Long ago, in a faraway land, I was a great teacher. I didn’t teach science or math; my students weren’t smart enough to teach deep philosophical ideas. If I want to get fancy, I can say I taught geometry, game theory, psychology and leadership. I rose to this great height because I was afraid of losing my students. I was overwhelmed by the challenge of teaching them.

I had an Infantry platoon in Baghdad, not all infantry either. I had supply clerks, mechanics, intel analysts and commo geeks. The Lieutenant was a medical supply officer, smart guy. Went to Med School when we got home. I was so happy when I found out, I cried. It was my fifth and final tour in Iraq and my people weren’t trained to survive. I was so scared for them, I was angry, raging mad.

I pulled out every trick in the book. The syllabus was simple. The LT and I literally wrote the book on light mounted infantry techniques for the Brigade. In the middle of training, I was teaching the youngest soldier leadership skills and then put him in charge of the next mission. The soft skill troops taught what they knew about their jobs to grunts, Platoon Staff was assigned. I would casually drop a mission of a squad and walk away, fully expecting them to do it. They ended up being the best.

We all made it home, a first for me. Out of 32 men, six Bronze Stars, over forty Commendation medals and a full set of Combat badges. No Purple Hearts. When the platoon was split back into normal TO&E, every one of them was promoted and moved to leadership positions.

What makes a great teacher? Love and fear of failing your students.