Company, troop and battery commanders from across the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, gathered Feb. 29 at the headquarters of the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, for the first "Devil Talks."
Representing each of the "Devil" brigade's seven battalions, the commanders used the gathering to develop leaders in the Army profession by creating open discussion among the attendees.
When it comes to leader development, "we always talk about our subordinates, but we need a lot of professional development, too," said Capt. Alex Pippett, commander of Company A, 101st Brigade Support Battalion. "We have to keep growing and staying engaged as leaders to better educate ourselves as we go up in rank."
The focus of the first Devil Talks centered on the ongoing downsizing of the Army, its effects at the company level and how commanders could balance emotion with practicality when it came to deciding who to retain. "It's about choosing the right people," said Lt. Col. D. Bradley Laauwe, commander of 1st Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., and host of the event. "You've got the standards versus these emotional ties to some of these Soldiers. How do you balance that?"
The commanders talked about how every Soldier's situation was different, and emotion played a major role in how they decided to move forward.
"The bottom line is you have to come back to the standard," Laauwe added. "Your legacy is the guys and gals you leave behind. We have to keep the right people in."
Attendees discussed how commanders at the lowest level were the ones who saw the impact on the individual Soldier when deciding who to send home for disciplinary infractions or failing to meet the Army standards.
"At our level, every single Soldier we're cutting, there's a story behind them," said Capt. Eric Towle, commander of Troop D, 1st Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt. "We know them personally, we know their families and we know what effects getting removed from the Army has."
Devil Talks participants talked about how to best balance their emotions with doing what was right for the Army, and how their decisions would affect the future of the Army.
"It makes me take a hard look at who we have in our formations," Pippett said. "Our legacy is who we leave behind. Those coming up in ranks will affect the next war dramatically. It's a big responsibility."
Pippett said it was not just about keeping the right people, but also ensuring they were prepared to take the Army into the future.
"You need to be growing and developing people," he said. "Everybody has something, you just have to get them to the right place."
Devil Talks are expected to occur regularly on varying topics with a different battalion within the brigade organizing the event each month.
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