It has been said that “an example is a lesson everyone can see.” By his actions, Sgt Aubrey Cosens teaches us many of the leadership qualities that a sergeant must have. He shows us how they are put to use in a real situation and how they flow naturally without hesitation or contrivance. These leadership qualities are not new or mysterious. They are the same ones that we try to teach on leadership courses. The story of what Aubrey Cosens did on the night of 25-26 February, 1945, simply brings them into sharper focus.

The Citation

'In Holland on the night of 25th-26th February 1945, the 1st Battalion, The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada launched an attack on the hamlet of Mooshof, to capture ground which was considered essential for the development of future operations.

Sergeant Cosens' platoon, with two tanks in support, attacked enemy strong points in three farm buildings, but were twice beaten back by fanatical enemy resistance and then fiercely counter-attacked, during which time the platoon suffered heavy casualties and the platoon commander was killed.

Sergeant Cosens at once assumed command of the only other four survivors of his platoon, whom he placed in a position to give him covering fire, while he himself ran across open ground under heavy mortar and shell fire to the one remaining tank, where, regardless of the danger, he took up an exposed place in front of the turret and directed his fire.

After a further enemy counter-attack had been repulsed, Sergeant Cosens ordered the tank to attack the farm buildings, while the four survivors of his platoon followed in close support. After the tank had rammed the first building he entered it alone, killing several of the defenders and taking the rest prisoner.

Single-handed he then entered the second and third buildings, and personally killed or captured all the occupants, although under intense machine-gun and small arms fire.

Just after the successful reduction of these important enemy strong points, Sergeant Cosens was shot through the head by an enemy sniper and died almost instantly.

The outstanding gallantry, initiative and determined leadership of this brave N.C.O., who himself killed at least twenty of the enemy and took an equal number of prisoners, resulted in the capture of a position which was vital to the success of the future operations of the Brigade.'

The London Gazette, 22nd May 1945

What Lessons can we Learn from these Brave Acts?
It has been said that “an example is a lesson everyone can see.” By his actions, Sgt Aubrey Cosens teaches us many of the leadership qualities that a sergeant must have. He shows us how they are put to use in a real situation and how they flow naturally without hesitation or contrivance. These leadership qualities are not new or mysterious. They are the same ones that we try to teach on leadership courses. The story of what Aubrey Cosens did that night simply brings them into sharper focus.

You Must Know Your Commander’s Intent
The relationship between a sergeant and an officer is one of the most important in the army. Together, they represent a strong leadership team. As a team, though, there can only be one commander. A leader does not need another leader, he needs an advisor. Your job is to be the advisor. Your knowledge and experience should guide your commander to a decision but that decision is not yours to make. The way to influence the decision is through the strength of your relationship to your commander. By building on mutual trust and respect you can open a channel of communication that will allow you to have input on any decision.

That channel of communication is vitally important. You must know your commander’s intentions. Sgt Aubrey Cosens knew his commander’s intentions. He knew the importance of taking the buildings at Mooshof. He knew his commander’s intent regarding future operations of the Brigade. Knowing your commander’s intent goes beyond knowing the mission and the execution portion of the orders. You have to know what the commander ultimately wants to achieve. What is important and what is not. You do not decide these priorities, the commander does. If you start setting your own priorities you will be working against the commander and that can only detract from the effectiveness of the team.

Knowing your commander’s intent is more important than knowing the plan. Sgt Aubrey Cosens shows us that. His commander had a plan to capture the buildings at Mooshof. That plan was unsuccessful. That plan lead to defeat. When it did, Sgt Aubrey Cosens abandoned that plan but he held on to his commander’s intent. He did not give up and say it could not be done. He took the commander’s intent and made a new plan around it. By knowing what the outcome should be he could change the orders and still give the same result. If you know your commander's intent you can use your initiative when a plan proves unsuccessful. The first responsibility of a platoon second in command is to take over when the commander is absent. How can you do that without knowing the commander’s intent? The goal of the platoon cannot change simply because the person leading it does.

Know your commander’s intent. Insist upon it. It is the most important piece of information you can get. Once you have it, build on it. It should guide all of your actions. When you speak to your troops it should always be in a manner that supports the commander’s intent. You should be an amplifier not a filter. Do not reduce the message, build it up. Add the details around the commander’s intent to make one clear message for your troops. Demonstrate to them that everyone is working toward the same end. Be watchful for those soldiers who are not following the commander’s intent. Stop them and redirect them. There may be more than one way to achieve the commander’s intent. If someone is following another path to the same end, you should accept that. But if they are on another path that leads away from the commander’s intent, they must be turned around. That is your responsibility. You ensure discipline.

Know your Troops and be Concerned for their Welfare
This tried and true phrase is often quoted in leadership schools. The trouble is outside of the schools many leaders have difficulty putting it into practice. Do not hesitate to get to know your troops. They want your recognition and respect. To give it to them, you must know them.

