Omar Bradley: The Stereotypical Leader

Omar Bradley, while not the prototypical leader, was exceptionally effective leading troops with his more introverted style. Bradley was born near Clark, Missouri, on February 12, 1893. Although he grew up in an impoverished area, he was able to receive a good education while also proving to be a star athlete. After high school, he immediately began working for a railroad company in order to earn money for college. Bradley originally entered the University of Missouri, but a suggestion from a Sunday school superintendent led him to pursue an appointment at West Point. He placed first in the competitive testing for his area and became enrolled for the fall of 1911. While others around him found it difficult to acclimate, Bradley enjoyed the challenge of balancing the arduous curriculum, stringent military life, and athletics. He finished 44th out of 164 students while lettering in baseball and football.
Bradley graduated in the class of 1915 as a second lieutenant of Infantry. In his class were many others who would go on to become distinguished, such as Dwight D. Eisenhower.
In 1920, he started teaching math at West Point; this lasted four years. During this time, Bradley began studying William T. Sherman’s campaigns, who he thought to be an expert on war movement. In 1924, Bradley was once again promoted to Major and also went to Fort Benning, Georgia, to enter the advanced course at Infantry school, where a focus on open warfare awarded him the chance to begin specializing in tactics and landscape while also understanding the difficulties of fire and movement. At Fort Benning, Bradley finished second in his class, ahead of a number of officers who had experience in World War I. Here, he gained the confidence he needed and realized that his knowledge of tactics was up to par with those who had been in