Douglas A. Dicenzo

West Point, 1999

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Leo Buehler USMA '00 on May 24, 2009:

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, a day for us to remember our fallen heroes who, over time, have continuously sacrificed to preserve our nation's freedoms. It is also the third anniversary of the loss of one of our country's finest leaders, Doug DiCenzo. Doug was the epitome of what he liked to call a "good dude". I was fortunate enough to have Doug as my Team Leader during Plebe year, and it was for me, certainly a "good deal". He taught me so much about leadership and taking care of others; the amazing responsibility we would have as leaders, the pride in service, and the satisfaction one derives when they see their subordinates succeed. That's what drove Doug. I doubt he ever gave a thought to how his decisions would impact him. He didn't have a selfish bone in his body. He only focused on preparing others to be successful. He was a true idealist, fully committed to the values of West Point and the US Army. He would often tell me that as a leader, my supreme focus belongs to enabling those I lead to be successful, and if our leaders are doing the same, everything else will work itself out. He was right. And I am glad to know that units across our Army, at least to some extent, hold true to this credo. Our Soldiers are better served for having a Dougie DiCenzo in their ranks. Beyond the people he had direct interaction; others like me adopted his leadership style and principles and went on to develop others, and so on. Through more than 8 years of service, through three deployments, Doug's legacy has been felt in how I chose to lead, and hopefully those who I developed keep that same mindset. Thank you Doug, for helping me to become the man I am today. Now I'm a civilian, attending grad school and hoping to take those same ideals about leadership and service into the business world... and I think it'll do a great deal of good to do so. RLTW! Leo Buehler USMA '00

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