When you where a Rifleman, you were taught the characteristics of your weapons. As a Sergeant you must be an expert on those characteristics. You must know what each weapon is capable of and how to best employ them. But what are the characteristics of your troops? How do you find out what each of them can do? Where do you learn the best way to employ each of them? Who teaches you that? Your troops do themselves. As much as we try to make them all the same, each soldier is an individual. Each soldier has different wants and needs. And each soldier has different characteristics. By getting to know your troops you will learn their characteristics, and from that, you will learn how to best employ them. As a Rifleman you needed to know the characteristics of perhaps four or five weapons. As a sergeant you need to know the characteristics of not just those weapons, but also the characteristics of eight soldiers in your section or thirty in your platoon. A rifle and a machine gun can both give you covering fire but the machine gun is better suited to the job. Likewise two soldiers could both navigate for you on a patrol but one will likely do a better job. You must know how to employ each of your troops. It is not an easy task and it is complicated by the fact that your soldiers’ characteristics are constantly changing. Knowing your troops is an ongoing process.

Sgt Aubrey Cosens knew his troops. He knew he could depend on them to give him covering fire when he ran to that tank. He knew how to make them follow him into those buildings. He knew what his troops needed him to do so they could carry on against the odds they faced.

You must also be concerned for their welfare. They can do their job only if you provide them with the things they need. That might be ammunition, food, sleep, guidance or almost anything else. Sgt Aubrey Cosens knew his men needed a tank so he got them one. They also needed a bold leader and he gave them that too. If you know your soldiers you will know what each of them needs.

You must also let them know you. Be honest with them and avoid trying to act like a sergeant. It will not take them long to see through a pretense. If they know you honestly believe what you tell them, they will accept it better than if they think you are only saying what should be said. When a time comes for a leap of faith, they must have faith in you just as Aubrey Cosens’ men had faith in him.

You Must be Able to Make Unpopular Decisions
The job of a soldier is not an easy one. There are many unpleasant tasks that must be performed and many difficult circumstances that must be faced. Nevertheless, that is what the job entails. You as a sergeant must ensure that soldiers do their job. Do not confuse avoiding work with looking out for your troops' welfare. There will be times when your decisions will be unpopular. Do not let that discourage you from making tough decisions. As long as there is no malice behind your decisions, most troops will accept and respect them. There will always be some that complain over almost any decision. Do not mistake the loudest complainer for the groups’ representative. Be consistent in your decisions and your troops will know what to expect from you.

Always strive to do what is right instead of what is easy. It would have been easy for Sgt Aubrey Cosens to give up. It would have been easy to stay where he was and hope for re-enforcements. That is not what he did. He knew what was needed and, even though it was tough, he decided to act. He made what must have been an unpopular decision, but his troops knew it was the right decision. Your troops will know when you have made the right decision as well.

Infectious Optimism
“…they have that infectious optimism and that offensive eagerness which comes from physical wellbeing.” That is how Montgomery described paratroopers, but it can apply to any soldier. Certainly Sgt Aubrey Cosens showed an infectious optimism when he lead those four men against the buildings at Mooshof. Not only did he know it could be done, he convinced those men it could be done. He must have known better than any how bad the situation was. But still he saw hope. He knew they were not beaten. He knew they could still win. He showed his men how much he believed they could win when he ran across open ground to that tank. Who could help but be inspired by someone who showed such bravery and optimism? Aubrey Cosens and his men won because they knew they could win.

Your troops must believe they can win too. They must be optimistic to the point of cockiness. And they will have to get that optimism from you. You lead not only their actions, but their attitude as well. If you demonstrate optimism they will be infected by it. Optimism comes from knowing your strengths. Montgomery said it comes from physical wellbeing and it does. When you are physically fit, you feel you can do anything. But it also comes from your strengths in other areas. A section that can do a good attack can also clear a house well or carry out a good patrol. Know your team’s strengths and emphasize them constantly. Just like when you teach a lesson and go from the known to the unknown, always try to build from your strengths. Do not ignore failure. There are lessons to be learned in failure, but too much emphasis on failure leads to pessimism. Your soldiers need you to show them what they can do.

Turn Defeat into Victory
Sgt Aubrey Cosens was faced with what appeared to be a hopeless situation. His platoon was down to four men. They were being counter attacked and counter attacked. Many people would have given up hope. Many people would have turned to despair. Aubrey Cosens went out and found that tank. Aubrey Cosens rallied his platoon and lead that attack. Aubrey Cosens smashed through the wall of that first building and killed or captured his enemy. He did not give up hope. He did not despair. He understood his commander's intentions. He knew his troops and himself. He made a tough decision. And he drew from within that infectious optimism that inspires soldiers. That night, Sgt Aubrey Cosens, turned defeat into victory.

We too are inspired by the example of Aubrey Cosens, or we should be. The things he did are not beyond the abilities of any of us. We can take command when needed. We can re-organize our troops. We can plan and execute an attack. We could even direct the fire of a tank. The things he did are not what make Aubrey Cosens a hero. It is the fact that he chose to do them at that time, in those circumstances, that makes him unique. How often are we faced with the same situation as Aubrey Cosens was? How many times have you come down here to find your platoon is down to only four soldiers and the platoon commander is not among them? Did you give up? Did you start thinking about who let you down or why you cannot do what you are supposed to do? Did you look for ways to rewrite your orders into something easier to achieve? Or did you do as Sgt Aubrey Cosens did and turn defeat into victory?

My challenge to each of you tonight is this. The next time things go wrong. The next time you do not get what you were promised. The next time everything is going against you. Do not think about how things might have been. Do not think about who let you down. Do not think about giving up. Think about Sgt Aubrey Cosens. Think about how he faced all of these problems and more. Think about how he reached inside himself and found the courage and optimism to be a leader. That is what I challenge you to do. To be a leader when a leader is what is needed most. Be a Sergeant like Aubrey Cosens.

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