Readers of The Art of Manliness, from within the Military Success Network community brought this timely post to our attention. It’s the lessons from a D-Day fighter on leading a warrior life.

Major Dick Winters suggested this as a personal plan.

As a Monastic Warrior, his advice is just as relevant now in the din of all we do, post, read, hear, feel as it was in the solace of quiet and calm post World War II veterans sought. It meant not only “cultivate sharp minds and fighters’ bodies, but to develop themselves into men of the highest moral caliber.”

Winters believed that the cornerstone of character was: Honesty.

From there you worked to develop a moral compass that was guided by the virtues of:

• Courage
• Fairness
• Consistency
• Selflessness
• Respect for your fellow men.

Winters felt that integrity was paramount.  “It’s easier to do the right thing when everyone is looking,” but “more difficult to do what you should do when you are alone.”

And because Winters added to these core values, his own ascetic precepts such as choosing to abstain from canoodling with women, drinking alcohol (he was a lifelong teetotaler), and swearing……  we now move to share the comprehensive and eminently comprehensive and well written original piece our post is taken from today… and Brett and Kate Mckay’s own words: [Read more…]