Treat all people the same regardless of their contributions to the end project. Most people want to be cooperative if you allow them to be involved. You can’t let society’s stereotypical judgment of people get in the way. We all have what I would call a little bag of experiences carried on our backs for twenty-four hours, seven days a week. When we don’t understand a person, we reach back in that bag to remember similar people. It may be people from the same nationality, similar personalities, weight issues, or aggressive relationship practices. If you don’t take the time to take the person seriously, you dismiss them from your thoughts. So, instead of building genuine cooperation on the project, you see may see them as disruptive and in the way.
Asa part of our series about “Life and Leadership Lessons Learned In The Military”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Codis Hampton II.
Codis is a US Army Veteran, author, entrepreneur, blogger and radio show host. He left home as a young seventeen-year-old boy for a post in South Korea during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Codis’ first love is writing, with books spanning multiple genres including biographical historical non-fiction, urban fiction, self-help and more. A multi-faceted talent, Codis is a blogger at www.Katara-Rhythm.com and the host of the Blog Talk Radio Show, Hamp’s Corner of America. His varied interests range from business and political commentary, to creative arts such as acting, comedy, cartooning, and vocal and instrumental music. In this time of unprecedented change, political polarization and global uncertainty, Codis seeks to speak truth to power, advocating for independent thinking, supporting the growth of local communities and always doing what is right. Codis’ background and experience offers a unique perspective on how people of color dealt with civil rights, racism, and their military obligation.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?
Myfirst memory is as a boy, age 5 or 6. When my parents were going through their marital breakup, they sent me to live with my grandmother, Gracie Hall Hampton. She resided in Banks, Arkansas. I lived with her on her small farm until I was seven.
We used to ride in Aunt Lena’s grandma’s sister’s wagon. They picked us up and took us to church on Sunday. Uncle Frank, her son, gave me a horse because I liked horses so much. I ran into the barbed wire around my grandma’s barn area, trying to shoo away the chickens. They were eating my horse’s food. I Don’t remember the horse’s name.
I remember digging a hole in the backyard and filling it with water to make a fishing hole. To my grandma’s amusement, I made a fishing pole out of a tree branch, dug up a worm as bait, and started fishing. I used to play with the ladybugs and catch night flies in a jar. I remember trying to catch night flies when I got to Milwaukee. I don’t know their actual names, but they were some bugs that flew, and their tails would illuminate like a light bulb.
I remember standing in the backyard and looking toward the house of my grandma’s daughter, Aunt Lacerine. It was only about half a city block away from Grandma’s house. I saw this man coming toward our house. He was moving too fast to walk. I could not see his legs because of the high grass and weeds. As he came closer, I could see he was my daddy, and he was riding a bike. I can’t explain how happy that made me feel because I realized it was a present for me and I would get to see my father, who I’d missed so much. Imagine my surprise when answering Grandma’s question about where I would ride it in these woods. Daddy’s reply was he was taking me back to Milwaukee to put me in school and live with him. I cried at the news with happiness. Yet I felt terrible about leaving Grandma.
I have various memories of living with my father. He took me everywhere, visiting relatives and playing with my young cousins. On some weekends, he’d drive back down south, where I would stay with Grandma while he went somewhere. Imagine my surprise when he announced he was marrying a young lady (Rosalie Miller) from Fountain Hill, Arkansas. Naturally, she comes to Milwaukee to live with us.
Otherwise, it was a normal childhood, doing the things boys do. I don’t remember the year, but my stepmother brought her daughter, Johnnie Mae, to live with us. I recall she would get privileges and new clothing from her mother that I couldn’t get from my father. The explanation was that she got a monthly check from somewhere. It was long before my father allowed me to go around the corner from our house. I spent a lot of time bouncing a ball against that corner building, catching it with a baseball glove.
I always thought that my father was a lot stricter on me than Johnnie Mae. As teenagers, we could still attend our school’s social center. They held dances, played board games, and played dodgeball in the gym. That was a favorite time for me.
Finally, around the age of fifteen, he allowed me to go around that corner. It made me feel as free as the wind to be able to visit other kids. I wanted to attend the local junior high school like Johnnie Mae but was enrolled in St Benedict by my father. All because I was the better student.
I spent the next few years getting into minor trouble, skipping school, and visiting the library. I questioned the St Benedict Sisters as to why God allowed black people to receive such lousy treatment from white people. I let my studies go and developed an attitude that I was not learning anything in school. I was overthinking why social issues are as they were in those days. In the end, I enlisted in the Army, hoping to forget a cheating girlfriend and travel the world. My stepmother convinced my father to let me join the Army.
