Author: Mark Baker

A sheep dog or sheepdog is generally a dog or breed of dogs historically used in connection with the raising of sheep. These may include livestock guardian or pastoral dogs used to guard sheep and other livestock in farms for farmers, and herding dog, a dog used to herd sheep and other livestock.

Several months ago as were just getting started at Faultline one of our Charleston F3 brothers was leading us. Joey Varin or JV in F3 speak was our Q for that dark and frosty Thursday workout. JV and I had been acquainted for several years and I knew him to be a Citadel Grad, an Army Officer, and a veteran of military deployments to the sand box on the other side of the pond. He is an intelligent and well-spoken man and one of good character. When he addressed us at the COT that morning he spoke of the three types of people walking around on earth. The Sheep – make up the majority – happy, innocent, loving, and often a bit naïve. Then there are the wolves – fierce, intimidating bullies, interested in only feeding their hungers – at the cost of the sheep. Lastly there are the sheepdogs. They are the counter balance to the wolves. The yin to their yang. They are the ones who stand the post, look down from a better vantage point, and watch over the sheep. They are the ones who put themselves between the wolves and the sheep – often to their own peril – so the sheep can be at peace. At the time he told this story I believed it to be an inspiration for us to continue to grow strong with the like-minded men beside us. After months of F3 boot camps, several CSAUPs, and plenty of discussion with former military brothers like Goose I realize it is so much more.

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin’s egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.
“Then there are the wolves,” the old war veteran said, “and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy.” Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen: a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath–a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? Then you are a sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero’s path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

Being a sheepdog is not about beating your chest or puffing it up as others draw near you. It is not about being some knuckle head bad ass with something to prove. The world is full of the fake tough (those big chest puffers who deflate when confronted with danger) and the crazy brave (those who rush into any situation albeit unprepared) who are no help to anyone. To me it means so much more. Preparing for what you hope will never happen – no one should truly wish for conflict but rather should live in peace as much as possible. Acknowledging the fears within you and setting goals to conquer them. Preparing yourself on every level – body, mind, and spirit! Getting physically stronger is important but only one aspect of preparedness. Getting your mind right is equally important. Having a can-do attitude that says I won’t let this life beat me down. If I go down I will get back up and if my brother goes down I will pick him up. Spiritually speaking there are many different beliefs but all have the common themes of love, compassion, and respect for human life. To acknowledge these is a key to helping understand why the sheepdog is needed and what his role is to the sheep. If we strive for all of these – the body, mind, and spirit – then we hit the trifecta of being a sheepdog.

Often times the sheepdog is looked upon with disdain or not at all. As JV pointed out they do not usually stay amongst the sheep but rather stand a post far and away so as to be alerted to danger before it gets too close. The sheep want to go on being sheep and pretending they live in a modern day utopia. A typical attitude is that no one wants one until they need one! Well brother’s sheepdogs do not live in a glass enclosed box on the wall that reads break only in the event of trouble! The sheepdogs need to be out in the open for all to see. For the sheep to know they are going to be ok and for the wolves to understand not to try anything foolish – NOT ON MY WATCH! The sheepdogs need to be prepared, vigilant, and out in force. Wolves are everywhere and closing our eyes and pretending they are not – well let’s just say that is the ultimate act of foolishness.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.

The world is not the same world our parents and grandparents knew. The evil that is around us continues to spawn and metastasize. Don’t misunderstand – there has and will always be wolves in this world. However with the technology of our time – the technology that makes our lives easier and better too – the wolves are adapting too! There are more, more fierce wolves today because of technology! Combine that with the erosion of governmental leadership, and moral values and it is not a far walk to see that pack of wolves waiting to pounce on the innocents of sheep that are all around. Of course the wolves probably did not count on a group of men under the flag of F3!

Brothers this piece is not to make our group into a fighting force. It is not to turn us into a band of citizen soldiers. Many of us have served and many continue to do so and that is honorable. It is not to debate the political climate of our time – in a group such as ours we will all have differing views about political decisions and stances. It is certainly not to bemoan the sheep! It is merely to remind us that what we do is very important. It is more than just getting together a few times a week to do merkins and burpees, and CSAUPs. 1st F. More than just a few craft beers and good conversation. 2nd F More than just enjoying some spiritual time together. 3rd F You see – in each of those three you will find a subtle rebirth of the SHEEPDOG. I write rebirth because that’s what I believe we were all born as. I believe that while many have slipped into a sheep-like state we were sheepdogs all along. We were sheepdogs in sheep’s clothing! We have started to shed that skin and are re-emerging as what we were born to be. That is what you are doing by commiting your time to this F3 brotherhood. Make no mistake it is not an easy or short journey. It takes time and is often painful to complete but in the end we will be the SHEEPDOGS that we were born to be.

