Squared Away

This week we pay tribute to those who have worn the uniform in service to our country. On Friday we'll hold our annual Veterans Day Assembly and luncheon, which is planned and organized by Mr. Simmer's government class. If you are a veteran, I do hope you can join us. I'm always impressed with the thoughtful way our students go about planning and preparing for this event. It is wholly proper to thank our veterans for their service to the country. At one point in their lives, they put on the uniform and were willing to give the ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation. There is honor in doing so. 

In a Veterans Day message a year ago, I alluded to a belief that my time in the military likely had a much larger impact on me than I ever did on [the Navy]. When my enlistment was up they tried to get me to re-enlist, but when I politely declined I'm sure they didn't lose much sleep over the fact. 

At the same time, I've always been clear that my time in uniform was quite different than those who are currently serving. While I am of the Desert Storm era, my enlistment was during a period of relative peace: The calm before the storm of September 11, 2001. As a reference point, I mustered out of the reserves fully and honorably in April of 2001. So to put me in the same category as those who truly were in harms way would not be appropriate.

As a young man, I was not very responsible and quite immature. In many respects, I was 'rudderless'. (You see what I did there, right? That was purposeful!) Joining the Navy was something I had considered from time to time in my adolescence, but even when finally enlisting I think it came as a bit of a surprise to everyone who knew me. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. I was taught the value of teamwork; and that a time may come where we would have to rely on our shipmates as a matter of survival. I learned to respect those of greater rank, not just because of the insignia on their collar: but because they had wisdom, experience, and skill sets that far surpassed my own knowledge. 

Being a 'squared away' sailor was drilled into all of us constantly, repeatedly. When wearing a uniform, the boots were shined and the gig line never needed to be fixed. I can recall a shipmate with 'gear adrift' being told in very explicit terms that 'a mistake like that could get someone killed in the fleet'. It that particular case it was most certainly hyperbole, but the moral of the story was that attention to detail was a critical skill. Indeed, not being self-aware and paying attention to the little things could have, and did have, catastrophic consequences.  

Many of those skills I was taught were transferable. I still prescribe to the old adage, 'A place for everything and everything in its place'. (This really is important when you are underway. Think about it; in rough seas who wants to experience flying projectiles because someone forgot to stow their gear?) I suppose this is why to this day I have those little quirks that may seem obsessive to some, but provide a bit of comfort to me.

The reality though, is that all of these skills that were drilled into us really boiled down to respect. Respect for oneself. Respect for others. Respect for country.

So on this Veterans Day when we say thank you to the men and women who have and are currently serving in the armed forces, I am also one to be thankful for the privilege of serving.