Retired Green Beret Chris McPhee turns military stories into lessons about responsibility, discipline and mentorship through his book. At a Temple Public Library and Temple Literacy Council presentation, McPhee described how veterans’ experiences and the choices people make away from battle can guide young readers.
McPhee spoke Wednesday at the monthly Books for Lunch program about “Follow Me: Leadership Lessons from the Shadows that Shape Extraordinary Leaders,” which he co-wrote with fellow Green Beret Ruben Ayala. The book presentation and mentorship story connected the project to McPhee’s own experiences as a soldier, husband, father and student of mentors.
How the Book Turns Military Stories Into Leadership Lessons
McPhee served 21 years in Army special operations and deployed multiple times to Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa and other locations. After retiring, he moved into filmmaking and storytelling, helping develop the eight-episode Amazon Prime documentary series “Blk Ops” before co-writing the book.
The documentary grew from a project to create Black History content for a museum in Columbus, Ohio. McPhee first imagined a photo-heavy book, but the cost led him to shorter stories about service members and the people around them.
The book and film profile service members from the Vietnam era through the global war on terrorism, including their childhoods, families, hardships and lives beyond the battlefield.
One story followed retired U.S. Marine Maj. James Capers, described by McPhee as one of the first black battlefield-commissioned officers in the Marine Corps. McPhee said Capers was shot about 16 times while helping his reconnaissance team escape during the Vietnam War.
McPhee believed Capers deserved the Medal of Honor rather than the Silver Star he had received. He credited Ayala and others with bringing Capers’ story to wider attention. President Donald Trump awarded Capers the Medal of Honor on June 18 this year, nearly 60 years after his wartime actions.
“That’s why those stories matter,” McPhee said.
Mentorship Starts With Responsibility
McPhee said he hopes readers will carry lessons from the stories beyond the book. A youth-mentorship program in Duval County, Fla., uses “Blk Ops” in reflection exercises and a nine-week curriculum to teach leadership.
After its first summit this year, the program plans to involve five high schools at its next summit. It expects to reach about 2,000 students through veterans’ stories and mentorship from special operations veterans. Another student leadership program also uses service to give young people practice leading. Grit Daily has covered other leadership lessons and leadership in education.
McPhee traced his own lessons to growing up in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood. His single mother entrusted him with caring for his younger brothers and helping manage the household. She told him to stay out of trouble, be respectful and do well in school.
An elementary school teacher steered him away from petty theft, sometimes using a taped bundle of rulers she called a “magic wand.” His wrestling coach showed him that a quieter student could lead by example and encouraged him to pursue Special Forces.
When McPhee considered pursuing Special Forces, he called the coach. “You could do it,” the coach told him.
Mentors still guide McPhee through difficult decisions, he said. “True mentors find you; you don’t find them,” he said. He also described personal struggles with alcohol, including a DUI five days before he graduated from an advanced Army leadership course.
McPhee said deaths among teammates and friends, along with war’s emotional weight, contributed to his drinking after service. On New Year’s Eve 2012, his wife confronted him after he began drinking that morning. He said the moment made him reconsider the example he set as a husband and father. He stopped drinking the next day.
McPhee hopes the book will guide young readers through mentors’ experiences. His next book, he said, will focus on mentorship. Proceeds from “Follow Me,” which sells for $19.52, support the foundation behind the youth leadership program.
