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The Q10 (Ten Quick Questions) – Hawkeye Edition
with General of the USNG and former POTUS, Bradley Reala.



Q1: You are currently the General of the USNG (United States National Guard). Can you explain what role the USNG fulfills in the eUS military and what prospective citizens can expect when applying? What specifically sets the USNG apart from other branches?

Bradley Reala: The USNG is a low activity/low damage group for the eUS Military. We are a mobile branch, which means that we DO deploy, but not regularly. We also have a political branch which is purely for congressmen, party presidents, and the like. A lot of people have asked me recently, "Why do we even have the USNG anymore?" The reply is simple. A lot of people don't have the time to expend that a normal branch requires. The USNG is very low stress. We don't require (though we do encourage) that our soldiers work in our communes. We also don't require more than a weekly check in. We don't have irc requirements either. That all said, while we don't require any of this, we do encourage it. If a young soldier wants to enter the military, but doesn't have the strength to join the MI, they can still join the USNG. Our strength requirements are far lower than the MI's, so they can join, get the military experience, and then move on to a higher branch when the time comes. Along with that, we also give our soldiers the ability to focus on other aspects of the game, while still providing for the defense of their country. Politicians have a different type of job than that of most soldiers, and its one that to do successfully, they do need to expend a fair amount of time on. We allow that, but still give them a place to be in the military.

Q2: In general, what would you say is the primary benefit(s) to joining and serving within the eUS military community? Why are you in the eUS military personally?

Bradley Reala: A lot of people get me confused with politicians, and I can't say I blame them, but in reality I've always been a soldier at heart. I've been with the USNG longer than any other group in the game, and I love it. The military as a whole is incredible, I can't say it enough. The eUS military community is more than just fighting and tanking. We're a family. We always have each other's backs, and its a good feeling to know that at the end of the day, no matter what happens in the rest of the game, I can go to any military channel and be greeted with respect and friendliness. That's something that every soldier receives from the get go. It's very rare that I've encountered anything else from our troops. That's why I love the military. We are a family, we look out for each other, we protect each other, and when all is said and done, I know that I can count on almost every one of our men and women. There's no feeling greater than knowing, whatever happens, you've got friends backing you up.

Q3: In addition to being General of the USNG, you are a former POTUS. What do you feel was your greatest achievement during your Presidency? Where do you think you may have fallen shorter than you wanted? Is there anything you wish you had done differently?

Bradley Reala: Well, I guess I knew I was going to have to talk about this some time. I have to think that irl Republicans probably liken me to Jimmy Carter, whereas irl Democrats probably think I'm closer to George W. Bush. Either way I tend to get low marks for my Presidency. That's not to say I think the whole thing was a loss. When I went in to the Presidency, I knew that there had been some problems between the Executive and JCS, and I made it my goal to do what was needed to fix that. What occurred was, in my opinion, the jumping off point for almost a half year of good relations between the Executive and JCS. I made it a point to talk to jankems every night, and to keep him appraised of every situation that occurred. In return, he gave me some of the best advice I could've asked for, and when the cards were down came to my side and defended me from a ravenous Congress. That said, I wish a lot of things had gone differently during my Presidency. I wish I had picked a better staff, first off. I fell in to the trap of politics when it came to my staff, and should've picked different people in some cases. As well, I wish I had been a better communicator (although, in my defense, I wasn't nearly as horrible as I was made out to be). My biggest flaw in that area was not publishing articles on a daily basis, which my predecessor had done. I came off looking bad as a communicator, even though for a 30 day term I published approximately 15-20 articles. A lot of good stuff that you'll never hear about got done, and a lot of bad stuff is still repeated to this day. I'd almost say that I hope history would remember me better than my contemporaries do, but frankly, I'm not in it to be remembered, and I'd be perfectly content if my Presidency were never mentioned again.

Q4: There is a debate going on in the eUS forums that in order to be a “good” or effective POTUS, one must be a “dick”. Seeing as you are generally regarded as one of the former “nice” POTUS’, what would you say in response to that?