And what are you doing today? Can you share a story that exemplifies the unique work that you are doing?
Today, I find myself trying to spend more time writing books and opinion blogs. I’m always looking for ways to give of myself to improve my race’s ability to close the wealth gap in America. I would also like to see us become more independent of the ills of American society.
Can you tell us a bit about your military background?
On November 13, 1961, as noted, I joined the Army at seventeen. Would they make a soldier out of a 112-pound, five-foot, two-inch boy with an attitude? Eight months of basic training in Fort Carson, Colorado, followed by another eight months of Advance Infantry Training in Fort Ord, California. The culmination was a twenty-three-day boat trip to Pusan, South Korea, on May 8, 1962, for a thirteen-month tour.
While waiting for a company assignment, I pulled my first guard duty as a soldier. They gave us an M-1 rifle with a bayonet attached and a clip of live ammo to put in our ammo belt. This before being taken to my guard post in the dead of night. The Officer in charge of the detail warned us about North Koreans escaping the north to raid our supply camp. At one point, they told us to load our weapons; I came close to firing at the guard officer because I couldn’t see who he was walking towards me in the dark.
Finally, my assignment was to Camp Kaiser, located twenty-five miles or more from the DMZ, next to the village of Unchon-ni.
In short, I spent most of the next thirteen months learning I loved a woman from the village. I wanted to marry her, realizing that would probably not happen for various reasons.
The military duties included guard duty, field exercises, and various repetitive training sessions. The fellow soldiers who shared the experiences followed orders, as did I, at least most of the time. I learned discipline was a necessary attribute, especially for a black soldier. I grew to appreciate bonding with fellow soldiers. I felt like I belonged to something greater than myself. That was an eye-opener for me. Most of all, I learned that personal decisions have consequences, good or bad. It all depended on how and why one arrived at such decisions.
I rotated back to stateside duty after my Korean assignment. It was a lot stricter than I’d been warned. I managed to get on the wrong side of my platoon sergeant. That relationship ended with me going AWOL for six months. I returned, given a chance to make up the time. The last assignment was Fort Riley, Kansas. This is where I kept my nose clean, honorably discharged on July 1, 1965.
Can you share the most interesting story that you experienced during your military career? What “take away” did you learn from that story?
Five of us hung around together during my Korean tour. We even formed a singing group. One of the guys was a tall guy from Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. He probably joined our group around my tour’s sixth or seventh month. He joined the Battalion boxing team, which attended all his fights until he was knocked out in the last one. We’d go to the village and get drunk together. Everyone who knew us understood if you messed with one, you would have to deal with all five.
After a few months, we had a meeting. He singled me out as the troublemaker of the five. Any trouble that came our way was my fault, according to him. He held himself up as the Savior of the group. He wanted the other guys to have nothing else to do with me. I left the meeting mainly because I felt he was wrong.
Most of the guys approached me later, indicating they disagreed with his assessment. One of the guys, Taylor, and I were very close and continued that way until I was sent back stateside. We were all so very close before those remarks at that meeting. The military mantra is to look out for your fellow soldier. That little speech went against that golden rule.
Ultimately, I learned that people behave in specific manners or take certain positions for personal reasons. As a youngster, I was naïve, especially toward so-called friends. There was nothing I would not have done for those guys. I was hurt and shocked that he had such personal mistrust and anger at me. Especially given that we were always open about our feelings about each other. That speech broke up our little unit and kept us from hanging out together. The five of us were never as close again. Taylor and I continued to be best friends for the rest of the tour. It was a lesson in friendship that I will never forget.
We are interested in fleshing out what a hero is. Did you experience or hear about a story of heroism, during your military experience? Can you share that story with us? Feel free to be as elaborate as you’d like.
I heard numerous stories from older veterans of heroic acts committed by soldiers they served alongside in conflicts, wars, or on special assignments not listed as combat areas. My problem is I can’t remember the exact details of any. I will not try to spin a yarn here for that very reason.
Based on that story, how would you define what a “hero” is? Can you explain?
I will add my opinion. I was a foot soldier assigned as an infantryman. One would be correct in assuming we walked or ran everywhere we went. However, Army vehicles sometimes dropped us off at some far-away training location.
A soldier is taught that any individual with a higher rank than yourself is your superior, so you are obligated to follow their orders. From team leaders to squad, platoon sergeants, company officers, and generals. We’re taught to obey orders. You are to avoid thinking about them and do as you’re told at any given moment.
