Clara Barton

 The Museum has been going through a number of changes in recent times.  We have updated several galleries, developed a new website, begun new leadership training programs and much more.  These are all quite significant but there is one event that truly stands above the rest. 

In October, the Board of Directors of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine singed an agreement with the General Services Administration outlining a plan to open Clara Barton’s Missing Soldiers Office as a museum.  This historic office was first found over a decade ago by GSA employee Richard Lyons.  Since that discovery, it has been stabilized and is awaiting conservation.  Once the conservation is completed, the NMCWM will open the location to the public. 

Clara Barton’s office (room #9 at 437 7th Street in Washington DC) provides the Museum with a unique opportunity to highlight and interpret the war-time career of one of America’s humanitarians.  Her work as a medical relief organizer and nurse is well known.  Unfortunately her work in locating missing soldiers is much less understood. 

During the operation of the Missing Soldiers Office Clara and her staff answered over 66,000 pieces of correspondence!  This effort alone is remarkable until you consider that the same staff also raised funds to support the cost of the work and compiled and published updated lists of the missing for national publication. Her DC office has been credited with determining the fate of over 22,000 missing soldiers. In May of 1865 Clara left for a period of time to help locate and mark the graves of the men who died in the Andersonville prison.    She was accompanied by Mr. Dorence Atwater who, as a prisoner himself,  kept records of the dead for the Confederate commander.   Her work at Andersonville helped identify the graves of all but 460 of the nearly 12,000 graves.

Her accomplishments are not fully understood by most Americans today, but we hope to work with our partners to change that for future generations.  We look forward to developing  new leadership curriculums based on her work as humanitarian, organizer, manager and activist.  We also hope to use the new museum location to educate visitors on her incredible accomplishments. I hope that you will join us in honoring Clara Barton as one of America’s greatest leaders.

A recent report claims that a Catholic relief services organization has become so fed up with the delay in supply delivery and a lack of security to protect supply lines that they have started a new tactic.,..surprise deliveries.  They are going out at night and simply setting up their operations when no one expects them.  they hand out the supplies to those who they find and continue to invite the local population to get supplies until they run out.  This method has everything going for it.  It is simple, effective, innovative and meets the mission goals of the organization while supporting the local population in need.  In short this was a stroke of brilliance. 

You see, in 1862 when Jonathan Letterman was faced with a similar shortage of vehicles and logistical support, he simply invented a new system.  He used his ambulances to carry supplies after they had delivered their patients.  He also sent his subordinate officers out into the countryside to find medical boxcars which had been side tracked by officials of the B&O Railroad at the request of army officials keen on speeding ammunition and other supplies to the battle front.  By taking control over his own logistical destiny, Letterman carved a new path for himself and his department.  This new thinking helped him support his mission of medical support while it improved the lives of the soldiers that he would care for during the Antietam campaign. 

The Catholic relief organization in Haiti showed the same type of innovation.  They assessed their assets, analyzed the need, took note of the obstacles in their way and then took the action needed to meet their mission goal.  It sounds so easy and yet it is very difficult to do.  There is always the temptation to say:” That is not how we do things here.”  It is hard to step out of our comfort zone and do things differently. If we fail then we are no longer protected by our past successes.  We can no longer claim that it had always worked before.  When we break the mold and take a bold new direction we are out on a limb and there is no safety net.  If we fail in our efforts we do so for all the world to see…or do we?

The great Leonardo da Vinci saw failure in a different light.   For him it was better to try unsuccessfully than not try at all.  The only failure was failure to try.  By learning from all of his unsuccessful endeavors he was able to plan and predict for future efforts.  His brilliance lay not in the fact that he never failed, but that he learned from his mistakes and then changed his future plans accordingly. 

Late night food deliveries in Haiti could have been a disaster.  The question is whether the disaster would have been any greater than the  earthquake itself.  Like Letterman before them, our relief agency saw that their mission was not being met by status quo thinking and therefore they decided to risk an innovative plan to meet fulfil their mission.  Like Leonardo, they saw that the only failure was to do nothing and allow the people to continue in their suffering.  In this case history, and humanity, were on their side. 

This is a perfect example of using the past to lead in the modern world.  I am sure that Letterman and da Vinci would be proud!

