen this film?…..excellent…..it is based on the famed story of troy, in Greek mythology, and the demi-god and great warrior Achilles, who is  invincible in war until he and the Greeks assail the city of Troy. Most of the movie, of course, focused on Achilles because he is such a great warrior. So it is fitting that the closing scene of the movie ends with  these words…..”….and they will say I lived in the time of Achilles.” So, too, is it fitting that my closing  words end with this: Long after I am gone, let them say this about me—that I served in the time of Seidule,  and I commanded in the time of these bulldogs.

Thank you for your attention. Bulldog six….out.