"Mentorship as a facet of leadership is probably the most important aspect of the Stewardship of the Profession that doesn't get the attention that it should," said COL Bircher. As a mentor, he explained how sharing advice and knowledge is helpful for the mentee as well as the mentor.

Great leaders are the backbone of the Army Profession, and their decisions negate the success or failure of every mission. Having served under General Ray Odierno and COL (Retired) Jim Hickey, LTC (Retired) Russell said he was fortunate to have great leadership that allowed him to independently lead, but also knew when to "pull in on the leash."

The firefight was between the Taliban and the Afghan security forces 70 miles north of CPT Maxwell's position. The available helicopters at the scene had already been in the air for six hours, and the pilots and crews were fatigued. CPT Maxwell had a decision to make.

As an instructor for an academy, 1SG Godkin said he had a female subordinate who was flirtatious but never crossed the line verbally or physically in an inappropriate way. An "old-fashioned kind of guy" with his own set of morals and values, he struggled with the situation and whether he should act and file a report or not take action at all.

During a combat deployment, Justin Watt discovered that his fellow Soldiers had committed heinous war crimes. He reported the crimes to John Diem, an NCO that he trusted.

Fred Wintrich was a battalion executive officer just before the surge in Iraq. His unit operated in a hotly contested area, averaging 11 direct fire contacts a day over the entire deployment.

A few months back a friend of mine had recently returned from deployment. When I first got here - brand new to the Army; never been to a post before - I relied heavily on him just simple for things like, 'Where's the PX?' 'Where's the shoppette?' 'Where can I go for this?' 'How do I clear this?' He also helped me get my uniform squared away on my ASU's and things of that nature. So as far as I was concerned, he was somebody I could trust and follow.

"My first assignment was as a platoon leader. It was a very difficult time for me in my young career. (I) was faced with a lot of challenges that I didn't think I'd be faced with at that particular time. My Battalion Commander called me into his office one day and offered me a new job and I asked him if I had a choice. He said no I don't, so I was assigned as the Battalion Signal Officer."

John Diem is an Infantry NCO. He has deployed several times to Iraq and Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and has seen heavy combat at the small unit level.

CPT Jackson describes being in Iraq and conducting a vehicle recovery when his unit came under enemy fire. He looked over and saw that his Company Commander and First Sergeant had both been hit. He makes the decision to expose himself to enemy fire to provide aid to his First Sergeant. Even after CPT Jackson is hit, he continues to render aid. He looks over and sees SSG Newlin taking charge of coordinating fires and evacuating the wounded. He draws the strength to continue to fight and provide aid to his fellow Soldiers because of this. CPT Jackson pushed through his wounds in order to carry his First Sergeant to safety. He then collapsed from his own wounds. He was confident that SFC Newlin would continue the fight and find the insurgents. As CPT Jackson recovered from his wounds, he drew strength from his First Sergeant's progress.