9/11 survivor leads leadership lecture

A 9/11 survivor and Army leader advised Soldiers to build teammates up, have fun and never stop learning at the 23rd Maude Leadership Lecture Series March 5.

Brig. Gen. Thomas J. "T.J." Edwards, Jr., chief of the General Officer Management Office, recounted what his experiences have taught him and answered Soldier questions at the Solomon Center.

The Maude Lecture Series honors Lt. Gen. Timothy Maude, the highest ranking U.S. military officer killed in the Sept. 11 attacks at the Pentagon. Maude spent more than 35 years of his life serving in the Army.

The Adjutant General School chose Edwards, a Distinguished Military Graduate from the University of South Carolina, who was at the Pentagon during 9/11, as this year's guest speaker.

Edwards emphasized the important role that the AG branch plays in the Army and advised its members on how to become better leaders.

"Try to be the best that you can be," Edwards said. "Every good leader that I've ever met, they wanted to take care of their Soldiers."

With more than 20 years of Army service under his belt, Edwards has learned a lot about leadership.

Leaders should not only build up their Soldiers, they should learn from them and have fun with it, he added.

"It doesn't matter their rank," Edwards said. "You should always be learning."

Being a good teammate and providing other members of the team with the resources to lead is key, he said.

We all have dents. None of us are perfect;" people's imperfections are like the dimples in a golf ball that allow it to soar farther, Edwards added.

While listening to comrades is an important part of leading, being prepared to make the final call and being accountable is critical.

"A lot of times the things you hear is just chatter," Edwards said, advising Soldiers to make the hard decisions when necessary and to stand by them.

With each assignment, he advised troops to find a way to add value to the organization and become "someone that's missed when they're not there."

One lecture attendee, Lt. Kristina McKenna, said she felt "really encouraged" by Edwards's speech.

"It's kind of inspiring to see someone in that high-ranking (position) really excited," McKenna said.

Since AG supports the combat arms, its Soldiers can sometimes get "pushed to the side," she added, commenting that to her, Edwards's message emphasized that members "do take care of Soldiers, and the war-fighters can't do without (them)."