Purple Heart, Crying at the Supermarket and Camo gear
Lt. General Mark Hertling is the epitome of a good American. A soldier, a thinker and a man who admits he cries at the ‘opening of a supermarket’ even though he won a Purple Heart for bravery.
Mark and I have spoken many times on air during battles, wars and terror attacks. In fact, we were live during the fall of Mosul which earned CNN an Emmy nomination. Ben Wedeman was reporting from a fox hole somewhere nearby Mosul in Northern Iraq and Mark and I were in studios back in the USA. Mark had commanded US forces in those areas so he knew the lay of the land, but also the geopolitics that had led to the rise of ISIS.
Mark is a proud soldier. The army is a noble profession to him. He is not a fan of AR-15 carrying, camo-wearing civilians pretending to be soldiers. Neither is he a fan of former military officers using their service to campaign for political office.
An American Soldier
Lt. Gen Mark Hertling (Part 1)
What does it mean to die for America? What is it like losing men under your command? Why do so many American civilians dress up like soldiers in camouflage gear and carry deadly weapons of war? (Lt. Gen Mark Hertling has strong opinions about that...)
General Mark Hertling earned the Purple Heart in Operation Desert Storm and commanded the US Army Europe and Seventh Army. He's a Westpoint graduate and has numerous university degrees.
When she was a CNN anchor, Robyn Curnow and Mark Hertling had numerous conversations on air about battles, wars or terror attacks, but now Robyn gets a chance to ask Mark all the questions she never had the chance to during breaking news.
In this episode they dive into what it means to be an American soldier in divided times.
The Sounds of Battle
Lt. Gen Mark Hertling (Part 2)
Why do so many American civilians dress up like soldiers in camouflage gear and carry deadly weapons of war? Lt. Gen Mark Hertling talks about what makes a soldier, and what it means to die for America. Hertling earned the Purple Heart in Operation Desert Storm and commanded the US Army Europe and Seventh Army.
In this episode they dive into what it means to be an American soldier in divided times.
Where would you go if you could time travel in american history & other bonus questions
If you could time travel, which era in American history would you like to visit?
It's either the Revolutionary War period or the Civil War period, just because I would like to experience what the people of the day experienced.
At Gettysburg in November of 1863, Lincoln was not the principal speaker. He was an afterthought. They had a guy named Everett who was considered the greatest orator of the time, congressman, senator, governor, president of Harvard. People would pay big money to see him. He prepared for two months for this speech, and he gave a two -hour presentation calling America back to the time of great nations, and he cited Pericles and Aristotle, and he described the battle in great detail for two hours.
He memorized his speech and gave it for two hours. And when the governor of Pennsylvania asked Lincoln to come, it was an election year, so they thought they had to get the president to come and dedicate this cemetery. But they wrote Lincoln a letter that said, we'd like you to give after the main speaker of a short, no, it was, I think it was brief remarks.
So what Edward gave in two hours, Lincoln did in two minutes, a little over two minutes, but his is the one that's remembered
Iconic American landscape that means something to you?
The Hudson River Valley.
Also, my wife and I traveled from Washington, D .C. to Washington State, and we were able to travel the width of the country. And I think the mountains of the Northeast, the plains and the mountains of the Northeast, and the tribal lands especially, not just the mountains and the terrain, but the tribal lands of Native Americans are important to me, as well as some of the more important cities throughout the country. I just think it shows the vibrancy of who we are as a nation and the uniqueness of our population because the people of New York are very different from the people of Kansas City who are different from the people of Jackson, Mississippi. And it's fascinating for me to travel to those countries and learn the cultures.
Is there a piece of American art or music that sums up your America?
I like history, but I like emotional histories. And both John Meacham and Doris Kearns Goodwin write terrific books. And Doris Kearns Goodwin, I had a chance to meet because her son was a second lieutenant, was my aide -de -camp, and I had no idea she was his mother.
And what's interesting, her first book, and I think one of her better books is a book about the Brooklyn Dodgers called Wait Till Next Year. And I'm a huge baseball fan.
Favorite historical figure?
George Marshall, because he was a selfless servant and he was always calm and collected. He had a great balance in his life even during four years of World War II.
He would leave the office every day at five o 'clock and ride his horse for an hour or two before dinner. And I think he just put things in perspective with a great weight of the world on his shoulders as a military leader. And then he became a very good diplomatic leader as the Secretary of State.
Which movies explain America?
West Wing, Newsroom, Sopranos, Saving Private Ryan, A Few Good Men, It's A Wonderful Life
When did your family arrive in the USA? Where are they from originally?
Late 1800s, from Germany.
When was the last time you cried?
Ha...my wife says I cry at Supermarket openings, so it's often.
What's your motto?
Leaders don't have the right to have a bad day.
An American president you admire?
A toss up between Lincoln, Roosevelt and Eisenhower.
An American president you don't admire?
Mr Trump
Sports team?I swam and played water polo in college, I love watching baseball and college basketball and the Tour de France, and I currently ride road bikes as fast as I can as a 70 year old.
Biggest misunderstanding the rest of the world has about Americans?
That we can solve all problems
What do you want people to know about your America?
We have good people who are often distracted.
Best advice from a parent or grandparent?
You have two ears and two eyes and only one mouth for a reason...try to use them in that ratio.
What does it mean to be an American in 2024?
Anxiety, and the requirement to immerse yourself in the details of what is happening.
Who do you think will win in November?
I believe in the majority of our citizens to discern someone who cares about America's future and who cares for our people and differentiates that from someone who only cares for his own self-preservation and who is involved in a continual grift.