Recently
I celebrated my 25th year of service in the United States Army. What started out as a 3 year break between
high school and college has turned into a great career.
I started
the day off with a "25 Year WOD" with members of the team from the
Center from Advancement of Leader Development and Organizational Learning(CALDOL).
Shortly
before I changed out of my first company command, COBRA Company, 1-72 AR at
Camp Casey, Korea, General (Retired) Fred Franks (Former Commander of VII Corps
in Operation Desert Storm) sent the note below to me in an e-mail in August 2008
“Teamwork
and relationships of people you know and served with is so important in the
Army as you know because of your own background. That is why it is so important
to have professional relationships with your peers and others as you never know
when you will run into them and under what circumstances. Some people work hard
at being just difficult to get along with professionally when that is never a
good idea. The Army is a team of teams and you just need to find a way to make
things work no matter the personalities.”
-General
Fred Franks in e-mail comment to me on 11 August 2008
What I
have learned during my service is the people to my left and right are really
what matter, and everything is based of relationships. The people to my left
and right are unified with a shared purpose in serving this nation and serving
each other. When conditions get rough, no matter what the environment, the
people on your left and right are going to carry you through to the objective.
The Army is the team of teams!
A couple years ago I was honored to receive
the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award. As I reflect on the last 25
years General MacArthur’s words come to mind “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be
vigilant in its preservation”. I have spent the last 25
years of my life being “Vigilant” in the preservation of Freedom and serving with some
OUTSTANDING Americans. I am just as FIRED UP if not more, than when I entered
the Army 25 years ago.
I am
ending this post with the mottos of the last three units I have served in in
tribute to those I have had the honor of serving with, and the privilege of leading as a commissioned
officer:
"Toujours
Pret" - Killer Troop 3/2 ACR
"Strike
Fast-Kick Ass" COBRA 1-72 AR
"Row
Faster or Die" Aggressor 1-353 INF (FSF-CA)
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