Please feel free to leave your comments below, we want to hear what you think!

                The news of the recent earthquake in Haiti has sent a flood of assistance and money to that impoverished and now critically stricken country.  Who cannot be moved to action by dire needs of our close southern neighbor?  It further saddens me to hear of the continued suffering of those injured as they struggle to find adequate care in the face of complete destruction of their country.  Medical relief workers, who are dealing with a lack of infrastructure and supplies, are accused of practicing “Civil War” medicine.

                Unfortunately, it is not Civil War medicine that is the problem.  The problem is the failure of our society to understand the lessons that Civil War medicine can teach.  When we think of Civil War medical treatment, we correctly see unsanitary conditions, antiquated instruments and a general lack of the technology we expect today.  What we fail to see is that our modern emergency response systems and protocols were born of this now distant war. Understanding the true lessons of the Civil War could relieve the sufferings of thousands if the popular myths could only be left behind. 

                The Civil War gave us our first system of medical logistics, modern emergency room organization and management structures, triage, medical records, medical communications and intelligence, organized first aid and evacuation procedures.  Our Civil War caregivers gave us a system that would become the ambulance and 911 communications networks of the current day.  Faced with unthinkable numbers of wounded and sick in an environment where modern communications and transportation did not exist, our ancestors devised innovative low-tech solutions to our most critical medical problems. 

                Recently the Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan named the medical dormitories after Major Jonathan Letterman who commanded Union medical staffs at Antietam and Gettysburg.  A bronze plaque located there is a testimony to the lessons learned from the man whose “Letterman Plan” became the basis for much of our modern emergency medical system.  This honor is not a hollow one.  Letterman’s writings have been instrumental in plans to improve medical communications systems in Iraq and even lower airframe maintenance and fuel costs of Air Force medical transportation flights.   Civil War medicine has a broader reach than most would expect.

                These seemingly ancient protocols have proven themselves not only on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan but also in the aftermath of Katrina and the recent tsunami.  Over 3,500 military and civilian caregivers have been trained in these Civil War systems and processes over the last four years and have achieved great things around the world.  Numerous citations have been awarded to these professionals who are using the past to push innovation forward.  Unfortunately, as Haiti reminds us, we still have a great number of organizations and caregivers who have not yet heard this lifesaving message. 

                We need to change our opinions of the past.  If we continue to look at history as a frightening era to be mocked and avoided, then we will never learn the lessons needed to improve our future.  Those who are using the lessons of the past are now reaping the benefits.  More importantly, their patients and those they assist are reaping the true benefits.  We need to wake up and see that Civil War medicine is not something to be mocked and feared, but contains lessons for the future that can improve the quality of emergency planning and medical care.  

 Submitted to the press on Jan. 31, 2010

On Thursday afternoon I was able to aid in the development of a new training day for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences on the Antietam battlefield.  This day-long course will help motivate and prepare first year medical students in all branches of federal medical service.  By using the plan and example of Maj. Jonathan Letterman and walking the battle that transformed his leadership legacy, we will assist these students in developing their own legacy of leadership and medical professionalism.  While this is the third year of our participation, this is our first year developing the course from the ground up.

This weekend I have the privilege of presenting leadership training to the West Virginia Lions Leadership School in Sutton, WV.  Once again I am surrounded by dedicated community leaders who are continuing their leadership development as part of their personal commitment to the service of others. 

It has been a very busy week.  Some might think that it would be tiring.  Indeed the opposite if true. 

To see so many people eager to dedicate themselves to the service of others is exciting and invigorating.  Like all human endeavors, leadership must be practiced, learned, and re-learned over many years.  It is not a “once and done” event but rather a lifetime dedication.  To be in close proximity to over three hundred is almost too good to be true! I think that I am learning more from these groups than I could ever hope to teach. 

Their lesson is simple.  Practice is required if we wish to improve in any activity and leadership and service are not accepting.  They also show us that acting, even practicing, is better done in some form of community rather than is solitude. Even for the most introverted among us, the ability to gain new insights and feedback from others is a gift.  Even if it means taking time alone to digest and assimilate the information. 