I reasoned they did this to avoid a situation with a non-respondent soldier on the battlefield. It makes sense that a leader does not have time to debate a direct order with someone in his squad during the heat of a battle. There can be only one leader of men, and his word must be the ultimate course of action. Otherwise, men will die at the hands of the enemy, trying to decide what to do or follow which guy’s instructions.
Within that structure, heroes are men who take heed in protecting their fellow soldiers. Because that is what they’re trained to do in combat or peace: look out for their comrades and themselves. Without thinking, they will commit acts of bravery instantly without regard to their well-being to protect a larger body of soldiers. They act to preserve those other GI’s ability to complete their mission.
Does a person need to be facing a life and death situation to do something heroic or to be called a hero?
One type of hero you hear of is police officers, paramedics, firefighters, and even ordinary citizens repeating the same mantra after saving someone’s life or property. “That’s what we are taught to do, our job. I didn’t think about it. I acted out of instinct.” These are some of the words of those I believe to be heroes. All it takes is for someone to risk their life to save someone from a severe injury, including dying. They are the heroes that walk among us.
Other types of heroes you may never hear of are ordinary people. They go about their daily lives doing good deeds for family, friends, and people in our society. They may save a person from making a decision that will seriously impact the direction of their life. You can imagine the good deeds committed by people you never hear of on the news. Why? Because the editors of our newscast, written media are more inclined to allow the broadcast of murders, injuries, and such news that make society gasp at hearing the stories. It’s a cheap thrill of reporting without balancing it out with good news. Sometimes, you’d think nothing good is happening worldwide if you only watch the evening news. But then, as noted, we know better than that.
Based on your military experience, can you share with our readers 5 Leadership or Life Lessons that you learned from your experience”? (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Don’t act as if you have all the knowledge about a particular subject alone. You cannot fool people listening to your directions. They are more intelligent than you may think.
- Please include them in deciding on a way forward in a collective project. Getting their corporation will make completing the job easier and more lucrative.
- Ensure that you are fair to everyone in every instance. Missions, projects, or tasks are more rewarding to participants if they feel that the project leader is a fair individual.
- Ensure that all understand that the completion of the task remains the goal. And above all, you will make the final decision because that is your task. Each person or group should understand what the problems are and should not detract from completing the job.
- Treat all people the same regardless of their contributions to the end project. Most people want to be cooperative if you allow them to be involved. You can’t let society’s stereotypical judgment of people get in the way. We all have what I would call a little bag of experiences carried on our backs for twenty-four hours, seven days a week. When we don’t understand a person, we reach back in that bag to remember similar people. It may be people from the same nationality, similar personalities, weight issues, or aggressive relationship practices. If you don’t take the time to take the person seriously, you dismiss them from your thoughts. So, instead of building genuine cooperation on the project, you see may see them as disruptive and in the way.
Do you think your experience in the military helped prepare you for business? Can you explain?
I might have decided to make a twenty-year career out of the military had it not been for the hierarchy of treatment. The practice of dismissing you as a lesser human being because of your rank was evident wherever you went. I always felt that most platoon sergeants and officers thought you were stupid compared to their equals or higher rank. Whenever you found a fair one, you’d find that anyone who knew him felt the same way. That is why you can’t fool people about other folks, places, or things.
I retired as the Director of Small Purchases at a Navel Supply Center. I came up through the ranks of the Purchasing Dept. as a team leader, Supervisor of a five-person Unit, and leader of a Departmental Procurement Organization. Through it all, I found that securing the cooperation of others made my job easier and more fulfilling.
As you know, some people are scarred for life by their experience in the military. Did you struggle after your deployment was over? What have you done to adjust and thrive in civilian life that others may want to emulate?
One of the things I learned in the military is that folks’ racist attitudes travel with them. Most could or would not allow the new information being taught to change their perspective, especially racial attitudes. Whether from the South or wherever, some white folks think they are better than others because of their race. Their attitudes are on display and put into practice every day. It is something that irritated me to the core of my body. While in Korea, we fought people we realized had those attributes. I’ve done the same on the streets or in America.
