The Forrest Gump of the Military

11 HIM put in miles this morning, and 11 HIM met for coffee and a discussion about Admiral William McRaven, former Commander of the US Joint Special Operations Committee, whose notable achievements include commanding the troops that captured Saddam Hussein & rescued Captain Philips and developing the plan for Operation Neptune’s Spear, the mission that led to Osama Bin Laden being brought to justice.  For all this, our group this morning dubbed him “The Forrest Gump of the Military”.

McRaven’s books have been the subject of our QSource discussions at the Coconut Horse since about summertime, so I thought he might be a good leader to focus on for the day, to provide a little crossover between the two QSource sites.  Today’s discussion highlighted some biographical information and stories from his life, along with lessons from “Make Your Bed” and “The Wisdom of the Bullfrog“, two of his books on Leadership.

Discussions today included:

• Start Your Day with a Task Completed
  • Whether it’s making your bed, posting, prayer, or any other number of things, that morning routine starts the day off right.
• Everyone has a Plan until they get Punched in the Mouth
  • During Operation Neptune’s Spear, the first helicopter crashed, but the SEALs were prepared, with a Plan B and a Plan C that they executed to perfection, still finishing the mission ahead of schedule.
  • Preparation includes being Devil’s Advocate and going through all the “What ifs”.  For a plan for something important to be successful, it has to stand up to getting “punched in the mouth”
• We Always have Something to Prove
  • McRaven was seriously injured during a jump in 2001, resulting in his legs being caught and pulled in opposite directions as his parachute opened.  After a long recovery, he described a time when he was putting in work during morning PT.  Other SEALs wondered why after all he had been through, was he completing the 10 mile run with the other SEALs.  According to them, he didn’t have anything to prove.  He said “The day you no longer believe you have something to prove is the day you are no longer the right leader for the job.”
  • “The only easy day was yesterday.”  The grind don’t quit.
• Don’t Ever Ring the Bell
  • In SEAL training, you don’t have to endure all the hardships.  All you have to do is ring the big bell three times and it’s all done.  But don’t ever ring the bell, because if you do, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.
  • Life is hard, and there are easier ways, but the right way requires strength and perseverance.  Grit through what you’re going through.  As Gold Digger told me this morning about distance running: “The pain comes in phases, but the phases always end.  If something hurts, just keep going, soon enough, it’ll stop hurting”.
  • Freight also made a pitch for running, saying that “you always regret stopping to walk when you didn’t have to”.

Great discussion with a great group of HIMs today.  What we do in The Gloom prepares us for what we do outside of it.

Thanks to Blart for letting me grab the Q and complete my Bingo Card of Qing the F3 Gastonia AOs.  I guess it’s only temporary though, because we’ve got the new AO at Life Church in Cramerton.  I guess it’s never over & the grind don’t quit.

Yabba Dabba Doo