leadership Archives - Page 3 of 12

D-Day June 6, 1944: The Bible and Prayer of WWII

During World War II, troops were given a pocket Bible, which included a letter from US President Franklin Roosevelt encouraging them to read it. The letter reads:

To the Armed Forces:
As Commander-in-Chief, I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the armed forces of the United States. Throughout the centuries men of many faiths and diverse origins have found in the Sacred Book words of wisdom, counsel and inspiration. It is a fountain of strength and now, as always, an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the human soul.
Very sincerely yours,
Franklin D. Roosevelt.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of SPIRITUAL FITNESS ]

D-Day came Tuesday, June 6, 1944, when Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy. According to the US National Archives:

Lessons in Leadership from a Squadron Janitor

William Crawford, a Medal of Honor recipient for his heroic actions during World War II, retired from the Army and worked as a janitor at the US Air Force Academy so that he could remain close to the military.

This article by Colonel James E. Moschgat, United States Air Force, (Ret.) on the Officers’ Christian Fellowship website offers 10 lessons learned from the experience of this humble hero:

Be a Leader: How to Start a Movement

The third practice of the five SemperVerus components is BE, which emphasizes the importance of intentionally reinforcing rectitude in yourself. It’s stated thusly:

III. Be: developing rich personal leadership character of exemplary moral and ethical quality.

In the following 3-minute video TED Talk, entrepreneur Derek Sivers presents lessons about leaders and followers he observed one day on a hillside of people:

By semperverus
Posted on 05/27/202505/27/2025

Spiritual First Aid Self-Aid Fact Sheets

In today’s world brimming with conflict, it’s not unusual to personally experience stress, grief, panic, even trauma.

The ministry Spiritual First Aid^™ offers the free downloadable PDF resource, 14 Self-Aid Fact Sheets, which provide a quick reference overview of the following common everyday mental health challenges:

By semperverus
Posted on 05/07/202502/21/2026
1 Comment on Spiritual First Aid Self-Aid Fact Sheets

250th Anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord for American Independence

Saturday, April 19, 2025, was the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord of Wednesday, April 19, 1775, the first major military campaign of the American Revolutionary War.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Celebrating 250 Years: Learn About the American Revolution ]

The English government had ordered its British military forces to seize the American civilian colonists’ weapons and gunpowder being stored in Concord, Massachusetts. However, the colonists’ resolute resistance resulted in an American victory and an outpouring of support for liberty and independence.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The Heavy, Long Gun That Won the American Revolutionary War ]

The battles were fought on the American side primarily by privately armed militias and individuals bearing their personal firearms, an act so indelibly impressed upon the colonists’ consciousness that, 16 years later, after the war was won and the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified December 15, 1791, the individual right to keep and bear arms (today known as The Second Amendment) was definitively prioritized and protected from American government infringement; esteemed enough to be considered one of the top two fundamental and vital civil rights on which to build the great American nation.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of the SECOND AMENDMENT ]

How notoriously ironic that 250 years ago, Massachusetts as a colony preeminently prioritized the unalienable civil right to keep and bear arms, with its citizens making the ultimate sacrifice to protect that right, but today it is one of the worst states to infringe on that right!