The Trusted Leader: Understanding the Trust Triangle

74 The Trusted Leader

shocked but not as shocked as Drembroski, who lay in a

heap, nearly unconscious. After that, Ling received no

further harassment from the drill sergeants.. He finished at

the top of his class both at OCS and then at The Basic

School located at Camp Barrett on the Quantico Marine

Base.

His first command as a lieutenant in Vietnam was a

repeat of the same thing. Everyone snickered when they

first saw him. Ling told the Coach that being underesti-

mated had always been his greatest advantage. His father

had taught him that Westerners had always been louder

and bolder—they came in like heroes always trying to save

the day, like John Wayne. That’s why they were always

stunned by quiet “sleepers” like Mr. Ling.

The Coach ...