Adult Supervision

"It's easy to be a clown until you're put in charge of the circus."

The unit is going through Annual Training. This is one week of briefings, classes, training, qualification, and personal file updates necessary before we mobilize. This training is more important than you realize as you go through it. To have someone sit down with you, one on one, and review your record and make updates as necessary gives you piece of mind when you are far away.

For instance, last time I went away I was engaged and had only one child. My life insurance and other legal paper work reflected that. Obviously, now that I am married and have two children this week allows me to change my insurance, update my will, and make sure that me and my family receive the benefits we deserve when I am away.

Due to turn over and the work load on the full time support at the unit, the plan went through one or two drafts before going "final". I helped plan and coordinate some of this training. Plans are good and necessary however, all plans require execution, and no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Today I found myself "executing" more than I thought I would. Maybe because I had to, or maybe because I can't not get involved. At the end of the day I found myself standing in front of twenty NCOs and officers conducting an "azimuth check", going over what we accomplished, and reviewing the plan for the next few days. And then I dismissed everyone.

WTF?! Since when did I get to be the one with the most brass?! When did I turn into the adult? - I hate adults! I used to be the smart ass LT sitting in the back of the room singing out of tune and now I'm leading the chorus? Who checks on this? Now, I know as I write this that I can think of one young Captain and one soon-to-be ex-Major who are asking the same thing. I'm sure there are others waiting to chime in.

After spending almost twenty years kvetching about how everyone else is doing it wrong its about time I "man up" and do it right.

Why I Love The Army. Reason #670

At 1700 (5:00pm to the civilians reading along) the official Army day is over the and the flag comes down from the one and only flagpole on the post. When that happens two bugle calls sound. The first is, Retreat, a signal that the flag is about to come down. The second is, To The Colors, the bugle sounds as the flag is actually coming down.

On Friday afternoon I was golfing nine holes on the Ft. Dix Golf Course with my friends Justin, Dennis, and Stacy when the five o'clock hour struck. With each bugle call there is a ceremony that is performed by every Soldier who can hear it. For Retreat you come to the position of attention and face towards the music. For To The Colors you salute if in uniform or remain at attention if not.

The four of us grumbled a little as Retreat sounded, but as a group, there on the eighth tee, we stood at attention. And as I quickly looked around the course I noticed the foursome in front of us stopped. As did the twosome on second tee. In fact, the whole course stood still until the Colors were down.

I love this organization that stands on its ceremonies and that those ceremonies are respected by everyone, even when no one is looking or its convenient to look the other way. We pass them on. We keep our standards high. And we keep our respect for who we are as Soldiers in check.

Back To School

Fort Dix, NJ in the late summer - how refreshing.

Yes, I am in Ft Dix, NJ attend the third phase of a military education course called ILE, Intermediate Level Education. The completion of this course (on Friday) is part of the boxes that need to be checked if I want to make the next rank of Lieutenant Colonel. I do.

The course material is good. The course load, managable. The first two phases were a lot of fun and I am fortunate to have some of those people here during this course. No, you don't go through all three phases with the same people. Its the luck of the draw with fellow students and instructors. This group is a little more work oriented than team building oriented. Ok, fine - at least there are some interesting folks and no know-it-all jerks. The days start at 0730 and runs to 1630ish with homework most nights.

To be honest, I just want it over with. This is basically a pass/fail course and there are no real recorded grades. In other words the super smart and the coat tail riders get the same certificate at the end. I am somewhere in between the smart and the riders - at the higher end of the bell curve.

I do most of my work as soon as I can fit it into my schedule in order to free up as much of the weekend that we have "off" in the middle of the two weeks here. My fellow students, many of them, are shocked to learn that my three page paper was 80% complete on Thursday night when it isn't due until Monday. I wanted my weekend off to go visit Pat, Amy, and Megan who live fifteen miles down the road. It's not that I'm an over achiever, it's just that I want to have fun without a deadline hanging over my head.

Visiting Pat and Amy is always relaxing. After 25 years of friendship its easy to chill out immediately upon entering the door, going to their fridge, and popping a beer. Today went to Six Flags Great Adventure and rode a bunch of rollercoasters until the heat drove us back to an air conditioned house.

This trip to Ft. Dix is a benefit in disguise because I am meeting after classroom hours with some of the people who occupy the offices and sections who will help us mobilize later in the summer. A dinner here, a bottle of Grey Goose vodka there - I am not opposed to greasing the skids to ensure a smooth training experience to keep the distracting bullshit to a minimum.

Taking personal charge of our mobilization has consumed more of my mental time than the course work. Maybe its a good thing the course is pass/fail.

On the unsettling side, TJ turned one year old while I was down here. The little guy isn't aware its his birthday, or that daddy and mommy were both working. However, he's a Rock Star and will get a Rock Star's party when I get home. I got him a Superman onesie with a red velcroed cape from Six Flags. I can't wait to see him in it. Also unsettling was that the tempature rose to the high 90s back home and Lisa had to call a friend of ours to put in the AC. Great, the hint of a year to come where I am too far away to be helpful.

On the good news side, I read where an old work buddy of mine just returned home safe and sound from 17 months in Iraq. Yea, Kurt! That reminds me...

I am also reading Malcom Gladwell's, The Tipping Point, just for kicks. Kurt gave it to me and I misplaced it. Yes, it's a very interesting book.

So that's it for now. Hope all is well where you are.