I encourage all of you to dedicate yourselves to similar activities when the opportunity presents itself.  You will be richer for the experience and so will the world around you!

I do have one observation that can help us all in such disasters….be prepared for everything  in mind and body.  Some of the greatest military campaigns in the history of mankind were planned by people living in tents and meeting under trees.  Major Letterman evacuated and fed tens of thousands seriously sick and wounded in a day when offices were not provided and telephones were decades away.  If you can operate in such primitive conditions (as the relief workers in Haiti are doing right now!) then how much more effective can you be with your technology in place?

Do not become too reliant on technology.  It can and will fail.  Become more reliant on the human mind, spirit and body.  They are the most resilient machines known to the world.  Imagination can overcome the loss of a machine, BUT, no machine can replace imagination. 

Use the past as a guide to understand what is possible and then prepare for the day when you find yourself in Haiti or when your home becomes a Haiti.  Do not forget the lessons of Katrina, the recent tsunami, Haiti or Antietam.  If you learn the lessons well you can benefit your fellow-man by being part of the solution….if not you will drain your fellow-men by being part of the problem.  The choice is yours.

What would a true leader do?

  Think of a great person that you admire and that exemplifies some leadership quality for you. After you think of this person think of the leadership quality that most strikes you about that person.

 When I ask this of groups I nearly always get similar answers: Jesus, Gandhi, George Washington, Mother Teresa, Florence Nightingale, Eleanor Roosevelt, Oprah Winfrey, Nelson Mandela, the Dali Lama, Abraham Lincoln and Bono.  Certainly there are many more, but, this list represents some of my most common answers. 

When I ask the respondents why they chose as they did the answers remain strikingly similar as well.  Their chosen “leaders”  all represent a selfless quality (or qualities) and served others before self in the opinion of the respondents. 

Who you choose and why you choose them says something about you.  It means that you too see selfless servant leadership as an admirable quality.  I ask this both as a learning tool for those who visit here and as an excercise for myself to learn more about others. 

Thanks for participating!

You should understand that I did not ask for help on the blog. Niki and Susan (our Pry House education director) saw that there was a lack of activity on the blog due to some extraordinary projects and they took it upon themselves to get an update posted. They did not ask permission they simply went ahead and did what was needed. Now, in some organizations this would result in a less than pleasant confrontation. Turf wars, egos, boundary conflicts and “looking our for number 1″ all get in the way of great self initiated actions like this one.

So why were these two emboldened to take on such responsibility for themselves? Didn’t they worry about stepping on toes or making the boss mad. In fact they did not and for several good reasons.

1) Susan and Niki are both well aware that for any initiative to move forward it is critical that the mission must always come first. Dedication to mission is always a vital pat of any successful enterprise. It is not just mission though. There must be a commitment by all involved. They must see that the mission is not only vital but that it falls within the value system of all employed under it. These values become part of the mission, part of the method of accomplishment. When the mission and the values are mutually supportive then there is a winning combination that makes the organization strong.

2) Niki and Susan also understand that the mission is not about ego. The team has been groomed in the mission and values of the organization. All ego (as much as can be in any human endeavor) has been removed. All understand that the mission and its values are more important than the ego of any one of us. We have torn down the fences of “turf” and taken on the mission as a single-minded goal.

With these two things in mind, Niki and Susan were able to do what was needed for the organization with no fear of making a decision in my absence. Their actions are truly appreciated.

It is sad to see so many organizations struggling with problems that come from a lack of clear mission and a lack of understanding of the methods needed to succeed in meeting the mission goals. It is also sad to see organizations stymied by attitudes like: “that is not my job”, That is not YOUR job”, “not my department”, “I wouldn’t go there if I were you” and the always popular “who authorized this!”.

If your mission is clear, your tactics well communicated to all involved, boundaries clearly defined and egos in check, then there is no limit to how far you can go. The same can be said when all employees are encouraged to lead so far as their talents allow. This takes work, practice and a desire to change, but, it is possible. The Museum was as subject to the pitfalls as much as any institution. If we can overcome, so can any organization.

