When What Matters Mattered - Philly Burbs

My journey back in time began with a random suggestion from a friend to see “Somewhere In Time” with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour who spent much of the movie in the early 1900’s. There’s something about a time gone by that I can’t get enough of. My wife followed with tickets to “White Christmas” at The Walnut Theater and a race to the TV whenever the original version is on.

I also regularly view this 5 minute You Tube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnQDW-NMaRs , of Kate Smith singing “God Bless America” done in a way that exudes common decency. My satellite radio is almost stuck on Channel 4 – “40’s on 4” and no one moves when “The Waltons” are on.

I feel like I’m not alone in my quest for good values which seemed natural then and labored today. I can’t quite put my finger on it although maybe there’s some truth to the recent discussions about Presidential Candidate Santorum mentioning how Satan singles out America since we’re a beacon of goodness and therefore a perfect target. Someone also once said that “Every garden will be invaded” giving some credibility to Mr. Santorum’s theory.

Most people seem to be pretty principled, really, so what’s going on? The gap between us and our elected officials grows as government grows. Larger government replaces the personal responsibility, self-reliance and accountability that defines our great nation so what is it that drives this destructive growth?

Many carry on about politics founded on issues like abortion. To make politics about a procedure that dismembers an unborn child, crushes his or her skull and then shreds what’s left through a tube is possibly the highest level of depravity. That’s enough to flush anything else of importance down the toilet. Where does one go from there?

I even sometimes feel like Moses staring down from Mt. Sinai just shaking my head in disbelief. For example, the rabbi at our former synagogue, when living in New Jersey, hired some clown to kill his wife with a lead pipe and his replacement used the pulpit as a freak show of insanely radical left-wing hysteria. Much of the crowd here has also replaced God with a golden calf so the quest for spiritual enlightenment continues. I wonder if this is why 30% (or fewer) of Jews in America belong to a synagogue and why our numbers are dwindling/doors are closing.

Politics has probably always been obnoxious, but it’s simply too much a part of our lives today. There’s even a weird effort today to say that Republicans are opposed to contraception sneakily crafted by Lord Obama by mandating providing something even if it violates one’s religious beliefs. There’s no shortage of contraception. The real issue, in my view, is: How on earth did contraception become about politics at all? Another issue is: How do we reduce the number of morons in government?

Going back in time will hopefully reveal the future where the quagmire of a government gone wild is replaced by us. The only suggestion that I can make is to watch as many Bing Crosby movies as you can, embrace the greats of Big Band, immediately buy the Nat King Cole “Christmas Collection” and catch regular reruns of Lawrence Welk.

Get When What Matters Mattered into your head and the rest will just fall into place. Just try it for a day and see what happens. I promise everyone that “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

The Making of a Penn Stater - Philly Burbs

I was transported 30 years back in time while watching the Memorial Service for Joe Paterno from around midnight to well into the morning until turning off the DVR upon its completion.

There were a few familiar faces, but it was the environment that many spoke of that was most familiar; an environment that was at least in part created by Coach Paterno that extended way beyond the football field.

The selected speakers arrived at Penn State their freshman years as superstars and left as ultra superstars. The profound impact of their Coach was clear, but was there a similar effect on the average student throughout the campus?

My own story is a pretty common one. Many kids arrive to University Park pretty squared away. Others, like me, lacked a well-defined direction and purpose and were occasionally judgment-challenged. To be honest, I sort of cringe when I think back to the early days, but my friends assure me that I wasn’t too far from normal. I do still sometimes cringe, though, nonetheless.

Penn State and Joe Paterno are synonymous. I just have to give credit where credit’s due. His influence not only attracted a certain level of talent, but also encouraged it to excel under an umbrella of integrity and values that were new to me. It all converged to an apex of clarity and purpose once embraced and internalized. I actually remember the exact time and day of this epiphany that assuredly happens on a daily basis somewhere on campus as the endless examples of world-class performance leave their mark. The transformation is from participant/observer to achiever.

All colleges and universities have their culture and we have ours. It’s something that we all just know and cherish binding us into one massive grateful community of alumni.

