The Best People with Nicolle Wallace Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling Knows Leadership… And When It’s Lacking
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Mar 16, 2026 Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, retired 38-year Army leader and author of If I Don't Return, shares wartime journals and hard-earned lessons. He recounts a 50% casualty briefing, moral injury from close combat, why people join the military, and what real leadership and presidential responsibility should look like. He also warns about rushed decisions, the need for curiosity and diversity, and when leaders must refuse unlawful orders.
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Wartime Journal Written For His Sons
- Mark Hertling began a wartime journal in 1990–91 after an intelligence briefing warned his cavalry squadron might take about 50% casualties.
- He wrote daily lessons for his sons on adulthood and manhood, then stored the journal until his son later digitized it and urged publication.
Killing In A Bunker And Moral Injury
- Hertling describes entering a desert dugout alone where a man stood to shoot, and he fired first, later confessing the encounter in his reflections.
- The close-range killing—helmet with family photo visible—caused long-lasting moral injury and recurring dreams, prompting him to seek help.
Why People Voluntarily Join The Military
- Soldiers join for widely varied reasons—family tradition, discipline, a search for meaning, or reaction to events like 9/11.
- Hertling gives examples from private models-turned-soldiers to Harvard grads who left Wall Street to serve.
