If you want to lead me, you have to pass me.

These are the words given to me by Marine Corps Sergeant Gonzolez. When I was slowly bringing myself up from the pushup position and grabbing my 35 lb. ammo can to do my next set of sprints, he bent down and uttered those words to me. You see, he found out just recently that I'm an NROTC candidate for the Marines, and leadership is very important to him. He doesn't like a bad officer any more than the next guy. But more so than my other recruiters, this particular sergeant has seen to it that he tests me. He gave me those words firmly, admonishing me with them, not ridiculing. Making a statement, not a mockery. Next thing I knew, he got up and ran- I picked up my can and ran after him. We ran almost 50 yards before he stopped and turned around, probably 15 yards ahead of me and told me to turn around at the same point and beat him on the way back. "It's a race Kitagawa, and you'd better win!" he told me. Without missing a beat, I turned on the dime he had designated and ran after him. With a good 20 yard lead he finished ahead of me, and I pulled up to do my next set of lifts, squats, trunk turns and pushups with my can, sweat draining into my eyes and mouth. Vision slightly blurred at the corners, he saw him approach me and felt the gentle slap on the back of a mentor. "Good job poolee- now gimme some more." And gladly, I dove into the painful action of pushing that can above my head.

I didn't write this to emphasize my personal strength or will or motivation. I wanted to put this out there with emphasis on the title. If someone cannot do or will not do what they would order others to do- they don't have any right to do so. Would someone order their child to do something they knew was dangerous beyond all reason and would take a great deal of stress and hard work to accomplish? Of course not, at least I hope. But officers must do this every single day. That is why they must be willing and able to pass up their enlisted men. And that's how leaders are bred in any situation- to paraphrase what Abraham Lincoln once said: most men can survive adversity. If you truly want to test a man's character, give him power. The simplicity of this concept is missed by many in our society, and I think it deserves some spotlight time once again.