Fred Smith

Smith served two tours from 1966 to 1970, earning the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and two Purple Hearts.

But the metals weren't what mattered.

Vietnam taught him the principles that would define FedEx.

First, he watched military logistics fail spectacularly.

The hub-and-spoke system, moving supplies through bases like Da Nang, was brilliant in theory but catastrophic in practice.

Critical medical supplies sat for weeks while non-essential items moved quickly.

Supply sergeants hoarded because they couldn't trust the system.

Smith saw the problem wasn't the model, it was the execution.

With better tracking and guaranteed reliability, the hub and spoke could work perfectly.

More importantly, he learned about leadership from Staff Sergeant Richard Jackson, a platoon sergeant from Philadelphia with 11 years in the Marines.

Sergeant Jack, you would say, was not very well educated, but he was probably the wisest guy I ever met.

He had a wisdom about what people who weren't officers think and want.

And that has stood me in great stead since I was a manager.

When Jackson was killed in Operation Swift, a battle so fierce the Marines couldn't even retrieve their dead for two and a half days.

It drove the lesson home.

Soldiers don't fight for abstract ideals.

They fight for the person next to them in the foxhole.

Lieutenant Colonel Donald Rexroad saw Smith live this philosophy.

Fred had the best company in my battalion.

They functioned better as an entity.