Trump’s chief of staff John Kelly has read this grim WWI novel after every promotion since age 25

Shortly after he became an officer in the Marines, John Kelly met a captain who told him that he should approach his new position as “a real professional.”

“A doctor who doesn’t read peer articles and stay attuned to the developments in his field is not the kind of doctor you would want to go to, and the same is true for officers in the Marine Corps,” the captain told him.

Kelly recounted the story in “The Leader’s Bookshelf,” a collection of essays from four-star generals about their favorite books. We first read his essay in an excerpt run by Foreign Policy.

“He got me going on reading, specifically focused on military things, and I just never stopped,” Kelly said.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Kelly picked up C.S. Forester’s 1936 novel “The General” after accepting the role of chief of staff, just as he did after accepting the role of DHS chief six months prior — and just as he did every time he was promoted during and after his military career, since he was 25 (he is now 67).

Read the whole story from Reuters.

Featured image courtesy of DoD