“In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn’t have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.”

Who knows when we might be called to act? It could be something involving your family or a friend. It could be something that is happening in your community. Or it could come from the wolves that seek to hurt the sheep from outside our borders. Doesn’t matter. A sheepdog is a sheepdog no matter the threat. Look in the mirror – are you that sheepdog? If not let’s get there together – learn, work, grow, stay vigilant, and remember there is always trouble in the wind!

A little Runyard Kipling for closing:
While it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, fall be’ind,”
But it’s “Please to walk in front, sir,” when there’s trouble in the wind,
There’s trouble in the wind, my boys, there’s trouble in the wind,
O it’s “Please to walk in front, sir,” when there’s trouble in the wind.

On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs
(From the book, On Combat, by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman)
“Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself.
The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?”

– William J. Bennett
In a lecture to the United States Naval Academy
November 24, 1997

Credit excerpts to this article – http://www.killology.com/sheep_dog.htm

Hot Spot – AYE!

Quick link to PART ONE – http://f3nation.com/?p=156979

PART TWO – The D.R.P.

My father’s desire for a “miracle pill” really did not surprise me. We live in a world where technology creates so many things in terms of instant results and instant gratification. We are spoiled by technology – too much sometimes. We want what we want – and we want it now! We shouldn’t have to wait for anything we desire right? Too bad that technology doesn’t allow us to be “instantly” physically fit! Or is it?

All of us know that healing does not take full effect upon ingestion of our first dose of any medicine. Our systems need to adjust to the introduction and our chemistry needs to find the balance needed for the medicine to take its maximum effect. For some that could mean days or even weeks to realize the full effect of whatever pill we are taking. The quest for an instant fix is a futile one and yet it is within that illusion that many still dwell. It is only when we are honest with ourselves and faithful in our daily dosage that the full and positive effects can be realized. It is only then that we can fully benefit from our medication. So is also true with our D.R.P.

One dose of the D.R.P. is not enough to cure what ails us. Nor is two, three, four, etc. It is not a pill of convenience nor of comfort. It is a pill not unlike others we have ingested – in the beginning it is harsh! In the beginning it seems too large to swallow, or to bitter to taste, and so like a petulant child we put up a fight! We find reasons why we shouldn’t take it. We make excuses as to why we don’t need it and we either discard it or we shelve it out of sight. We put off taking it because it doesn’t show instant results and the thought of continuing to ingest it makes us shudder. It is that type of thinking that will surely expedite our membership acceptance into the Sedentary for Life Club. It is that type of thinking that will increase our chances for being in a skilled nursing facility one day.

Please don’t feel I am writing that our D.R.P. is a way around all of the inevitability of our aging. I am not proposing it to be a new found “fountain of youth”! What I am writing is along the line of that old saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. We control what we can – our bodies will control the rest. We take our D.R.P. as preventative medicine – not as a miracle healing drug. We take our D.R.P. to keep our bodies and minds strong. Strong to fight the battles of aging and the eventual breakdown that will surely come to us all. We take our D.R.P. because we want to live a longer, stronger, healthier life for as long as we possibly can. The more we take the pill the more we will get adjusted to its ingestion. That does not mean it won’t still taste bitter, or get stuck in our throats on some days. It does not mean we will all have a dramatic restoration to our glory days of high metabolism with a side of Spartan-like chiseled features. What it means is this – we are giving our bodies and minds a better chance. We are giving them the chance to be FIT TO FIGHT! We take the D.R.P. so we can take the fight to the enemy without fear or excuse.

Our fight ultimately will be lost. Yes we all know this to be true but that is not a good excuse to skip our D.R.P. My father never took a D.R.P. and in that inaction probably expedited his demise. I wonder what he would change now if he could? His mind is so far gone that he can’t even remember much about the last 30-40 years. I would bet though that he would make some changes if he could!

F3 Brothers – don’t let this be you! Do yourselves a favor – if you haven’t already. First take a look at the people in your life – family, friends, etc. Ask yourselves what they mean to you and how they would adjust to your not being in their lives. Second take a look at yourself in the mirror and in your mind – ask yourself – AM I FIT TO FIGHT? Lastly imagine yourself not being around or being confined to a place such as my father for the remainder of your life and then ask yourself this – Would you be willing to trade all the days from that point backwards just for the opportunity to get FIT TO FIGHT? I THINK YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER! Take the pill. Take that oft bitter, oversized horse pill and make yourself swallow. As often as you can and even double your dosage. Its no miracle cure, its no fountain of youth. Its a tool to help you get and stay FIT TO FIGHT.

