Hillbilly Elegy

where I first ordered grown men to do a
job and watched them listen; where I
learned that leadership depended far
more on earning the respect of your
subordinates than on bossing them
around; where I discovered how to earn
that respect; and where I saw that men
and women of different social classes
and races could work as a team and
bond like family. It was the Marine
Corps that first gave me an opportunity
to truly fail, made me take that
opportunity, and then, when I did fail,
gave me another chance anyway.
When you work in public affairs, the
most senior marines serve as liaisons
with the press. The press is the holy