Continuing a Legacy

Deputy Director of the Harding Project Introduction and the Way Ahead

I thought about starting this post with a history of the Harding Project, how it is strengthening the profession, and a list of our accomplishments over the last year. Chances are, if you’re reading this, you already know that story and are well aware of the work that Lieutenant Colonel Zachary Griffiths and Sergeant First Class Leyton Summerlin have done since the Harding Project started. I try to stick with a “short and sweet” approach to most things, so I’ll make this quick.

Instead of reading about me, I’d rather you spend time on Line of Departure or Muddy Boots and read the most up-to-date ways to integrate communications platforms across combat formations in LSCO, how to develop Soldiers using unconventional training methods, or how to maintain/outfit your unit’s vehicles to be modular, rapidly deployable, and sustainable. These are just a few relevant examples worth exploring. I’ll introduce myself quickly and then I challenge you to go read something that can benefit you and the Army.

I’m Sergeant First Class Marcel Blood. I’m an EOD Tech by trade and spent most of my career in the 28th EOD Company at Fort Liberty, NC. Of my 13 years on active duty, 10 of them were spent there. I attended selection for the 28th in 2012, while I was at the EOD schoolhouse for AIT. I reported to the 28th in January of 2013 and immensely enjoyed every challenging second there.

The 28th EOD is the Army's Airborne EOD Company and has a robust recent history, notably producing more valorous awards and Purple Hearts per capita than any other Army unit during the GWOT. It is an organization of purpose, drive, and unrelenting productivity. I draw inspiration from people I met and served with while there, legends like SFC Christopher Celiz, MSgt Christopher Souza, and SFC Jeffrey Dawson. After my time in the 28th EOD, I spent a year in the 192D Ordnance Battalion (EOD) Training Cell where I was fortunate enough to plan and coordinate the 2024 All-Army EOD Team of the Year Competition. We incorporated some tech solutions and an unconventional approach to the event, a trend that hopefully endures for future competitions.

That brings me to the Harding Project. I have a Master’s Degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and I am an avid reader. I have often been made fun of for reading movies on Wikipedia instead of watching them (yes, this is true). Sometimes I don't want to spend the time watching a whole movie, but I still want the rundown, so I read movies instead...While I was in the Senior Leader Course, I wrote an article for Sustainment about 3D printing. At the time I thought I was just writing about something I was passionate about, but it caught the eye of the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Randy George, and his Harding Project Team. From there they started inviting me to workshops and eventually offered me the Deputy Director position.

Way Forward

I am honored to be the Deputy Director of the Harding Project and have big shoes to fill since taking the seat from Sergeant First Class Leyton Summerlin. My biggest objective for the next 18 months is to lead an aggressive outreach campaign to share why reading and writing are so important. The fact is, doctrine and PME are slow. Warfare is changing very quickly and in an ever-changing combat environment, the journals can help share information more quickly. My primary goal is to motivate Soldiers and their leadership to READ. A secondary goal is to motivate them to write about things they’re passionate about, things that are innovative, and things that might make the difference in the next big fight.

We cannot rely solely on Army Senior Leaders to spread the messages that our formations need to advance. Units and Soldiers face challenges daily—it’s no secret that the Army life is hard. However, most of the “new problems” have probably been worked through by someone else in the past. Those lessons should be captured and shared. There’s useful information out there from people who are experts in their respective crafts. It’s up to us to collectively share lessons and become a cohesive, informed force. The days of the delineated "officer scholar" and "NCO practitioner" are gone. Modern conflict demands warrior-scholars and scholar-practitioners, from the bottom up.

People often ask me, especially now, “Why write?”. I tell them that writing is important, but the fundamental question is “Why read?”. The simple answer is because the answers to all of our questions, whether they be related to fire superiority, how to provide care under fire, or how to source the newest technology at the Company level, are out there, waiting to be discovered. All we have to do is read them. The more in-depth answer is that the Army's people are what distinguishes us from our adversaries. This isn't just a bumper sticker—foreign militaries want what we have. Developing competent, free-thinking, decisive leaders is integral to our Ethos. Military reading is about learning from others' experiences, but also gives leaders the ability to understand and visualize from the perspective of others. This is critical to the environment of modern warfare.