I didn’t want the integrity training to end with graduation so just to ensure its continuance I pursued the most challenging military experience possible. Our initial training class lost 60% to failure of one kind or another, but the other two Penn Staters and I had a 100% success rate and we wore our Penn State pedigree proudly.

Once even while driving down Route 5 in California with my bald head and little car with its big Penn State sticker the PSU Volleyball Team sped up in a van with everyone literally jumping out of the windows at over 60 miles per hour. I really couldn’t believe that they were carrying on about me when it really should have been the other way around. I think it was because they saw me first.

But I wouldn’t be writing any of this if it wasn’t for the backdrop of charges and allegations. I can’t even repeat what I read in the various reports which would imply that others were also unable to grasp what was going on. I view the entire situation as one where no one knew what to do from start to finish. I know that I’ve also been in critical situations where I did the wrong thing or didn’t know what to do and all we can do is improve. It’s not criminal to be human, but many do seem to be pointing fingers everywhere except at the alleged perpetrator.

I wonder if it’s just human nature to try to increase our own moral barometer by attempting to lower one of a known height. If we must point fingers maybe we should look into a justice system that doesn’t make it any easier for a victim to step forward; particularly if those hurt are children. The whole thing goes beyond what a rational human being can comprehend and I don’t think we can hold an inability-to-grasp against someone. It’s nice and safe here behind our computer terminals, but none of us know the full extent of what happened.

What did happen, though, wasn’t right. Kids were hurt, inaction ensued and the wrong people were blamed. Nothing can take away the contributions of a good person whose heart of an angel now has wings to match doing even more important work with a proud family looking up along with countless others who also grew up under his careful guidance.

All we can do now is say “thank you” although he might say the same right back at the rest of us.

Why - Bucks County Courier Times February 15, 2012

The teaching profession attracts some of the finest people there are, but you’d never know it if you drove by a Neshaminy school while on strike. I had the horrible misfortune of driving by my alma mater (51 day strike senior class of ’81) of Maple Point on the last day of the most recent strike only to witness the most profound demonstration of unprofessionalism and moral sloppiness that I’ve ever seen in my entire life.

But what kind of world have we created where only one teacher (out of 654 in Neshaminy) has addressed the oppression, intimidation and threats of this particular union by standing up for what’s right? The most important definition of a teacher, in my view, is that of a role model and up to 653 Neshaminy teachers have failed their students, community, themselves and the honor of their profession. Sadly, standing up for what’s right has become an anomaly in many arenas.

Kids are impressionable and respond very well to a good role model. They also respond to a bad one. Good role models generally wire a kid for independent thought, courage and achievement while bad role models promote the opposite result.

It would seem as though there’s not much one can do. Anti-social behavior is protected by state law which may take an Act of Congress to change. Our politicians unfortunately have the well-known similarities to diapers so there’s not much hope there.

I wonder how many good people became and stay teachers despite this environment vs. how many have been discouraged to enter this most noble of professions (or left) because of it.

The hope, then, would be with us. We have to lead by example and demonstrate the benefits of integrity, good values and leadership to others. Most importantly is to leave no question in a child’s mind that there’s an entire community (except for the teachers that throw them out of school) that cares a lot about them and is standing tall beside each and every kid. That there’s an amazing world of outstanding people (including every single parent who wishes nothing but the best) out there and to resist the example set by this crew masquerading as teachers.

Every child is better, deserves better and will find excellence by seeking what already exists within and we cannot allow anyone to take any of that away under any circumstances. They need to know that normal adults simply do not behave like this.

In the mean time I’m still a little freaked out by the (probably accurate) claims of vandalism and death threats to those who don’t tow the party line. Your ancestors who fled their homelands to get away from that sort of thing would be proud. So as my latest public service I’d like to make myself available to the cowards of Neshaminy who have yet to grasp basic American principles who still find it necessary to intimidate someone. Just be sure to practice falling down a lot beforehand.

