#189: Building Army Warriors - Sergeant Major of the Army Mike Weimer & CSM (R) Rick Merritt

What separates war fighting from a warrior? Is it skill? Is it experience? Or is it something deeper that only reveals itself when it matters most?

From the Pentagon, Fran Racioppi sat down with Sergeant Major of the Army Mike Weimer and retired Command Sergeant Major Rick Merritt to discuss what it truly means to build and sustain warriors in the United States Army.

CSM Merritt spent over three decades on active duty, including 25 years in the 75th Ranger Regiment, serving in every enlisted leadership position from rifleman to Regimental Sergeant Major. He conducted over 1,500 combat operations under Joint Special Operations Command and served more than five years in combat task forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. His experience spans the full arc of modern warfare.

Together with the SMA, we unpack into the difference between technical proficiency and true warrior mindset, what commitment looks like when compliance disappears, and how leaders enforce standards without eroding trust. 

We explore whether resilience is built over time or revealed under pressure, and how purpose sustains Soldiers when motivation begins to fade.

As warfare becomes more technical and systems driven, the SMA is challenging the force to ensure technology enhances the warrior. Future conflict will demand innovation and the technological edge, but victory on the battlefield will still be decided by human judgment, character, and leadership.

This is a conversation about standards, commitment, mental toughness, and the responsibility of leaders to hold the line…not just to engage in the business of war fighting, but to forge warriors ready to close with and destroy our nation’s adversaries.

HIGHLIGHTS

• 0:00 Welcome to the Jedburgh Podcast
• 4:40 Defining An Army Warrior
• 14:02 Compliance to Commitment
• 20:02 What Is The Army Culture?
• 27:18 Why A Warrior Mindset Matters
• 38:52 How to Lead the War fighting Profession

QUOTES

• “I see a warrior as the reason why we do it.”
• “Make a difference with your presence. Otherwise, why are you there?”
• “A warrior is a way of life.”
• “Technology is not going to make up for the foundation.”
• “A warrior is one that is dedicated, disciplined, willing to go the extra mile, will fight for those left and right, and never quit.”
• “The best recruiters we have are our service members, our veterans.”
• “How much is enough of these key attributes to take a risk on you and bring you in and start developing the rest of that?”
• “There’s just some things about human beings that are going to be done on an individual’s basic timeline in life.”
• “It’s not normal for this generation.”
• “Combat readiness is a way of life.”
• “Although I took the uniform off, my oath didn’t go away.”
• “The guys on my team know that they’re in the right spot with the right people, with the right culture.”
• “You’re consecrated into this culture that I got to find when I retire.” 
• “What makes that culture is character and character development.”
• “That probably makes the difference in the world is where our NCO core is compared to other countries.”
• “I’m a firm believer that the noncommissioned officer is the keeper of the culture.”
• “I think that was our biggest challenge in Vietnam.”
• “This profession, we hand you a machete and we say ‘Take that path.’”
• “Grit comes through hardship.”
• “At the end of the day, guys got to go on the ground.”
• “We’re struggling a little bit in that space.”
• “There’s no time limit on honorable service.”
• “What is better than being a company commander?”
• “Don’t be a pain in the ass. Be value added.”
• “This is a journey, not a destination.”
• “A legend is nothing but a man or woman who spent their life surrounding themselves with people better than them.”

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