George is on a train somewhere in the northeast heading to or from an awesome historical research project that EVERYONE will hear about eventually but not today. So I thought that I’d blog in his place. My name is Niki Thrash and I am the Director of Institutional Advancement for the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. I’ve been working for the Museum for about a year and a half and I have to tell you that this experience has been life changing. I don’t believe that I ever realized that history could have a very real impact on real issues in real time. I used to consider history as a slice of time, isolated and unique and I thought that a museum was a snap shot of a given aspect of that slice of time. I had always seen Museums as repositories…a building that would hold stuff for people to look at and remember a time gone by. I just didn’t get it. Then I started working for George.

George Wunderlich, NMCWM’s visionary Executive Director, has often said that if we study history for history’s sake, then it is no more than a hobby. But when we are able to engage a modern audience with historical perspectives, innovations and insights and help them to relate those innovations and insights directly to their life and world today, we are helping to change our community and our world for the better.

Now THAT makes sense to me! As a matter of fact, our museum’s management structure and processes are based on proven management innovations that were tested on the bloodiest single day in American History – the Battle of Antietam.

One of the most relevant lessons that history teaches us is the importance of clarity of mission. For this reason in the first quarter of this year, the Museum’s Board of Directors approved the following revision to the institution’s stated mission:
The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is the premier center
for the preservation and research of the legacy of Civil War medical innovation.

This mission can only be achieved by the realization that the NMCWM is in fact a living institution that utilizes the history of Civil War medical innovations to inspire, engage and encourage. We inspire our society by connecting the lessons of the past with the challenges of our world today. We engage the broadest possible audience and partners and then encourage innovative and collaborative scholarship. It is education that is at the heart of our mission and it is important to note that we are very intentionally working to prepare present and future leaders of our world.

Now more than ever our world needs decisive and innovative leaders. We have seen a growing number of youth and those working with youth drawn to our historically-based leadership development programs. While we continue developing important relationships with our military partners, this past year the Letterman Institute was created as a new division of the Museum. Born of our work with military leadership development, the Letterman Institute has opened new opportunities for us to work with developing leaders. Our programs with civic, religious and educational organizations continue to grow at an exciting pace.

The NMCWM and the Letterman Institute are not only preserving artifacts and stories, we are “using the lessons of our past to build a better tomorrow. “ How awesome is that?

It is not simply that my first leadership experience came through scouting.  As a youth the importance of preparedness as a leadership skill escaped me.  I understood the need of all citizens to be prepared as a part of daily life for their own comfort and safety.   I did not see preparedness as a leadership issue until later in life. 

In order to be a good servant leader one must be able to lead in many different environments and situations.  Those who are mentally, physically and emotionally prepared for the many trials of daily life will certainly serve others better than those who are not prepared and therefore fail in leading others when those trials inevitably come.  The trial may be as common as a loss of a communications system or as severe and unusual as a major natural disaster.  Are you prepared top deal with either….right now?

If you wish to lead you must be confident in your ability to deal with anything.  When Baden-Powell was asked what he meant when he said that a scout was prepared. He said that he meant they were prepared for anything…everything.  That is a tall order! 

How can anyone be prepared for everything?  Preparedness does not come from the storage of supplies (although this is important for certain disasters) but from preparing the mind with a broad range of knowledge and the practiced ability to plan on the run.  It also comes from a confidence that comes from planning and learning.

As an exercise try this.  Next time you are out let yourself daydream a bit and consider what “could happen” where you are.  It may be a fire, an accident or even a first aid emergency.  Then dram it through.  What will you do?  How will you respond?  What do you see around you that you could use to assist you?  Think back to the famous scene in “The Princess Bride”  where the man in black, the Spaniard and the giant are planning to storm a castle with sixty  guards at the gate.  They listed their assets, made a plan and carried the day.  Fairy tale or not, this is how it is done. 

After you play your day-dream out in your head ask yourself a question: could I do better in the future if I had more information at my disposal?  Set yourself a goal of gaining that knowledge and then move on to other scenarios.  After a short time you will find yourself more prepared than ever.  You may even want to share your self test here in the comment section.  You will also find yourself seeking some additional “assets” like an automotive or home emergency kit, a first aid kit or a fire extinguisher.  The more you work the better prepared you will be.  In turn, the more service you can be to others in an emergency. 

This service, in an emergency in the peace of an average day, is the first step in good leadership.