There is absolutely nothing which can take the place of the qualities in a man which are referred to as character. Generals such as George Washington, Robert E. Lee, John J. Pershing, Stonewall Jackson, to mention but a few, are remembered not only as great field leaders, but as generals whose character transcended the wars in which they fought.

Of all the components of leadership discussed thus far the most important is the quality of character. Leadership is really the unconscious expression of the character and personality of the leader. But what is character, and what is its role in leadership? General Eisenhower, in a discussion of military leadership, stated that “character in many ways is everything in leadership. It is made up of many things, but I would say character is really integrity. When you delegate something to a subordinate, for example, it is absolutely your responsibility, and he must understand this. You as a leader must take complete responsibility for what that subordinate does. I once said, as a sort of wisecrack, that leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well”

They liked the life, working with men in the outdoors, teaching, the association with people of integrity, the reward of giving service in a dedicated manner to something that counted. There were surely men who remained in the service during time of peace because it was a soft life, but army life was not a leisurely, lazy life for those men who reached the top. While others played, they were working, studying, and preparing. The real explanation of why they stayed is that these men had character; they possessed the feeling of belonging to something greater than themselves; they believed in the code, “Duty, Honor, Country.” 

One aspect of Character is the answer to the question, “Was he there?” Had it not been for the duty to country concept of Marshall, MacArthur, Eisenhower, and Patton, they would not have been around to accept the top positions of responsibility in World War II. How fortunate our country has been that these men were sufficiently patient with the slow promotions, poor pay, inadequate housing, inadequate money for training, the hardship of many moves, the unhappiness of children uprooted from friends, and the many other difficulties. Only a dedicated and selfless man would make such a sacrifice.

（From:"Nineteen Stars" by Edgar Puryear)