WEBVTT - Brigadier General LeBoeuf on Women and Leadership (Audio)

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to Taking Stock with Pim Box and Kathleen

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<v Speaker 1>Hayes on Bloomberg Radio. Managing a more than one hundred

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<v Speaker 1>million dollar budget, dealing with over forty four hundred very

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<v Speaker 1>active members. We're talking about the core of cadets at

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<v Speaker 1>West Point, the US Military Academy. Our next guest is

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<v Speaker 1>Maureen le Buff. General Lebuff is a former brigadier general

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<v Speaker 1>in the US Army. She held a variety of posts

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<v Speaker 1>in the Army, among which she flew U H one helicopters,

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<v Speaker 1>and also presided over the head of the Department of

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<v Speaker 1>Physical Education at West Point until her retirement in two

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<v Speaker 1>thousand four. General Lebuff, thank you very much for being

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<v Speaker 1>with us. Well, thank you, Pam, I appreciate it. Tell

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<v Speaker 1>us about this title called Master of the Sword, what

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<v Speaker 1>does it mean, and just give us a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>of context for how sort of special that is that

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<v Speaker 1>you would have that title. Well, the title Master of

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<v Speaker 1>the Sword is the title that goes with the position

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<v Speaker 1>of the director and head of the Department of Physical

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<v Speaker 1>Education at the United States Military Academy at west Point,

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<v Speaker 1>And the title comes from the fact that West Point

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<v Speaker 1>had the first full time physical educator in higher education

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<v Speaker 1>in our country, and he was a sword master, so

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<v Speaker 1>that's where the title comes from. So when you are

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<v Speaker 1>selected to be the director and head of the Department

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<v Speaker 1>of Physical Education, you are introduced and carried the title

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<v Speaker 1>master the sword. And when I was selected for that

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<v Speaker 1>position in n UM, I was the first woman to

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<v Speaker 1>have that position and the first woman to share a

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<v Speaker 1>department at the United States Military Academy. And at the time,

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<v Speaker 1>West Point was adine years old. Well, congratulations on that, uh,

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<v Speaker 1>And you have done so much in your career in

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<v Speaker 1>the army. You held very staff and leadership positions w

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<v Speaker 1>H one helicopters. Wow. What caught you interested in the military?

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<v Speaker 1>What got you interested in the army? That's a great question, Kathleen.

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<v Speaker 1>I actually I am from a large Irish Catholic family

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<v Speaker 1>in western New York. I grew up about seventy miles

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<v Speaker 1>south of Buffalo and Olean Um. My dad was a

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<v Speaker 1>professor at St. Bonaventure and he also served in the

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<v Speaker 1>Air Force Reserves, and so that was part of my

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<v Speaker 1>life growing up, my dad being in the Air Force Reserve.

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<v Speaker 1>And then my oldest brother. I'm the middle child of

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<v Speaker 1>nine and my oldest brother we called Timer Um did

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<v Speaker 1>Army RROTC at St. Bonaventure and then he was commissioned

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<v Speaker 1>and he served a full career in the army. And

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<v Speaker 1>I think, um, because of my dad and my brother,

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<v Speaker 1>that certainly got my interest. And then I had the

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<v Speaker 1>opportunity to participate in a program for women that were

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<v Speaker 1>you participate in this program and then have the opportunity

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<v Speaker 1>to go on active duty after college. And this was

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<v Speaker 1>before our OTC was available and before West Point was

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<v Speaker 1>open to women. The first women entered in the class

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<v Speaker 1>in in nineteen seventy six, and that's the year I

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<v Speaker 1>graduated from college. Maureen, I beg your pardon, go ahead. No,

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<v Speaker 1>I was going to ask you about moments that matter,

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<v Speaker 1>because that was really the topic I believe you're going

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<v Speaker 1>to speak on at the Raymond James Network for Women Advisors.

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<v Speaker 1>And I'm wondering if you could tell us a moment

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<v Speaker 1>that mattered for you, and maybe if you can connect

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<v Speaker 1>that with I mean, you had responsibilities, you said at

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<v Speaker 1>West Point over a hundred million dollar budget renovations, and

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<v Speaker 1>you have some very I would imagine exacting uh colleagues. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I did not oversee over a hundred million dollar budget.

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<v Speaker 1>I wish i'd had that kind of budget and that apartment,

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<v Speaker 1>I beg your pardon, but it's that was the renovation

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<v Speaker 1>of the Raban at that Physical Development Center was over

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<v Speaker 1>a hundred million dollar renovation and there are forty cadets

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<v Speaker 1>who on a daily basis we had to educate, train,

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<v Speaker 1>and inspire because in the in the Department of Physical Education,

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<v Speaker 1>that was our mission because those are the future ground

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<v Speaker 1>combat leaders of our army, so we needed to make

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<v Speaker 1>sure that they were fit and ready to lead their

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<v Speaker 1>soldiers physically into combat. Um. But it's a moment that mattered.

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<v Speaker 1>I will go back to my childhood, um Pim and

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<v Speaker 1>being in that that big family of nine, and there

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<v Speaker 1>were nine of us in eleven years, and I learned

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<v Speaker 1>a lot from each one of my eight brothers and sisters.

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<v Speaker 1>But the story that I want to share with you

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<v Speaker 1>is around my oldest brother, Timer, and I can only

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<v Speaker 1>imagine how daunting it is to be the oldest of

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<v Speaker 1>of nine because you do everything for the first time.

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<v Speaker 1>But I remember when he probably was twelve, and Mom

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<v Speaker 1>and Dad decided he was old enough to watch us

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<v Speaker 1>when they went out, and one evening they went out,

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<v Speaker 1>and of course they had rules, no other friends were

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<v Speaker 1>allowed at the house. We were not allowed to leave

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<v Speaker 1>the house or leave the backyard. And another rule was

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<v Speaker 1>you were not allowed to hit golf balls in the backyard.

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<v Speaker 1>And for good reason, as you can imagine, and Timer

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<v Speaker 1>decided that he'd bring out the five iron and a

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<v Speaker 1>couple of golf balls, and he hit two or three balls,

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<v Speaker 1>and the third one went over the fence, took a

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<v Speaker 1>hard bounce and went right through a neighbor's window, and

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<v Speaker 1>you can imagine the night of us stood there and

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<v Speaker 1>without hesitation time or put the club down, he happed

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<v Speaker 1>over the fence and he knocked down his neighbor's door,

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<v Speaker 1>and he told them that he hit the ball and

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<v Speaker 1>broke their window. And then we waited for Mom and

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<v Speaker 1>Dad to come home, and when they came in, Timer

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<v Speaker 1>told him what he had done. And a few weeks

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<v Speaker 1>later it was his birthday and Dad gave him a

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<v Speaker 1>framed copy of the bill and at the bottom it

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<v Speaker 1>said Dad was right again. But what I learned that

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<v Speaker 1>they watching my brother was he did the right thing

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<v Speaker 1>at the right time, for the right reason. And it's

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<v Speaker 1>just one of those things that you know, you pull

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<v Speaker 1>on during life that sometimes you have to step up

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<v Speaker 1>and it's not easy. That's right, General Marie Labouf. We're

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<v Speaker 1>going to leave it there. We appreciate you taking the

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<v Speaker 1>time for us today. Retired Army Brigadier general. I'm Kathleen Hayes.

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<v Speaker 1>Along with Pim Fox. This is Bloomberg.