He greeted you in person the same way. After a while we started smiling whenever we heard George’s slogan. But it was a good idea—worth taking to heart. It was a constant reminder to his command that everyone had to come together as a team to prosecute a fight that everyone agreed had to be won. It remains a good idea. I tried to capture that spirit as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Chairman is an advisor and commands nothing. He works through influence and persuasion. The other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are also advisors, but the Chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force also have large organizations to run and protect. It was important for me to understand this duality of responsibility, recognizing not only their role as service chiefs, but also their larger duty as members of the Joint Chiefs. I worked hard to create a sense of “One Team, One Fight.” I commissioned a manual to capture this spirit. In its preface I wrote the following: When a team takes to the field, individual specialists come together to achieve a team win.
