GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- "How many historians do we have in here'" Col. Jeffrey Sanderson, chief of staff, asked a group of company, battalion and brigade leaders last week.
When only a few of the Soldiers in attendance raised their hands, Sanderson repeated the question, until every hand was raised. Everyone wearing a U.S. Army uniform, he said, should be a historian.
Sanderson's remarks were part of a "Prelude to Gettysburg" briefing he gave one day before 171st Infantry Brigade leaders left for a leadership development staff ride to Gettysburg, Pa., last week. The Gettysburg trip was the first of its kind for the brigade.
Being a historian, he said, is important for any Army leader. His briefing detailed the circumstances leading up to the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War.
"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it," Sanderson said, repeating the famous George Santayana quote.
The leadership development training was aimed at the brigade's company commanders and re-enlisting Soldiers. Col. Karl Reed, brigade commander, used the trip as a chance to showcase attributes of military leadership that are still in use today.
One example, Reed noted, is Col. Joshua Chamberlain's defense of Little Round Top, which is used today in Army Field Manual 6-22, "Army Leadership," to display leadership components.
"As a lieutenant in Germany, the first significant event I participated in was the (Expert Infantryman Badge)," Reed said. "The second was a professional development trip to Normandy. After walking the battlefield, I made the decision to become a career officer. I wanted to give my commanders the same opportunity to experience the sacrifices of those who came before us."
Reed also wanted the brigade's re-enlisting Soldiers to have a chance to do so at the historic location. Nine Soldiers from the brigade extended their careers on Little Round Top.
Little Round Top, the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union.
The Soldiers recited their oaths in front of a monument to Col. Patrick O'Rourke, a decorated Union Soldier killed during the battle. The words valor, fraternity, patriotism, and duty are engraved on the four sides of the monument, all of which are critical qualities of the Soldiers who have volunteered to further serve their families and country.
Staff Sgt. John Fry, Company E, 187th Ordnance Battalion, said being at Gettysburg gave him a different perspective of the battle and made him feel that he was a part of it.
This was Fry's third re-enlistment and he did not hesitate to take his oath on the historic battlefield.
"I've always re-enlisted on the battlefield," Fry said. "Afghanistan, Iraq and now Gettysburg."
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