January 25 marked the anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, when American troops—many barely out of their teens—endured freezing temperatures, heavy losses, and overwhelming odds to halt the Germans.
It was a pivotal outcome that could have changed the course of World War II. It was leadership that was grounded in duty, not recognition. I’ve been thinking about that kind of service as I reflect on my recent Off the Rak interview with Bob McDonald.
Bob has worn many uniforms in his life: West Point cadet, Army Ranger, CEO, and Cabinet secretary. What struck me most wasn’t his résumé. It was his mindset. After I introduced Bob on the podcast, he was quick to correct me by saying that his career isn’t amazing; he’s actually a work in progress. Again, duty—not recognition.
He talked about veterans not as beneficiaries of a system but as customers who deserve dignity, trust, and urgency. When he took over the US Department of Veterans Affairs in 2014, the agency was under fire. Long wait times. Broken trust. Real human consequences.
His response wasn’t defensive. It was clarifying: “Put the veteran at the top of the pyramid,” he said.
Not the bureaucracy. Not leadership. The veteran.
“Tell me I’ve earned it.”
That principle guided everything. From modernizing health care access to cutting veteran homelessness nearly in half, putting veterans at the top also guided something far more personal.
Bob shared a moment from the movie Saving Private Ryan, when the character whom Matt Damon played stands at a soldier’s grave and says, “Tell me I’ve earned it.” Bob said he thinks about that line every day.
He thinks about friends buried in military cemeteries, about lives cut short, about the responsibility to keep earning the opportunity they gave him.
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That idea—earning it—connects directly back to the Battle of the Bulge. Those soldiers didn’t wait for perfect conditions. They showed up, endured, and held on because the soldier to their left and right depended on them.
Leadership looks different today. But the obligation is the same.
If you’re leading people, policies, or institutions that serve veterans—or anyone who has sacrificed—you don’t get to be finished. You don’t get to coast on past wins. You earn trust by showing up, listening closely, and fixing what’s broken.
Bob is still doing that work. He still takes calls from veterans. Still helps solve problems. Still believes leadership is about stewardship, not status.
That’s a humbling lesson worth remembering this week.
Because honoring service isn’t just about ceremonies or anniversaries. It’s about what we choose to do next—once we’ve had the chance to lead.
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Featured image: After holding a woodland position all night near Wiltz, Luxembourg, against German counter attack, three men of B Co., 101st Engineers, emerge for a rest. Source: Wikimedia Commons