Pennsylvania's Saudi Arabia - Philly Burbs

I had the good fortune of being able to speak with 16 state and federal candidates for office during the last set of elections as a community member of the Bucks County Courier Times’ Editorial Board. It was great to see so many so well informed on the important issues. It was almost like everyone was void of politics as the actual issues were being openly discussed. Then, of course, Election Day comes and goes, the winners get saddled with politics and, as usual, nothing meaningful ever gets done.
Energy was a popular topic especially with the state candidates. The natural gas reserves 5,000 feet below parts of the state (and then another massive reserve under that) are commonly referred to as “The Saudi Arabia of Pennsylvania”. Governor Corbett and Lt. Governor Cawley spoke at length with us about the reserves under the layers of Marcellus Shale.
I’m a big skeptic of any politician and am particularly mindful of those on my side (because I hold them to a much higher standard), but I found the two gentlemen authentic and genuine even though their hair was perfect and didn’t move at all no matter what. That’s a definite red flag, but they were good.
My personal concerns are both environmental and revenue-related. Real Conservatives, like myself and Politically Correct’s other contributor, are few and far between in politics, but our defining sentiment is in “conservation” which has the environment as a primary tenant. We’re true stewards of the land void of knee-jerk response through the distorted prism of politics.
Modern fracking, or the techniques used to drill through the shale to retrieve the gas reserves can be performed safely, securely and environmentally responsibly. The Governor’s plan ensures that wells are safe distances from water systems with state-of-the-art management and very strictly enforced guidelines.
Revenue issues are also critical and must be viewed through the clear prism of economics. My Economics degree doesn’t hurt, but simple honesty is even better. Some wish to impose hefty state taxes along with the usual local impact fees while others prefer more focus on the local impact fees. Additional taxes (above what are already levied) will only discourage investment here. Being more inviting will end up creating more opportunities for employment in Pennsylvania resulting in more people paying more in taxes.
The shortsightedness of some is stunning to the extreme. It’s like the typical boxing trainer who’d rather throw a good kid to the wolves for maybe $50 rather than properly develop him for the higher payday a little longer down the road. Plus, the impact fees paid to counties will be used by those actually impacted. These fees are estimated to generate $120 to $200 million per year for infrastructure, emergency management, health, utility and environmental protection use.
The bottom line is that we use a lot of energy which is not only not a bad thing, but is also not changing . We might as well get as much energy as we can at home where its harvest can be properly monitored without the potential for environmental disasters of transporting it from the other side of the world.
The career opportunities, demand for skills, positive impact on our academic institutions and influx of investment are exciting with little or no down side. This new frontier has generated over 72,000 new hires in Pennsylvania since 2007 and profoundly boosted local economies with positive ripple effects that go far.
I appreciate the cynics to Marcellus Shale, but I do strongly agree with the Governor’s plan which can be found at http://www.governor.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/marcellus_shale_proposal/20490 . I sense that the Governor’s interest in energy focuses more on our future than on the instant gratification of short-term politics, but it’s never a bad idea to keep your eyes open due to the extreme importance and to ensure that sensible plans stay that way.

