"I want an Officer for a dangerous and secret mission. I want a West Point
football player" - General George C. Marshall
Just to put everyone at ease, I've not been selected for a secret mission somewhere. I love the quote though. After all, I was a three-time varsity letterman on the 150's back during my West Point days. For the past three years I've even suited back up at the alumni reunion and scrimmaged the current Cadet team. I'm proud to say I'm still in good enough shape to still play running back. Heck, in the most recent game I toted the rock seven times for a respectable 35 yards and three first downs. I'll keep on suiting up every year until the day comes that my body says it's useless to keep thinking I'm as fast, agile, and strong as the Cadets. But, given that I'm Class of '87 and there are still members of the Class of '78 suiting up to play, I know I have several good years at the reunion to look forward to. During our latest reunion we weren't just playing the Cadets, we were playing the reigning National Champions. That's right. Last season the Army Sprint (150's) Football Team won the title - capped off with a thrilling victory over Navy at Annapolis. The "Old Grads" hung tough for 60 minutes. The Cadets won but the final was only 19-6. I made it through without any lingering injuries.
Ok, back to blogging. The days that immediately follow R&R can be some of the most desolate times of a deployment. It's a very difficult transition - more like shock treatment - to have popped out of the war for two weeks and then inserted straight back into the fight. Being the Commander only intensifies this, as the heavy burden of responsibility is happily placed back on your back by your Executive Officer. I think he had the biggest grin of anyone upon my return. That being said, I had no opportunity to get over the jet lag. It was straight back to work. We are getting into the "sprint to the finish line" phase of our deployment so there is a ton of stuff to get done. We're not quite at the sprint yet but we are definitely at the point at which we can see where we have to begin our final kick.
All this being said, I've struggled a bit the past few days. That, in itself, has made it difficult to get back on to sharing my thoughts and observations. It's hard to go home an
d then leave home again. I miss home. We all do. But none of us can allow that pain to cause us to lose focus. Yet, there are times when we let our guard down and reveal that Soldiers are human too. Fortunately for me, I have Joe to put things back together for me. I was having a moment the other day where my human side was overcoming my Commander side. Just then I stepped into a latrine to find that Einstein Joe had given me the answers I was struggling with. On display before my wandering eyes were the Laws of Thermodynamics. I don't quite know how Joe could have known that I needed a refresher from one of the most painful college courses I ever took. But he did and it put a smile on my face. That's when it occured to me that we never leave a fallen comrade. I walked back to my HQ and shared my newfound smile with my Command Group. The post-R&R pain is still acute but it will fade. Work dictates our priorities and our focus is mission success. We'll all be sprinting to the finish line very soon.
football player" - General George C. Marshall
Just to put everyone at ease, I've not been selected for a secret mission somewhere. I love the quote though. After all, I was a three-time varsity letterman on the 150's back during my West Point days. For the past three years I've even suited back up at the alumni reunion and scrimmaged the current Cadet team. I'm proud to say I'm still in good enough shape to still play running back. Heck, in the most recent game I toted the rock seven times for a respectable 35 yards and three first downs. I'll keep on suiting up every year until the day comes that my body says it's useless to keep thinking I'm as fast, agile, and strong as the Cadets. But, given that I'm Class of '87 and there are still members of the Class of '78 suiting up to play, I know I have several good years at the reunion to look forward to. During our latest reunion we weren't just playing the Cadets, we were playing the reigning National Champions. That's right. Last season the Army Sprint (150's) Football Team won the title - capped off with a thrilling victory over Navy at Annapolis. The "Old Grads" hung tough for 60 minutes. The Cadets won but the final was only 19-6. I made it through without any lingering injuries.Ok, back to blogging. The days that immediately follow R&R can be some of the most desolate times of a deployment. It's a very difficult transition - more like shock treatment - to have popped out of the war for two weeks and then inserted straight back into the fight. Being the Commander only intensifies this, as the heavy burden of responsibility is happily placed back on your back by your Executive Officer. I think he had the biggest grin of anyone upon my return. That being said, I had no opportunity to get over the jet lag. It was straight back to work. We are getting into the "sprint to the finish line" phase of our deployment so there is a ton of stuff to get done. We're not quite at the sprint yet but we are definitely at the point at which we can see where we have to begin our final kick.
All this being said, I've struggled a bit the past few days. That, in itself, has made it difficult to get back on to sharing my thoughts and observations. It's hard to go home an
d then leave home again. I miss home. We all do. But none of us can allow that pain to cause us to lose focus. Yet, there are times when we let our guard down and reveal that Soldiers are human too. Fortunately for me, I have Joe to put things back together for me. I was having a moment the other day where my human side was overcoming my Commander side. Just then I stepped into a latrine to find that Einstein Joe had given me the answers I was struggling with. On display before my wandering eyes were the Laws of Thermodynamics. I don't quite know how Joe could have known that I needed a refresher from one of the most painful college courses I ever took. But he did and it put a smile on my face. That's when it occured to me that we never leave a fallen comrade. I walked back to my HQ and shared my newfound smile with my Command Group. The post-R&R pain is still acute but it will fade. Work dictates our priorities and our focus is mission success. We'll all be sprinting to the finish line very soon. Hey! Football season is here!
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