I was picking my way through the DVD shelves at Wal-Mart last week and came upon the HBO miniseries, "The Pacific." Its TV run was in 2010. It's a companion piece to HBO's "Band of Brothers" that came out earlier.

As always, I'm behind on my TV watching.

I bought it and watched it over four days last week. It's a brilliant piece of filmmaking. It follows the story of three marines who fought in the Pacific during World War II, including John Basilone the famous Medal of Honor and Navy Cross winner.

Basilone earned the Medal of Honor on Guadalcanal, and afterward was asked to traipse across the United States selling war bonds as an American hero to raise money for the American effort. This he did, but after a year, got itchy and asked to go back to the Pacific to train green marines readying for battle. He was granted his wish.

The greenies were awestruck. Basilone's story, of course, had spread far and wide.

What struck me as I watched was the platform credibility gave Basilone to lead. This is not a new concept, of course. But these boys were learning from a man who had done it himself.

In one scene, he explains how a heavy machine gun, normally used with a stand and a swivel, can, in a pinch, be used by cradling it in ones arms.

This is incredibly difficult to do, and especially difficult to do accurately. Basilone demonstrated it to perfection, of course. The greenies were further amazed.

His credibility seized them. They barely had a choice but to listen. He had done everything he was asking them to do. The platform from which he was to lead them was rock solid. They bent their ears and obeyed his every word.

When the training was complete, Basilone could have remained at the base and then shipped home in a few months having been discharged and having done his duty on every front. Instead, he re-upped, and when his men shipped out for the first time, Basilone was there to lead them.

Their destination was Iwo Jima.

He and his men stormed the beaches that first day. They helped take the beachhead and quickly moved inland. Basilone seemed to be everywhere, giving orders, protecting his men, guiding them against the enemy. At one point, he single-handedly took out a set of Japanese defenses.

And then...on that first day, that very first day, Basilone was shot through the midsection and died.

His death stunned the nation...it broke the heart of his wife of only seven months.

He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his actions on Iwo Jima. He was the only enlisted marine in World War II to be awarded both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross.

That he volunteered to head back to the Pacific surprised some, his heroism surprised no one. Parades are held in his honor in his hometown of Raritan, New Jersey to this day; bridges, highways and ships are named after him.

None of that was on his mind in 1945.

Leaders: Your credibility is everything. If your actions don't match your words, you're done before you start. If they do, you can move mountains.

Credibility is the pool from which all real leadership spawns. Do what you say, be an example of the things you ask of others, and keep your promises.