This article first appeared on From The Green Notebook, October 10, 2016.
In Joe Byerly's 2016 blog post, "Can Intellectuals Wear Muddy Boots," he brings to light a topic, that today in 2018 continues to permeate inside talent management decisions, a perceived difference between the intellectual and the "muddy boots" leader. This topic, forever old, remains a field of promise for some, a battleground for others, and Fiddler's Green for the rest. As illustrated by the blog's citation, a letter from then COL Arthur L. Wagner (April 28, 1904), the idea that theory, intellectual pursuits, and communication of those ideas within the profession of arms are not always looked upon with eagerness, interest or usefulness. Should not this perception go the way of once used smoke signals and muzzleloading muskets? We can not preach the need for a warrior-scholar and then amputate the scholar.
Source: From the Green Notebook