General George Churchill Kenney



General George Churchill Kenney

Introduction

Great leaders are a rare breed of warrior. A warrior is a person with the attribute that accepts conflict as a part of life and understands to overcome conflict requires effort. Great leaders share this attribute to rise above the average warrior to inspire and organize a group of warriors to carry out the mission. Great leaders also tend to have similar traits shared by most people. Traits compel others to follow through mutual respect, shared morals and ethics, and quick decision making skills. However, what sets a great leader above the average person is a varied abundance of these traits. These personal traits, such as character, loyalty, courage, charisma, devotion, and even a certain warrior spirit can be found at varying levels in most people. Furthermore, the great leader possesses all these traits.

Research Statement

Being a commander and air deputy to the MacArthur, Kenney performed his responsibilities in excellent manner that made him earned great deal of fame and respect among his subordinates. His outstanding leadership qualities and engineering talents of General George Churchill Kenney enabled him to accomplish halting the Japanese and turn the war around.

Discussion

Lt. General George C. Kenney was a leader that embodied most if not all the traits that are listed above. He probably possessed a few traits that are not listed in the introductory paragraph. Kenney was tenacious in his belief that air power could stem the advance of the Japanese Imperial forces. It would take the combined forces of the United States and its allies to accomplish this burden. In December, he was given an assignment with the Military Staff Committee of the United Nations, which took him from Washington to London to New York. On April 1, 1946, he assumed command of the Strategic Air Command. In October 1948, he was transferred to the command of The Air University at Maxwell Field.

By the fall of 1942, circumstances were looking bleak for the United States and her allies fighting the Japanese in the Pacific theater of World War II. General Douglas MacArthur was in command of most of the theater. He was tasked with stopping the Japanese advance. Unfortunately, the Japanese seemed poised to capture Australia. In August of 1942, General George Marshall established the 5th Air Force. The 5th Air Force was a hodge podge of air detachments left over from remnants of the Far East air force that had been decimated in the early weeks of the war. General Marshall appointed Major General George C. Kenney to command the defense of Australia. Kenney was sent to new headquarters in Brisbane, Australia.

Kenney was able to hold the line, so to speak, and even begin offensive operations against Japanese military units. The Fifth Air Force was able to accomplish this with little to no support as far as supplies and new equipment. General Kenney was able to do this because he was the perfect leader for the job. His exceptional leadership was responsible for the ...