Greetings Fighting Saints alumni/ae, I am Cadet Jacob Czech, a MSIV Cadet attending St. John’s University originally from Kewaunee, WI. This May, I will graduate with degrees in economics and political science, and I will commission as an active duty Military Intelligence officer with a Field Artillery branch detail. On 11 February, I had the distinct honor of being our battalions’ selectee to attend the General George C. Marshall Leadership Seminar. In a normal year, this would mean a trip to Fort Leavenworth, KS for a few days of seminars and discussions with senior Army leaders. However, due to COVID, this year’s seminar was a one-day affair conducted virtually on Microsoft Teams. The conference focused on Large Scale Combat Operations and the People First Initiative. This year’s featured speakers were FORCECOM Commander GEN Michael Garret, TRADOC Deputy Commanding General LTG Ted Martin, and Cadet Command Commanding General MG John Evans. These leaders provided great insight on the conference themes, and on how to be effective in leading troops when you get to your first platoon. I certainly appreciated learning from their experiences and look forward to applying what I have learned in my final months on campus and after commissioning. The day was capped off with a small group discussion and q/a session with our brigade commander COL Jesse Phillips, and the other award winners from the brigade. The small group size elicited more great conversation about leadership and the themes of the conference. I certainly am a better leader for having attended and am grateful to this program for having the opportunity to spend a few hours with senior leadership and learn from them. Armor of Light!