Bradley Reala: I'd say they're pretty close. A President HAS to sell themselves, both as a leader and as a person in general. It's not in my nature to "sell" myself, I just don't care enough about my own legacy. I've always fallen into the teamwork mentality of "as long as it gets done, I don't care who gets the credit." I think one of my main failings as a President was that I didn't bother to sell myself as a leader. Using a bit of a real life allusion, irl a surgeon must be a very arrogant person. I wouldn't want a humble surgeon, because when that man cuts into me, I want to know that he absolutely KNOWS what he's doing. The same is true of a President. While they must have other skills, they also need to be able to back those skills up with a fair amount of arrogance. If they believe they're the greatest thing since Eugene Harlot, the American public will too, at least for their term.

Q5: What characteristics, skills, experience do you believe a good POTUS should have? Are there any eUS citizens currently that you feel would make a good POTUS in the future?

Bradley Reala: Well, as I said, a President must be somewhat arrogant, for the above stated reasons. They also need to be good delegators. They need to be able to set out a plan, and then tell their subordinates to get it done in a way that those subordinates will get it done. That also means being able to pick good people for cabinet posts (which is, in and of itself, a skill). They also need to have at least a bit of foreign affairs experience, because as President they do end up as our chief diplomat. Good economic sense and domestic sense, while nice, aren't as important because others can step in to those roles without as much difficulty. As to current eUS citizens that would make good Presidents? That's a tough one. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see Ligtreb as President some day, but I do worry about his ability to sell himself and stay the same person that he is currently. Frankly, I'd rather not see ligtreb be President if it means that he becomes a complete dick.



Q6: With the upcoming POTUS elections, the two primary candidates are Haliman and Inwegen. Which candidate do you support and why?

Bradley Reala: Haha, seems like I get this question every month. As a member of the JCS, I believe my position precludes me from taking a side in the Presidential elections. In my opinion, both candidates are quality, and both have the potential to be excellent Presidents. As they say, I hope the better man wins, whoever he may be.

Q7: If you were in a hot air balloon race against former POTUS’ Jewitt, Alexander Hamilton and Harrison Richardson, who would win and why?

Bradley Reala: Probably Harrison, he tends to blow the most hot air. 😛

Q8: Who is your personal eHero and why?

Bradley Reala: Hmm, that's a tough one. There have been a lot of people who've influenced me greatly in their times. I'd have to say Eugene Harlot is my eHero, though. Eugene really maintains this kind of legendary status for me, perhaps because I never really knew him personally. He was around for some of my time in Government, and always had an insight that no one else could give. That said, he was gone before I had reached very high in any part of the game, so I never had a chance to just chat with him as a person. For that reason he's got this larger than life personality that I can't quite fully grasp. He just exuded this leadership quality, probably much in the same way that jankems now does to younger players. Were it not for the fact that I've worked with jankems almost all my elife and consider him a close personal friend, he'd probably have a similar legendary status to me.

Q9: Favorite Alan Alda TV series, M*A*S*H, The West Wing, E.R. or 30 Rock and why?

Bradley Reala: M*A*S*H by a landslide. Hawkeye always made sense to me. He's a normal guy who's in a place that he doesn't want to be, and is making the best of it. I've always respected that.

Q10: And finally, if you could punch any eCitizen square in the face, who would it be and why?

Bradley Reala: Hmmmm. Good question. There was a certain Congressman during my time as President that made a whole big stink over a misplaced comma in the New Citizen Message. I wish I could remember his name. If I had to, I'd probably pick him, just because he's a complete idiot.



Bonus Q: Do you have any final thoughts or is there anything I neglected to cover that you would like to address?

Bradley Reala: Umm, nope, that seems to be all. On another note, I just asked my VP (Fionia) and she remembered the guy's name. Zeutheir.


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Thanks for reading!
~Hadrian X




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