Bruce Wahl is a great leader
and a great friend. In
fact, I suspect Bruce’s impeccable reputation
as a leader is grounded in his uncanny ability
to forge lasting friendships with every encounter. I’ve
seen Bruce at work as a leader in the broadcast
industry and I’ve seen him at work as a leader
in Maryland government. His enthusiastic
vision of a bright and strategic future is infectious
at work and in politics.
I had the great pleasure
of succumbing to his relentless encouragement
to join Leadership Maryland – and
everything Bruce told me about it was true and
inspiring. His relationships and leadership
in that important program are mirrored in his work
with the Maryland Municipal League, in Chesapeake
Beach and in Annapolis. Bruce has taught
me by first hand example and inspiration that
giving back to the great Free State of Maryland
is among the highest honors any of us could hope
for in a blessed life.
I can’t imagine a better friend, colleague
or governmental leader than Bruce Wahl. He
has my eternal gratitude and my highest personal
recommendation.
Michael Starling, Vice President
and
Chief Technical Officer, NPR
and Executive
Director of NPR Labs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If I could vote for mayor, it
would be for Bruce Wahl. But I can't. I
live in another state. But I can
tell you why I would vote for Bruce.
He is a leader who knows how to bring people
together to work as a team,
sometimes under very stressful situations, to
work hard and enjoy it at
the same time.
I know that because 42 years ago I was an Army
enlisted photographer
serving in the 4th Infantry Division, assigned
to one of the infantry
brigades in the hill country of Vietnam. I got
to try out for the
American Forces Vietnam Network and won a spot
to be a radio
broadcaster. I was thrilled. It
would be goodbye jungles and hiking
over big hills, hello living in a hotel with
a real bed with sheets. It
would be "Gooood Morning Vietnam!"
When I got to Saigon , very quickly they said, "well
they need an
announcer in Pleiku, You're it. Get up there." Pleiku
was in the
Central Highlands , right where I'd come from,
and famed for the number
of rockets that the enemy forces fired into the
American bases. Hotel
living it was not.
But in Pleiku I discovered a hard working gang
of soldiers, sailors,
airman and Marines - led by a gangly geeky kid
named Bruce Wahl. Some
were career men (we called them lifers), non-commissioned
officers with
years of experience. Some were guys with almost
no time in the service
and no real broadcasting experience. There was
at least one man who had
been a combat infantryman. There
were engineers and technicians and
disc jockeys and cameramen. Some of us had college
or commercial
broadcasting experience, and a disdain for military
discipline unmatched
until MASH came on TV.
Wahl was in the middle of that gaggle. He was
the detachment commander.
His job title should have been "cat herder." But
he did lead us. He
got us to work as a team, sharing strengths and
helping each other
improve our areas of weakness. He got us
to do a better job as
individuals than we thought we could - and do
an even better job as a
group.
I went on to serve a full career in the Army,
as a senior sergeant and
then as a commissioned officer on active duty
with the Army National
Guard. I worked for Army officers
up to 4-star General in rank. The
best of them were like Bruce - they could get
a job done by leading (and
inspiring) a diverse team by giving them the
tools, techniques and
desire to work together for the common good. Some
leaders develop
those skills over a long career. Like
Bruce, some come by their talent
early and seemingly naturally - and then carry
it with them always.
You're lucky to have a man of his quality willing
to serve.
Ken MacNevin