August - About

Lisa W. Cumming PhotographyGeneral (Ret.) Anthony ZinniA Steady Moral CompassBy Linda Landreth PhelpsIt is not uncommon to find Generals in theWilliamsburg area. Retired General AnthonyZinni, United States Marine Corps, stands outeven in that stellar group. There are ten steps inthe officer rank structure and earning the honorof four star general is uncommon. In fact, GeneralZinni is one of fewer than one hundredMarines to have achieved the four star ranksince the first Marine Corps General AlexanderVandegrift’s promotion in April, 1945.Walk into his inner sanctum, his home office,and the first thing noticeable is stars - instartling groups of four, embellishing memorabiliathat traces his 39 years as an active dutyMarine. His military career took him to over 70countries and the dizzying pinnacle of power,culminating in leadership of the United StatesCentral Command (CENTCOM) when he assumedcharge of all troops in the Middle Eastfrom General Norman Schwarzkopf.General Zinni is happy to be exactly who heis. He’s a tough, no-nonsense man who is accustomedto speaking his saber-sharp mind.His influence and effective leadership hascovered the globe. He commanded at all operationallevels – from Vietnam through theGulf War - before he retired from the militaryin 2000. As a Marine, General Zinni led with awell defined vision and he was not afraid to takea different approach to achieve better results.Moral courage is often more difficult to comeby than battlefield bravery. Long ago in Vietnam,General Zinni made a vow to a woundedLance Corporal that he would never hesitate tospeak the truth. He once told a classroom ofmidshipmen when he was invited to lecture atthe U.S. Naval Academy’s Center for the Studyof Military Ethics: “Speaking the truth can bepainful and costly, but it’s a duty. Often thosewho need to hear it won’t like it and may evenpunish you for it, but you owe the truth to yourcountry, your leaders and your troops.”NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORSAUGUST2011 3