Major General William Rapp speaks at Touchdown Club of Arlington

Arlington, MA - The Touchdown Club of Arlington welcomed Major General (Retired) William E. Rapp, as its guest speaker to commemorate this year’s Veteran’s Day.

General Rapp has a long list of accomplishments in service to his country. One has to only speak with him for a few minutes to understand that he views it an honor and a privilege to serve his country. In fact this was the first topic he touched on during his talk. Whenever someone thanks him for his service, he actually thinks about the privilege he has had in being part of the greatest military there is. As he spoke of the different assignments he has had, a constant theme was not what he did or what he accomplished. Rather, he would repeatedly highlight what the military enabled him to learn and how grateful he was for the investment it made in him.

Two key messages he highlighted are applicable in many areas beyond the military. The first is leaders are expected to take action. They do not have the option of abstaining and doing nothing. The second is that leaders do not give up, no matter how daunting a challenge may be. As he recounted stories to highlight these messages with humor and humility, you could sense the audience thinking about how they might apply these insights in their daily lives at work, coaching a sports team or even in their personal and family lives.

Beyond that, General Rapp displayed his astute knowledge of the role of the military, providing insights into his experience around the world including Iraq and Afghanistan. These were not the insights of a casual observer. They were from the leader who was put in charge, who developed
the plans and made the decisions to execute them. True to form, he never gave up. Whether it was an extremely challenging assignment early in his career the night before the Army – Navy game, or the seemingly impossible task of planning the drawdown of US troops in Iraq, he rose to the challenge.

General Rapp, formerly of the Harvard Kennedy School, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Lecturer in Military Affairs, served for more than 33 years as an active-duty Army officer, retiring as a Major General. During his career, he served in Germany, Japan, Iraq and Afghanistan. He was the Army’s senior liaison to the U.S. Congress, Commandant of the United States Military Academy, and most recently served as the Commandant of the U.S. War College in Carlisle, PA. All three of his children are presently active duty officers. He is a proud Arlington resident and author of a new book, Accomplishing the Impossible: Leadership That Launched Revolutionary Change.

The club made a donation to Home Base www.homebase.org in his honor. The Touchdown Club of Arlington mission is to promote the physical and social welfare of the youth of Arlington and promote the good fellowship and sociability amongst its members. If you are interested in finding out more about the club or this month’s speaker please visit us at www.TheTouchdownClub.com, or contact one of our members.