As cadets, we sometimes imagine what we would do if our courage was put to the test. (Don't let him fool you: most adults wonder as well. - Ed) Movies and fiction are filled with stories of brave men and women that go above and beyond the call of duty. Indeed some of the most successful movies of our time are exploits of brave men and women: Indiana Jones, Laura Croft, Luke Skywalker, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, and even a large green ogre named Shrek. (a little something for everyone in this list).

The facts are that real life, most of the times, is not like the movies. The endings are not always happy and the good guys don't always win. While there are more modern tails of courage and leadership available, I cannot think of one more fascinating and full of danger then the not so modern true story of the expedition of Lewis and Clark.

We recently celebrated the 200 year anniversary of this great adventure so some of you may be more familiar with this saga then those who attended school a generation ago. Certainly if you live in the Northwestern US then you live among the same trails and passes that these brave men traversed during the infancy of our nation and cannot help but be aware of their legacy. (all those road side signs along the highways)

By now I am sure you are asking what in the heck is this guy going on about a stupid geography and history lesson and what has it got to do leadership or courage. Much more then you would ever imagine. Although I am from the East Coast (Washington D.C. for all practical purposes) I have had the opportunity to take several long trips out west to the Rockies and spent countless days backpacking the wilderness trails, and spent amazing nights sleeping under the beautiful and still unspoiled skies in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, sharing the same night sky that Captain's Lewis and Clark and their 29 adventurers gazed at as the first American Citizens to cross the continent.

Captain Meriwether Lewis was a complicated and extraordinarily talented Army Officer who, besides serving as the co-leader of the first exploration of the Northwest US, also served as the personal secretary to President Thomas Jefferson for almost two years. He was selected by Jefferson to organize and lead the first exploration of a huge part of what would some day become the western US. This territory was at the time in part, enemy territory claimed and exploited by several different countries. They included the British, French, and Spanish who all claimed parts of the territory as theirs and developed trading empires to bring goods from this wonderland to the west of the "civilized" world.

As a leader Lewis first task was to become more proficient in areas he knew he needed to be better prepared for if he was to complete his mission. He was already a skilled frontiersman; talents learned growing up in Virginia and Kentucky and as a young Army officer on America's frontier. As a close confidant of Jefferson he knew one major aspect of his mission included mapping out this almost unknown wilderness. Along the way he would also need to identify and catalog all the known and unknown species of plants and animals. He studied in Philadelphia with the experts of their time to broaden his knowledge.

As a leader he knew he would need a dedicated team of volunteers in order to be successful. Despite what Congress and the War Department thought, he was smart enough to know that he needed a second officer with him. Not only to continue the mission if something happened to him, but to fill in the gaps in his own skills. Captain Lewis did what was totally unheard of in his time and that was offer to co-command the party of adventures with William Clark, an army officer that he had served with on the frontier prior to his assignment as President Jefferson's private secretary. Clark was a frontiersman who had outstanding leadership qualities and was an expert cartographer (map maker). The first major problem arose before the party even got "on the road". Without going into a lot of detail, Lewis promised Clark a commission as a Captain and offered him an equal share of the leadership if he would accompany him on this journey. Just prior to meeting up with Clark and beginning their task, Lewis received word from the Secretary of War that he had decided not to commission Clark a Captain, but he would hold the grade of Lieutenant and serve as the second in command. (even then Captains earned too much money) Ever a man of his word, Lewis showed the letter to Clark but assured him that President Jefferson was in agreement with him that the two men would share command of the Corps of Discovery as Captains and that Lewis would straighten out the problem when they returned. The men selected to the Corps never knew anything about the letter and for over two years served with two Captains as their commanders. Upon their return as heroes Clark went down in history asCaptain Clark.

In today's world we travel across the continent in five hours by plane. (I am typing this from seat 8A on a United A320 flying from San Francisco to Washington D.C.) Travel in the early 1800's was a bit different. Horse back, mules, canoes, and feet were the only mode available. The explorers traveled from St. Louis up the Missouri River looking for the fabled Northwest Passage. (a water route across the continent). A short geography lesson is needed just to get a feel for the enormous task in front of them. They traveled by all the above (no, not an A320) through what we now know as Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington. We can appreciate what lay in front of them today by looking at the map, but even more amazing was they had nothing to guide them but a compass and a mission to map and explore the continent looking for the most direct route to the Columbia River and ultimately the Pacific Ocean. They traveled through hostile country fighting the insects, the mountains, the raging rivers, Native Americans, and what would turn out to be a new discovery and even today a hostile danger, grizzly bears.

Having had the pleasure of backpacking in grizzly country and the dubious distinction of having to hike alone for five miles through the wilderness during the rescue of an injured hiker coordinating his airlift out, I can attest personally how scared I was and I endured this for a short day. Spending over a year living these dangers 24 hours a day must have been about as stressful as anyone could imagine. Historian Stephen Ambrose, in his modern day sage of the adventure, Undaunted Courage, believed that this constant living on the edge brought out the best in Lewis. A sad ending to the life of Lewis occurred when traveling back to Washington from his post as the Governor of the Louisiana Territory he ended his life by committing suicide. Modern historians believe he suffered from what we know call manic/depression and this combined with alcohol and the medicines he took put him over the edge.

Ambrose describes him as a man of high energy; impetuous at times but tempered by great self discipline. He was a many of many talents but a master at none. (Good qualities in a leader). He brought with him the masters of some trades that he knew he would need on the trip. His most important talent was he ability as a leader of men. His techniques are time honored. He knew his men. He ensured that, as much as possible that they were well taken care of, including food, clothing and other needs. He pushed them hard but not past the breaking point. He was able to get more out of them then they ever thought they could give. He had a concern for them as a father has for his sons. He was a stern leader and did not hesitate to berate or punish if needed. He didn't have to do it often but he did flog soldiers several times during the mission. (yes, flogging in most definitely a violation of CPP). He didn't make many mistakes and when he did he worked to correct the error. He shared the work with his men, and took his turn at whatever task needed to be done. Throughout his time as a leader he always praised his men and took great pains to see that they were publicly rewarded, an almost unheard of characteristic in a leader of his time. While he knew how to tell a joke and put his men at ease he also kept the proper distance between himself and his men.

All his volunteers were hand picked by Lewis and Clark. They had a carte blanch to pick whomever they wanted from the ranks of the US Arm. (you get those when the President is your sponsor) The first criterion was that the soldier had to volunteer and want to go. They had no shortage of volunteers and the two Captain's hand selected the Corps of Discovery. Independence and the ability to act on their own was a needed requirement. With a total of 31 in their party, despite the hazards of the country, including hiking at altitudes of close to 20,000 feet (the air is pretty thin up there) and through snow that was over ten feet deep in some places, there was only one major casualty. A sergeant who, based on the modern review of their detailed records, most likely had a ruptured appendix that killed him. This serves as a testament to the leadership skills of these two brave men. I have camped in the backwoods of the Bitteroot Mountains in July and have pictures of my oldest in shorts next to a still melting mountain of snow over six feet tall. Lewis and Clark made the trip in the fall and the early spring. (out and back). I can assure that Mother Nature is very unforgiving in this part of the world.

Much can be learned from history, and in this case the outstanding talents of leadership exhibited by the two leaders of this expedition. I am not saying that these guys were perfect, as with just about all leaders they drooped the ball a couple of times However, if you have some spare time and want to learn more I strongly recommend the book by Ambrose, Undaunted Courage. It is a bit long at 521 pages but the author, the same guy who wrote Band of Brothers among others, does a magnificent job bringing history and leadership to life.