It's Time to Get Angry - Philly Burbs

I think that the most important thing that one can do when angry is to demonstrate anger. Far too many of us keep that suppressed which may lead to many a health issue.
Listening to the news is enough to make one apathetic to the state of affairs out there, but I did hear a poll result today stating that a very high number of us are very angry. Then when I get angry there’s always some highly educated person making me feel uncivilized for expressing myself. It’s my opinion that it’s I who’s better adjusted strictly based on my periodic emotional meltdowns even if I don’t have an Ivy League degree.
But what’s really going on out there? I was perfectly fine before getting involved in politics. I think, though, that I wouldn’t have gotten involved if all was well - there’d be no reason to (although I do sometimes regret knowing what’s going on).
I’ve been angry for about 10 years now indicating that I’m way ahead of my time since many are just discovering their anger. And I’ve discovered that this anger is in direct proportion to the amount of governance in our lives. More governance equates to less freedom and since our nation is founded on a highly evolved anti-authority complex I do believe that many of us are downright un-American (not to mention pathetic).
The problem likely has something to do with the massive number of large groups that have figured out how to bilk taxpayers for their own selfish purposes. Incomprehensible amounts of dollars funnel through government fingers in a most inefficient way wreaking havoc at every step. Enough of this over time has led to true financial meltdowns that’ll continue and intensify until good leadership ensues and I’m a firm believer that nothing will change until enough of us get angry - that will be the tipping point in reversing course in the correct direction.
A most obnoxious example is that of a local school district one town over. My alma mater of Neshaminy (Google it if you need some comic relief although actually quite horrifyingly sad) is enduring day 5 of their teachers’ strike today. They’re the 7th highest paid teachers in the state of Pennsylvania out of over 500 school districts and put out very mediocre performance. There was a 51 day strike during my senior year 30 years ago so one might say that not much has changed in that time (other than increasingly poorer performance as unions gained more power and parents less).
Needless to say, I’m so angry right now that I think I shouldn’t be near people while in this condition. Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t have it any other way. There’s reason to be insane so I’m certain that sanity is not the correct strategy to navigate through this.
I won’t bore you with more details. If you don’t get it then I can only conclude that you’re a moron, but this is the scene that’s going on everywhere at varying degrees of intensity. Horrible mismanagement, bad governance and an abandonment of integrity rule the day. Many blame capitalism, but the “Economy Gone Wild” is a direct result of government interference without letting the natural ebb-and-flow of free market enterprise to work its magic. I could go into more detail, but if you don’t get it you probably won’t and are likely a complete idiot.
For example, my 17 year old orthopaedic device business fell into an abyss of despair and failure 3 years ago. After trying everything humanly possible to get back on track I found that the only path back to greatness was finding new and better ways to serve others with greater efficiency and aplomb. Not quite there yet, but I think I’m close with great new opportunities for others and this, my 20th year, should be the year back.
Imagine if these fanatical union thug boorish below average Neshaminy teachers (who I would permanently fire yesterday) used service to others as their guide. Maybe even trade their “Do It To the Children” mantra for “Do It For the Children”. A person can dream can’t they? Maybe I just expect too much, should give it up, stop writing these columns, just worry about my own family and call it a day.
I think that’s the plan so maybe I won’t give in. I may really need to embrace my bad attitude or it might get worse.
The most important thing we can all do right now is to watch Peter Finch in “Network” being mad as hell and wishing to not take it anymore and follow his example. We need to select elected officials who are angry. This is no time for level-headedness and calm. Our system of government ensures that we’re perfectly represented so being apathetic will create apathetic leadership that’s guided by the special interests that outnumber us. We have to outnumber them, take it back and not let go with a pit-bull death grip.
Until then best wishes and to many of you - go **** yourself. I honestly think that’s perfectly rational.

And Now It Begins - Bucks County Courier Times January 6, 2012

My first thought upon hearing of the end of the Iraq War was “and now the violence will really begin”. Hopefully I’m wrong, but this whole thing will be a future case study in the damage caused by politics. Maybe repeating history over and over is just human nature.
It doesn’t help much that we have a Republican Candidate for President in Congressman Paul running around saying that it’s all our fault. The simplified facts are that terrorism relentlessly festers under tyranny and dictatorship and tends to diminish where people are free. Why a washed up Marine like me has to repeat this time and time again while our esteemed leaders who voted for the Iraq War criticize it and our personnel gives me an occasional very unsettling meltdown.
The rational human mind is incapable of understanding war. It makes no sense at all and is very bad on every level in every circumstance. Sometimes, though, it’s the only way to achieve the peace that most prefer so inaction is often worse. You might find it odd that there’s more peace sign stickers on cars on military bases than on Prius’s in New Hope, but I don’t find it odd at all. Men and women of action, character and courage understand peace better than anyone and it’s not just a bumper sticker to them. They live it and we owe them our thanks.
The current state of affairs began on 9/11 (although really going on for 30 years). The nation instantly came together big-time and then was rapidly torn apart starting about 2 or 3 weeks later by the politicians who played to our rational inability to comprehend. A war that took 10 years to “conclude” would have been over much quicker with better results if we left military leaders alone to do what they do best. But, as is usually the case, we can’t help ourselves in our relentless pursuit of Monday-morning-quaterbacking.
In spite of this we have the finest men and women of all time in uniform today. They bravely rose when called and introduced the natural human condition of freedom to the oppressed as the single most effective long-term strategy against the terrorism that’s engulfing the entire world. It’s now up to the Iraqi’s to continue down this path of freedom and it’s going to be anything but easy. The alternative was unacceptable and the difficult decisions made 10 years ago.
Now it’s up to us to honor today’s military personnel with everything we have and to make sure that we don’t fall into the political traps that we constantly allow. We can only support our men and women in uniform if we also support their mission. One is not possible without the other and they’ve earned their place in history as one hell of a Great Generation even if we’ve let them down on occasion.

