On Commanding US Soldiers:

My experience with US soldiers in the early eighties reflects that. Americans want to know the why. Other armies generally assume the worse and don't want to know why so sometimes you get superior performance from American troops. That of course depends on if they accept the 'why'.

You're not gonna start singing Helen Reddy, are you Deek?

With that avatar, this is just wrong on too many levels, deek.

That quote is really interesting for me, personally... it's almost exactly what I tell every employer up-front about myself. I don't just do things "because." I learn fast and I'm a fantastic worker, but if I don't know why I'm doing something I don't function.

If you know "why" when the situation changes, it puts you in a better position to adapt without checking with headquarters/superiors.

Shit happens. Best to know if there is a fresh roll of toilet paper before having to ask "Why isn't there any shit paper?"