Over the years, I learned you cannot change the mindset of those people. They must understand and accept the truth about race, whichever suits them. In the end, I adjusted my behavior. I can work with anybody to find a way to complete the project. It’s always about the task instead of an individual stereotypical attitude.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I’m writing an autobiographical book about my life after my Army discharge. I think my life’s experiences will be evident, interpreted, followed, and sometimes avoided by younger people, up through middle-aged people of color. I’m trying hard not to sound egotistical with this statement. People will enjoy the soulful exploits of a young man still trying to find himself. They can see how he has grown since his Korea tour. Yet he cannot escape the obstacles or life’s detours that are placed in front of him. It’s a study in human nature that untimely leads to repercussions for confident choices. The book will cover his subsequent love affairs, trials, and tribulations. Readers will see how the hunter gets captured by the game.
What advice would you give to other leaders to help their team to thrive?
Besides those already mentioned, I would say be yourself. Understand that people have pretty much the same goals and aspirations. And that is to become a good family person, citizen, friend, co-worker, or associate while wishing others the best for themselves.
What advice would you give to other leaders about the best way to manage a large team?
The best way to manage a unit, organization, large body of people, or any size group is to provide structure and goals. Everyone must know why they’re assembled and where they go to get clarification, direction, or any changes required for the job. Individuals must be advised and shown how their contributions fit into the project. The entire body should know the success or milestones in finishing the project. All are aware of how the project will look at its conclusion.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Yes, numerous people have affected how I looked at issues. Writers, actors, educators, business people, military individuals, and civil servants are a mixture of people from whom I’ve taken advice. Over the years, I’ve found that you can learn something from anybody, especially in dealing with people. That would also include those considered ignorant and having some disability. No one person in my life influenced me apart from my father. Numerous people provided directions and words of wisdom, allowing me to succeed in various projects in life.
I will add that I admire two long-deceased people. I certainly would have liked to have met and picked the brains of President Abraham Lincoln and Civil Rights Activist/Author James Baldwin. But in the end, the person who had the most influence over my life would have to be my father.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
My books or articles endorse the practice of self-growth and kindness toward our fellow men as a way of feeling personal satisfaction.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would like to see a group of wealthy; middle-class American black folks develop an organization in the four geographical areas of the United States. They would be responsible for establishing schools in their locations. Each school would be a Non-Profit Educational entity with IRS credentials as such. Schools that accept local poor black kids in the first grades up through the twelfth. Payments to attend would be minimal enough to attract those genuinely interested in attending such schools. The organization would also establish four-year colleges. Children, teenagers, and young adults would attend these schools. The curriculums of the learning organizations consist of subjects geared toward establishing a viable business. The high school and college courses include artificial intelligence and computer programming.
Eventually, those businesses would support each other by buying goods, products, and services from each other and servicing their local populations. Employees of all races would first be recruited from the local areas, with particular attention to people with low incomes. Those organizations would close the gap in the United States’ wealth. I can see how additional tax collection would benefit the entire country and help families of all races, as financial independence would increase proportionately.
With the success of those organizations on display, other local people of color could establish their own local schools to join the already established network. I understand this cannot happen overnight. Yet, if all concerned are aware of the organization’s intent. The students are in school getting an education, and success for a large group of people is on the horizon.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I would have to go back to my childhood and a quote from my father. He always advised, sometimes in a gentle conversation, others in a stern warning. He’d say, “Boy, to make it in this world, you have to get a good job.”
I don’t know when, but I learned the meaning of his words. His interpretation of a “good job” did not mean a menial occupation. He had a minimal education from Jim Crow’s South. Yet, he understood what it took to survive in having a good wage factory job. Or complete high school and get a job with the potential to increase my standard of living. Maybe I can get into college and get a job where you are wearing a suit and tie. He wanted me to do better than he did. In time, I wanted to be the man my father envisioned.
I never knew we were poor because we had the basics of life: clean clothing, shoes, food on the table, a clean house. We may not have had the new TVs, Cars, etc. We ate a lot of beans, black-eyed peas, and items he would bring back from trips to Arkansas. We’d also frequent Milwaukee’s Haymarket. Farmers from various areas of Wisconsin sold farm goods on the weekends. He would also go up north and get a share of pigs or beef. Farmers would cut up pieces of meat and sell it to my dad. My father worked for the city, while my stepmother was a housewife. He didn’t allow her to work as it probably would have been as a white family’s housekeeper. So, I guess we were not poor. I realized a step up from how he provided for us would be a significant step for me.
Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
The first person that comes to mind is Steph Curry, the basketball player. He seems to be a thoughtful, mature individual in matters of family, society, and business. Another person would be Oprah Winfrey for the same reasons. The third person is Bill Gates, for obvious reasons in business. I also admire him for donating such a large amount of funds to worthy causes. There are others, but those three immediately come to mind.
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was truly uplifting.