Less Is More - Philly Burbs

Oh boy are we in for a treat. Election season is approaching and all sorts of candidates with various behavior disorders and ego issues will be stepping forward all wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. Who could ask for more? I, for one, can’t wait for this scene that regularly happens from sea to shining sea.
Seems like these people step forward every 2 years with grand plans and not one thing changes (except maybe for the worse). There’s the newbies who wash out pretty quickly and then the long-term elected officials who already know that nothing will ever get done so they just play the game, ride the wave, roll their eyes at their Oath of Office and keep getting re-elected for some weird reason.
I’d really like to vote for the best person, but they rarely run for anything. I wonder if it’s always been like this or if our politics has morphed into something way beyond its original intent. From my view it’s become nothing more than a feeding trough (funded by you and me) of every special interest known to man. Personally, I think that it’s the rest of us who are most special, but that’s just me.
I asked a very trusted elected official in our state capital of Harrisburg, PA about this and he said about 1/3 of elected officials are good-to-go. That means that we’re not horribly far off from the goal of slightly more than 50% good people in office. The question remains on how to get there and I believe that the answer is simple even though too many of us suffer from ”governmentitis” (or an infantile and irrational dependence on government).
In all fairness, though, there are good people on both sides who run for office. Sadly, they’re too often overlooked because they don’t get party support specifically because of their independence. There’s no one to blame but ourselves, but these are the exact people we need today. The good candidates, in my humble opinion, can increase their chances of winning with courage. Assess today’s issues, throw “party” nonsense aside and present a platform of pure unfettered honesty. Of course this will lead to personal attacks, possible vandalism and overall unpleasantness, but knowing that up front diminishes its surprise.
Here’s a sample platform that anyone is free to use. It might apply almost anywhere and none of it is original - it’s just rare, since many even run for office with no platform whatsoever being afraid to say much of anything of substance.
Without further ado:

- Spending in Harrisburg needs to be slashed by at least 1/3 or more. Accountability and self-reliance must be restored in a way that encourages good decisions (to include favoring private charity over the unintended consequences of government programs).
- Resolving the healthcare crisis is a top priority so that everyone will have full access to quality medical care. The doctor/patient relationship must drive solutions vs. the patient/person-sitting-in-a-cubicle-somewhere-who-knows-nothing-about-medicine relationship. The driving mechanism should be some form of insurance company payment to the patient who will then pay the provider. The current system of insurance companies bypassing the customer by paying the provider directly is what leads to $60 Band-Aids and $200 aspirin. Individuals need to have more control and more choice with accurate information.
Much of this began in the 1930’s when companies bundled healthcare with employment. They reduced salaries by the cost of benefits, selected benefits for their employees and then got the tax-break for themselves. Might be better to increase salaries, allow people to select their own plans and create tax-breaks for individuals. A few things have to happen:
a. reduce coverage mandates - allow people to select plans that suit their own needs
b. access plans nationwide
c. caps on NON-ECONOMIC damages to reduce lawsuit abuse and minimize inefficient/overly expensive defensive medicine
The $2 trillion annual cost of US healthcare is more than enough to solve this way overly-
complicated disaster. Free market efficiency and simplification will not only provide for the poor
much more thoroughly than any government program, but will also create an environment that
even competes for pre-existing conditions.
- The federal government should get out of the education business and the state government should reduce its role. Each school district should assume a greater responsibility for how it runs itself with minimal state oversight. Parents and teachers should drive curriculums and policies and make those decisions for themselves with a much greater degree of freedom to do so.
- Pennsylvania must become a Right-To-Work state where union membership and/or union dues are not a condition of employment. This will attract opportunity for EVERYONE and radically improve the marketplace overnight. Legislated advantages, intimidation and political manipulation create the hostile environments that drive away the business that we would all benefit from. Competence, quality and value would all spike and even unions would find more work.

