Leader Showcase: The Lion of Fallujah
Or How I Knew Doug Zembiec
Major Douglas Allen Zembiec was killed in action in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 10, 2007. Already a stalwart and well-respected legend in the US Marine Corps, his death was felt across our entire organization as well as US Army formations with which he’d served during the first Battle of Fallujah in 2005, for which Zembiec earned the moniker, “The Lion of Fallujah.” Everyone who knew him has a story of their relationship, such was Doug’s affect on people. Mine is no different.
Doug was the officer I aspired to be, though I suppose none of us who knew him could ever have measured up; there was only one Doug. There will only ever be one and he left a legacy in the Marine Corps on the level of 1Lt William D. Hawkins and Col John Ripley. To even think I could have been considered in such esteemed company is an arrogance, so I don’t dwell on what I wasn’t, rather, I think of what he taught me.
His leadership tenants are ones I tried to apply during my career. I continue striving to live by them and passed them on to my own children, all of whom serve in the military in some capacity. Doug was an influence on them from an early age and I feel fortunate to have known him on the level I did. I knew him well, but even still, I enjoy the lore and myth about him and his conduct that people tell. The truth is barely less intriguing than the stories.
Tough and kind, I know a lot of people knew him, were touched by him, and were left better for having him in their lives. He had a way of making each person feel special, acknowledged, and important. Doug made people believe in themselves. I found, however, that Doug had a multi-layered friendship circle and I realized I wasn’t part of it in the way I imagined. Those with whom he was friends were not friends of mine and now, nearly 20 years later, I don’t talk to any of them. But my relationship with Doug remains sacrosanct.
I have the unenviable distinction of serving both in the sword arch at his wedding and as a pallbearer at his funeral, both held in the Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland. All these years later, both memories are fresh in my mind, second only to the day I found out he’d been killed fighting in Iraq.
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Doug helped me during critical times and his support of me never wavered. I’m not sure why he was ever friends with me. I wasn’t like him or his inner circle of friends, and to this day I don’t know why he decided I was worth his time. That’s my own shortcoming, but one I wrestle with nonetheless.
Today is the anniversary of his death. I must quote his "Principles My Father Taught Me" as the most fitting tribute to a devoted and loving father and husband and a good man to his friends and their families. He was taken too soon, but died leading from the front, living up to his own code of conduct and principles taught to him by his father, Don.
Be a man of principle.
Fight for what you believe in.
Keep your word.
Live with integrity.
Be brave.
Believe in something bigger than yourself.
Serve your country.
Teach.
Mentor.
Give something back to society.
Lead from the front.
Conquer your fears.
Be a good friend.
Be humble and be self-confident.
Appreciate your friends and family.
Be a leader and not a follower.
Be valorous on the field of battle.
Take responsibility for your actions.
Rest In Peace, Doug. I miss you and hope that in some small way I continue to measure up since, most days, I don’t.
Semper Fi.
