We were all deeply saddened by General Gray’s passing last month. He was an extraordinary Marine, selfless we-leader, warrior-scholar, thinker, and a truly unique person. 

• He was also the inspiration and mentor for our critical thinking and judgment branch and related activities. 

When General Gray founded the Marine Corps University, he emphasized the importance of educating for critical thinking and judgment, not just the acquisition of knowledge or analytical skill. 

• Known as the “education commandant”, General Gray prioritized engaged thinking and active learning approaches (including cases, wargaming, and small group discussions) and he remained a tireless champion of education for his entire life. 

When we established the Naval Warfare Studies Institute, it was only natural to build on Gray’s ideas and work, to prioritize thinking and judgment as an important theme for research and educational activities, as well as a topic that is crucial for developing interdisciplinary learning and for correcting the art and science of warfare. 

Over the years, General Gray was a key mentor in our research and writing, including the development of the Critical Thinking for Strategic Leadership class, which is now in its 5th year. 

• This course builds on Gray’s ideas and leadership both directly and indirectly. It featured not only General Gray as visitor, but also several of those who worked with him closely. 
• This summer, we will offer the class again, with a few additional learning opportunities and discussions with students that honor General Gray. 

Because active learning was such a central element of Gray’s approach to education, thinking and leadership (and these are important learning foundations for the development for thinking leaders), we developed a follow up course on the Art and Science of Learning, also in the spirit of Gen Gray. 

• It turned out that not only was learning a topic that resonated with many students from different organizations, it was also directly relevant to recent Service-level initiatives such as Get Real Get Better (GRGB). 

Student reflections from this class included application of learning ideas to GRGB as well as thinking about how to expand the learning foundations for GRGB itself, much of that also building on Gen Gray’s work and ideas.

• Currently, a few students are using Gen Gray’s work in their thesis. We hope to feature summaries of their work in the future as examples of Gray’s lasting influence. 

As we continue to honor General Gray’s ideas, we end with a few quotes from recent students: 

“I hosted class last night and skimmed over the required materials for the week.  Then, I opened up Grayisms, and we went through the entire thing and discussed for a couple of hours. I told them some stories from that specific class that he visited because the copy of Grayisms I had opened was my highlighted one from that day.  The most astonishing thing to me that day was his demeanor, awareness, and ability to still relate his ideas from decades past to the complexities of the Marines Corps and world today.  His willingness to teach and share that day was a testament to his “most lasting Grayism: Do as much good as you can, for as many people as you can, for as long as you can.” And he did just that.  
– Major Philip Schmitz, a student in the very first class, now in Japan

“General Gray's approach to "we"-leadership and maneuver thinking has dramatically influenced my understanding of how to deal with uncertainty.  As a Navy Trauma Surgeon, I use these concepts in my practice and in preparing medical teams to optimize combat casualty care.  A highlight of my experience as an NPS student was meeting with General Gray.  His concepts of leadership and thinking will continue to have far-reaching impact, well beyond warfighting”. 
– CDR Jay Yelon, Navy Trauma Surgeon, current student

“General Gray spoke at my Maneuver Warfare for the Mind and Critical Thinking for Strategic Leadership classes at NPS, where his ideas on critical thinking and intellectual growth helped me develop a mindset willing to question dogmatic behaviors, challenge organizational assumptions, and solve complex warfighting challenges. His demand that leaders must have self-awareness and empathy for others has been critical to my roles as a Military Professor at the Naval War College” 
– CDR Paul Nickell, current student

“Someone once said “never meet your heroes”. Turns out, that someone was wrong. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have met General Gray at the culmination of a course only possible through his dedication to combined learning and leadership, and the commitment of faculty from the Naval Postgraduate School” 
– CDR Art Valeri, current student

Read more about General Gray’s influence on the writing and thinking of the NPS and NWSI communities: 

• NPS Art and Science of Learning Course Connects Students with Legendary Leader to Cultivate Learning Mindsets, NWSI article  
• Learning to Get Real and Get Better: A Conversation with Learning Leaders, Center for International Maritime Security
• New Critical and Strategic Thinking Course Responds to DOD’s Latest Guidance - Naval Postgraduate School, NPS article
• Supporting Decision Advantage for the Future Fleet in and beyond the Classroom, NWSI newsletter
• Cultivating Critical and Strategic Thinkers: Learning from the past, preparing for the future, Marine Corps Gazette
• People First: Inspiring an intellectual renaissance to reinvigorate strategic thinking in the Marine Corps, Marine Corps Gazette
• Organizational perspectives on the maneuver warfare movement in the United States Marine Corps: insights from the work of James G. March, Industrial and Corporate Change