So there it is in all its glory. Please feel free to comment and maybe we can, together, perfect this suggested platform for some industrious candidate out there who’s ready to rumble. The chances of getting good people to run, electing the best candidates and ensuring their competence as elected officials improve in direct correlation to the number of constituents who educate themselves, vote and pay attention so, at a bare minimum, more of us need to educate ourselves, vote and pay attention.
Thanks and Happy New Year.

Vouchers, Merit Pay and Heroes - Philly Burbs

There’s a big movement among my Conservative buddies to bring vouchers and merit pay to our public schools. Vouchers are government payments to a family that can be used to offset private school costs if they opt out of their community’s public school. Merit pay is paying teachers based on performance.
Please don’t misunderstand. I’m as Conservative as it gets. I think that Democrats are weak, delusional and generally mean. You will only get my guns from my cold dead hands. And I strongly believe in a federal government so small that it barely exists.
So it would seem odd that I’m not in support of vouchers and merit pay. I’m open-minded so please feel free to set me straight if I’m wrong.
Vouchers seem like another shuffling act of passing the football around gaining no ground whatsoever. Wouldn’t it be better to empower residents than to encourage them to abandon their community? Is it possible that government policies are often the root cause of failures and, if so, would more government policies really solve anything?
My first concern is that using vouchers to leave a community’s public school seeking greener pastures will drain the better talent and leave those behind most in need. The argument is that those children will fail anyway since no one’s looking out for them, but that’s the whole point. What kind of communities are we creating where we don’t look out for one another? We seek government solutions thereby absolving us of our responsibilities. This is the core underlying theme of what’s gone horribly wrong throughout the nation - soliciting government to do what we need to do for ourselves and our neighbors.
My state of Pennsylvania has 500+ public school districts each held to a set of government mandates and teacher union rules. I sat with our newspaper’s Editorial Board interviewing 17 state and federal candidates last time around and the biggest obstacle to any type of reform was the 66 page Pennsylvania State Constitution modified in the 1960’s by lawyers at the Constitutional Convention. They pulled a fast one and I’ll bet that many other states have similar challenges.
The real solution, in my view, is to encourage every single school district to do whatever they like. The state might have basic educational guidelines, but school boards, parents and educators will regain the right to run their own schools however they wish. This may require a Constitutional Convention to restore the various state constitutions to their original form void of obstacles to common sense.
This leads to Merit Pay. I served full-time in the Marine Corps for 4 ½ years and haven’t yet found anyone more competent and thorough than those I served with at any price. Is it possible that some are driven by things other than money like, oh, public service? Good teachers should be well paid and those not embracing excellence terminated.
Those who feel that they’re not paid what they’re worth are free to take their valuable skills where they’re more appreciated. Some communities might give merit pay a whirl, but mandating it from government is just another opportunity for fraud. How will performance be measured and will the merit pay system open up a whole new arena of complication and abuse? Pretty sure it will.
I personally think that a simple “Pass/Fail” structure of annual raises would be the formula and a failure would result in a new job elsewhere. Pursue teaching if you love to teach and pursue sales or something else if you love to make money. You’ll quickly find that making money is almost always directly related to what extent you bring value to others. Putting yourself first usually results in poor business performance. You’ll also find that good teachers make good salespeople. Anyone see the connection?
We live in an unnecessarily complicated world and I believe that vouchers and merit pay for teachers will make it more so. Our kids aren’t numbers and performance from district to district cannot be standardized (but, again, individual districts would be free to implement merit pay if they like).
The answer is to drastically simplify everything, embrace a very high level of efficiency, obliterate the obstacles to reform that are mired in bureaucracy and allow communities to define themselves with minimal state interference and none federal. There’s more than enough money to accomplish anything with if spent correctly by the right people beginning with spending education dollars on education. Teachers, kids and parents deserve the best which will only happen by putting these heroes in charge and not with additional government nonsense.
Of course, making the right changes are a monumental task and many will say that it’s I who’s delusional and overly idealistic. There’s definitely a chance that I’m stupid because I honestly don’t get it, but I’m a firm believer in putting the customer in charge. It’s a formula that works wherever it’s tried and failure is generally the result of government interference and/or political manipulation.
So good luck with all the “merit pay” and “voucher” efforts out there, but I think it’s time for a total overhaul and not a Band-Aid on a gaping wound.