Your choice with no excuses – THE SEDENTARY LIFE VS THE D.R.P!

AYE!

For all of my F3 brethren. It is a little long but has been on my mind for a while now so please bear with it. I hope it brings you some good reasoning for what we do together!

PART ONE – THE SEDENTARY LIFE

Today I made my one of my routine visits to the Veterans Victory House in Walterboro, South Carolina. I have been making the trip 1-2 times per week for the last three months. When asked about the reason for my visits I usually state it is due to an incident that occurred in the later half of 2014. Truth be told it is because of a path that was taken starting in mid 1967. A path that was embarked upon shortly after my birth. This was the time when my father retired from the United States Army.

My father like many others joined the military and had a career of service. He worked hard and did whatever his service required of him – including staying “fit to fight”. He was never in a combat role but he still stayed fit – because it was required. My father was never one that was physically active prior to serving save his time as a Western Union telegram messenger! He was not interested in sports of any kind not even as a neighborhood kid playing with others. Therefore the Army kept him physically fit for twenty plus years. Sure he smoked – about a half pack a day, and even indulged in the social beers of western Europe but he stayed pretty fit overall. He did his p.t. and passed all of his physical tests. This came to pretty much an abrupt halt the summer of ’67.

Once my father retired from active duty he began a journey on the sedentary life. As he transitioned into civilian life he was no longer required to participate in the routine fitness workouts and physical fitness tests. He worked his job, came home, ate dinner, watched a little television, and played his music. His only hobby was buying old record albums to add to his collection, and then make recordings to cassette tapes. He would sit in his studio for hours upon hours playing, listening, and recording his music. On occasion he would take the family on bike rides! He and mom had a 10- speed tandem bike and we would go for an hour long ride sometimes with all of us in line behind them on our bikes. Like a bad prequel to a National Lampoon’s Vacation movie! So he would do that once or twice a month in the summer only and that was the extent of getting his heart rate above 65 bpm. And so it would go for the next 40 years of his life.

The biggest stride my father took towards improving to a healthy lifestyle during this time was to quit smoking. Cold stop. Something most people cant seem to do these days. He stopped one day and never picked up another cigarette again. What he did pick up was 50 pounds of fat from overeating. He compensated for the craving with food and combined with the lack of exercise went from a 34 waist to close to a 50. Not a good combination either for a man with a family history of heart disease – his father died of a heart attack when my dad was only 17. So here is the outcome of that lifestyle. 1994 diagnosed chronic high blood pressure. 1996 diagnosed med. dependent high cholesterol. 2002 diagnosed major arterial blockage in heart and triple by-pass performed. 2002 – major carotid artery blockage detected and repaired with endarterectomy and stent placement. 2005 diagnosed as insulin dependent diabetic. This has been the way of life for his last 20 plus years. Then in the last part of summer in 2014 I received a phone call from my mother asking advice about a prescribed drug my father was currently taking. They had seen one of those bad drug commercials about that particular drug and wanted to know if I thought that he should stop taking it due to the mentioned risks. My reply was simply this – keep taking the pill and call your doctor for a consult about your concerns. That fell on deaf ears and my father decided he would stop taking his pills and the end result was not a pleasant one. Within a month my father had experienced several T.I.A.s (transient ischemic attacks) which are also called mini-strokes or strokes in evolution. These gradually build up and worsen until a full blown stroke is inevitable. In my father’s case he did not speak to anyone about the T.I.A.s so we had no warning. When he finally had the full blown stroke my mother was clueless to what was going on and waited until the next day to get help. It was too late.

Once my father was at the hospital and all the tests were completed the verdict was in – a full blown stroke on his previously repaired right side carotid artery. He was completely paralyzed on his left side. Decades of sedentary living had come to fruition. As I sat with my father listening to the doctors diagnoses I knew what was coming next. My father barely let the doctor finish and he asked “is there some sort of pill I can take to correct this?”. I nearly lost it. My father’s new home would be a skilled nursing facility.

Now each time I visit my father at V.V.H. I sit and wonder how differently it could have been. I wonder how his life might have been different today if he had not lived a sedentary life. Would we be out playing a round or two of golf right now? Maybe some tennis? Or maybe we would be at the beach, swimming and drinking a beer. Instead I am visiting him as often as I can and helping to feed him dinner or engaging him in conversation to help trigger some memories. Who can say for sure but what I am certain about is this – my father should not have been waiting until the eleventh hour to reach for a non-existent “miracle pill”. My father should have had the foresight to embrace the pain and the suck. He should have sought out and embraced the D.R.P.

PART TWO – The D.R.P. quick link – http://f3nation.com/?p=157125