Robert Gates worked for eight American presidents, but the leader who inspired him most, said the former U.S. secretary of defense, was a person he’d never met.
That leader was Gen. George Marshall.
Gates had an opportunity Thursday morning to highlight Marshall’s leadership characteristics in a most appropriate event: the annual Marshall Lecture.
And it was an appropriate spot, not far from the house where Marshall lived in 1936-38 when he commanded troops at Vancouver Barracks.
Marshall can teach us a lot about character and service, Gates told the audience at Hudson’s Bay High School.
“He was the gold standard for character and moral courage,” Gates said.
After the lecture, presented by the Fort Vancouver National Trust, Gates visited students at Marshall Elementary.
