Matthew Harper

Dear Commander Matt Harper: I want to thank and commend you for your outstanding presentation concerning Crisis Leadership in conjunction with the attack on the USS Cole which you gave to the El Cajon American Legion Post 303 on March 21, 2018. Your talk was extremely interesting and gave us all greater insight as to the leadership and bravery that the crew members of the USS Cole exhibited during this very dangerous situation. Our audience was composed of members of the various branches of the services and many of them were unfamiliar with the complexities of operating and refueling a ship. Your explanation of the damage control efforts coupled with the graphic photos of the destruction of the ship made the rescue efforts much easier to comprehend and understand. Everyone appreciated the Power Point slides and photos that detailed your multi-faceted career as well as some of the humorous aspects of military service. I particularly appreciated your flexibility in adjusting your schedule to work around our ever changing meeting schedule. One of the best parts of the presentation was your taking questions from the audience members. Your ability to explain a fast moving, dynamic and highly dangerous situation as well as being able to discuss a wide range of Navy topics was particularly impressive. I would recommend that any organization, whether they be civilian or military related take advantage of listening to your presentation. They will learn about leadership in fast moving and dangerous situations as well as gaining a new appreciation of the heroism of our service men and women. Sincerely, Wes Schermann Colonel, US Army Reserve (Ret.) Post Commander, El Cajon American Legion Post 303