Sure, he is one of Thomasville’s own, so perhaps this will come from Rose City-tinted glasses. 

Nevertheless, President-elect Joe Biden has made a tremendous choice for his nominee to be the next civilian leader of the Defense Department.

Gen. (ret.) Lloyd Austin has all the attributes you look for in a leader. Just ask the men who served under him in the most stressful and dangerous of situations — the very real life-and-death struggle of combat. 

Earlier this week, the Times-Enterprise reached out to two of the 3rd Infantry Division’s brigade commanders from the 2003 invasion of Iraq. At the time, then-Brig. Gen. Austin was the 3rd Infantry Division’s assistant division commander for maneuver. He was responsible for the combat personnel of the division, which then had more than 20,000 soldiers.

Both retired Gen. David Perkins and retired Maj. Gen. Will Grimsley loudly and proudly endorsed their former boss. 

Perkins led the first American troops into the Iraqi capital of Baghdad during the two “Thunder Runs” that eventually brought down the regime. His force was made up of just several hundred men and a few dozen tanks and other armored vehicles plunging into one of the world’s most populous cities, a population that also had an untold number of well-armed and determined enemy fighters. 

The next man up on the chain of command was Austin, and his calm, even-keeled and thoughtful approach helped Perkins sort out what needed to be done. Instead of disaster that would have resulted from the prospect of several hundred American casualties, it was one of Perkins’ tanks firing the shot that knocked the statue of Saddam Hussein from its pedestal in Baghdad, signifying his terrible reign was over and the U.S. forces were not retreating. 

Like Perkins, Grimsley led a brigade of the 3rd ID into Iraq. Perkins and Grimsley each crossed paths with Austin in subsequent and separate returns to Iraq and again were his subordinates. 

“I saw how he fought the fight through difficult and challenging times,” Grimsley told the Times-Enterprise earlier this week. “He is quiet and not bombastic. He is thoughtful and thought-provoking.”

When Grimsley heard the news that Austin had been chosen as the nominee, he has an old Army sergeant major who now works for him in the state of South Carolina’s Department of Veterans Affairs, who also had served in the same brigade with Austin many years before, “and the exact same words came out of our mouths,” Grimsley said.

“I’ve never heard anyone say anything negative about him,” Perkins told the Times-Enterprise earlier this week. “He carries the respect and admiration of everyone through every echelon.”

Both Grimsley and Perkins spoke glowingly about Austin’s demeanor and his countenance and of the way he conducted himself when put in higher positions, such as XVIII Airborne Corps commander and commander of Multi-National Forces-Iraq, where he dealt not only with American forces but with the forces and leaders of other countries.  

“He will work well with other nations,” Perkins said. 

If he is confirmed, Gen. Austin will become just the third long-serving soldier to be in charge of the Department of Defense. The previous two were former Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. George C. Marshall and former Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis. To become the third, Austin will require a congressional waiver to become secretary of defense. Even retired generals are never truly retired — they can be recalled back to active service. 

But Gen. Austin is a servant leader, Perkins and Grimsley both said in acclaiming him. He is humble and yet inspirational. He is battle-tested, both in combat and in the role of diplomat that goes along with being a commander overseas. 

If the Senate confirms Gen. Austin, he will become the first Black secretary of defense. He’s already an example of leadership personified. 

As such, we hope he is a standard bearer for better things to come for our nation, its soldiers and its families, and our society.