Integrity's Ground Zero - Philly Burbs

It became very clear throughout the Marine Corps Marathon weekend in DC and Virginia that attending/participating is an annual requirement whose importance seems to grow each year. The examples were endless and I’d like to list some in chronological order along with their respective meaning.
Some of my Marine Corps peers were Marines, in effect, even before the initial training. Others, like me, had to learn how to behave and need constant reminders on proper Marine Corps conduct. We refer to our role models when we stray who continue to lead by example just by being themselves (whether in body or spirit).
One of those Marines is Travis Manion whose parents set up an amazing Foundation shown at www.travismanion.com who serves others in the theme of the leadership demonstrated by their son. I had mentioned to a young Naval Academy grad, who was sitting at my table at the Foundation’s pre-race dinner, that my first race was the 2009 Marine Corps Marathon which was inspired by the outreach for runners/fundraisers and have embraced the running lifestyle specifically because of them. He was very taken by that, but then he ran the Marathon the next day with only 6 training runs, 2 of which were “long” and finished in around 4 hours. That pretty much blows away anything that I’m capable of, but it was his unshakable interest in others that made the most profound statement and defines Marines with ultra clarity.
Marine Corps Silver Star Recipient and remarkable UFC professional fighter Brian Stann was the Guest Speaker. His discussion embodied the Marine Corps spirit better than anything I’ve ever heard. His message was on how we affect others at work, home and our communities. Do we go through the motions or do we bring a positive vibe with a lasting impact on others? Do we spend as much time as possible with our families and how do we get involved in our communities to get things done for real. Do we step forward when needed or do we assume that others will get it done?
If you like, Brian’s book is titled “Heart for the Fight…” and my copy’s on order. My guess is that it’s got everything one needs to know about leadership and accomplishment from someone who’s actually been and is there. I’ll have it completed by the time of this print and will comment if you like.
The Marathon and 10K were the next morning and it was at the finish where example #3 sprung out. New 2nd Lieutenants were awarding medals to all runners as they funneled off of the track. It took 15 minutes or so to work through to the end so we could clearly see the medals being individually awarded. Every single runner literally had their own presentation ceremony by a Marine Officer. It was really stunning to see as a big deal was made of every runner.
Now the race was on to get checked out of the hotel and on the road to not miss a minute of some Halloween festivities. One of the non-runners was trying to work against the crowd to get to the Charity Tent area and asked me where it was. I kinda pointed, said “good luck” and went on my way. It struck me 45 minutes later, while navigating to the highway, that I’ve strayed. My Officer Candidate School Staff would have destroyed me for not making sure that person got to where they needed to be (since I think only runners were allowed to pass) especially in light of those currently serving who are away from their families for a year or more. I did something similar in OCS 25 years ago and was made a relentless example of for 2 weeks beginning with all of my belongings (including my bed, wall locker and foot locker) thrown upside down into the stairwell.
I’ve still not internalized being a Marine, but maybe it’s not too late. The one quality that was constant among all Marines (including the hundreds of support personnel on the course) was that they all put the spotlight on others even when it was they who were in the spotlight. The higher up they were on the “superstar” scale the more they shined the light on the other person.
The foundation of leadership is a simple one, easy to grasp and sometimes challenging to remember. It comes with a clear understanding of what’s important and what isn’t and how to maintain your character at all times. And when we fail we can get back on track by saying that we were wrong and will do better next time.
Fortunately we have some permanent examples to refer to when needing guidance. The price of integrity is much less than the cost of not having any and, if you get a chance, spend the weekend in DC during a Marine Corps Marathon where you’ll be surrounded everywhere you go. Do so, if you can, and you’ll see what I mean.
See you next year and I hope I don’t screw up too much between now and then.