For award recipient Maj Benjamin Middendorf, leadership is earned. It doesn’t come from a rank stitched on an arm or pinned or a shoulder.
For award recipient Maj Benjamin Middendorf, leadership is earned. It doesn’t come from a rank stitched on an arm or pinned or a shoulder.
For award recipient Maj Benjamin Middendorf, leadership is earned. It doesn’t come from a rank stitched on an arm or pinned or a shoulder.
“I was nominated because of my peers and that’s humbling because peer leadership is a lot harder when they don’t have to follow you,” Middendorf said. “You want someone to follow you because of who you are as a man, not because of your rank, and that’s what I try to do.”
Middendorf is the recipient of this year’s prestigious LtCol William G. Leftwich, Jr. Trophy for Outstanding Leadership for his actions while deployed with Golf Co., 2d Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment, in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. Recipients must be active-duty Marine captains in the ground combat arms when nominated. Through personal example, they must set the standard that all other officers seek to emulate.
He accepted the award at the Marine Corps Association & Foundation’s 10th Annual Ground Awards Dinner on Thursday, June 6, 2013, in Arlington, Virginia.
“This award recognizes the hard work (my Marines) did,” Middendorf said. “They performed magnificently; I happened to be the guy in charge.”
The award is presented annually in memory of Navy Cross recipient LtCol William G. Leftwich, USMC, killed in action when his helicopter crashed in the Republic of Vietnam on Nov. 18, 1970.
“(Leftwich) really epitomized the very best of who we are as Marine officers and I wanted to make sure if I led Marines in combat to do it to the best of my abilities, and that’s what Leftwich stood for,” Middendorf said.
It’s a namesake that hits home for Middendorf. His father served in the Marine Corps for four years and fought in Vietnam.
“It really meant a lot to me being that (Leftwich) died in Vietnam, because that’s where my dad was and it gave me a tie back to those guys,” Middendorf said. “They gave everything for their country, even when (the war) wasn’t supported.”
His father was a profound influence on Middendorf’s childhood and his decision to serve in the Marine Corps. He originally enlisted in the National Guard at 17 years old as an infantryman for one year before attending West Point. Before he graduated, he applied and was accepted for an interservice transfer to the Marine Corps.
“It’s because the Marines were always the best,” Middendorf said. “The Marines are going to be there and not always have the best equipment and we can always do a lot more with a lot less. It’s a healthy mantra especially given the times of today.”
To be the best, Middendorf stays up to date on the ever-changing Corps. He has been a member of the Marine Corps Association & Foundation since he attended The Basic School. He subscribes to the Marine Corps Gazette for its opinionated articles written by Marines about best practices in the Corps.
“If we consider ourselves professionals and we’re supposed to peer review and challenge the status quo, one very good place to do that is the Gazette,” Middendorf said. “I look forward to seeing what’s in there every month for thought-provoking things. It’s important as professionals and as Marines because the costs are just too high not to.”
Middendorf said it was “reinvigorating” to attend the MCA&F dinner with General James F. Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps, as the guest speaker. At his table sat 12 stars, he said, and an estimated 90 years of combined experience in the Corps. The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, SgtMaj Micheal Barrett, assisted the Commandant on stage with the award presentations.
Award ceremonies like these are important to encourage competition and publically award excellence in the Marine Corps. Those qualities are integral to earning respect and leadership from peers.
“Marines epitomize excellence and when you’re recognized for going above that and stand out among your peers, it continues to push the rest of us to do more and be better every single day and do justice to the Marines under our charge,” Middendorf said.
