Tuesday, July 31, 2018

I spent 24 years in the military, several of those years found me in the role of First Sergeant. My final duty before retirement was as First Sergeant of the 474th Medical Group. I had general supervision over 450 medical and support personnel. The commander was a doctor and a fighter pilot so I pretty much ran the place. He and I would meet every Monday morning and I would tell him about anything going on and what I was planning on doing about it. That way he could either give me blanket approval for the weeks administrative actions or we could discuss anything he had a concern about.
One of the reasons the commander wanted me in the position was because of my passion for promoting personal fitness and my belief in the power of self esteem. When someone asked one of my troops “What’s happening”, which was a popular phrase back in the day, you could tell if they were one of mine if they answered, “I am”. Anyone who follows my writing or been around me very much knows I still feel the same way, even now 23 years later.
My personal philosophy is this: We must feel good about ourselves because of what we do not because of something we have that another does not. Our actions should be the source of our pride not our material wealth. Time is never wasted if it’s spent in motion, either mentally or physically. Can a life be lived based on those principles? I think so, they have served me well.

Dave.

1 comment:

  1. Your last paragraph is gold! I will be sharing that with others, thanks for your inspiring words.

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