They had come to hear about character development, about leadership in the Army.

And Greg Gadson, a retired Army colonel and guest speaker, brought the 100 soldiers to their feet as he spoke about overcoming his challenges. In 2007, a roadside bomb blew Gadson's legs off while he was serving in Iraq.

"When we don't live up to be the best we can be, we're not just letting ourselves down," Gadson said. "We're letting our country down."

Gadson's inspiring talk was part of a two-day junior leader symposium hosted by the Center for the Army Profession and Ethic (CAPE). The goal of the symposium was to inform and to gather input about leadership from Joint Base Lewis-McChord junior leaders.

Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark Milley, designated the Character Development Project as a priority for Army leadership.

"We want your feedback," said Col. John Vermeesch, CAPE director.

When Gadson was injured, he faced a challenging question.

"When I lost my legs, everyone assumed I'd medically retire," said Gadson, sitting in his wheelchair. "But I identified myself as a soldier. I could still be a soldier."

After his devastating injury, his focus wasn't on what he couldn't do - walk. But it was on what he could do - lead.

"They were paying me to lead," he said. "Not how fast I could run."

So, to the amazement of others, he didn't retire. A passionate speaker, Gadson remained in the Army for another eight years and retired last year. His triumphant outlook caught national attention. In 2007, Tom Coughlin, the coach of the New York Giants, asked him to talk to with his players about teamwork. His message inspired the Giants and led them to a victory over the undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

That has been Gadson's impact. He inspires.

"Leadership is about humanity," he said. "Leadership is about hope. You hope that a leader is going to do the right thing. That they'll have the right character to do the right thing."

The intent of the two-day symposium, which was hosted by I Corps, was about finding ways to develop character at the operational level. The objective was to map out methods to develop ways for soldiers to make decisions and take actions that are consistent with the principles of the Army code.

Maj. Gen. Thomas James, commander of the 7th Infantry Division, said the purpose of the symposium was to help shape the way the Army develops character.

"It ain't about the tank," James said. "It's about the soldier."

Character is defined by what someone does when no one else is watching.

"We're looking for men and women with character," James said. "Leaders have to lead by example. How do we develop character?"

The challenge is that "everyone comes from different backgrounds," he said. "There is no one size fits all."

In that search to find a common thread, James shared a story about meeting Mike Krzyzewski, basketball coach at Duke University. In his successful program, Coach K has a five-finger motto that goes into building winners. There's honesty and open communication. That's followed by trust and a collective responsibility.

"If we screw up, we all screw up," James said.

The fourth ingredient is care, and the fifth is pride.

"Pride is being part of something bigger than self," James said. "It's what makes us different. When things are down, we'll do the right thing."

The challenge for the military is "we're not stocking shelves at Walmart," James said. "Our profession entails the ultimate sacrifice."

This increases the importance of leadership.

Gadson said leadership isn't just about rank. It's also about character.

"How do you lead?" he asked a roomful of soldiers. "The leaders you look up to, they don't need the rank to lead. Your character is what you lead by."

In his inspiring, 45-minute talk, Gadson talked about the challenges he faced. He told the soldiers that his injury wasn't his challenge alone: It was his family's challenge as well.