Walk or Drive?

Recently my friend Mike from Concord, asked if I would do a small write up about leadership in the military for his quarterly news letter at Sharp Tool Company.  I thought after writing it that I would share it with everyone.  Enjoy.

As I walked through the gates of Arlington National Cemetery I was struck with the absolute immensity of the hollowed grounds that lay before me.  As far as my eyes could stretch lay the final resting place of so many American Heroes, Presidents, Soldiers, and my best friend.   I walked into the main office where a polite lady asked me, “Specific grave site?”  I replied, “Yes, 1LT Todd Weaver, KIA 09 September 2010.”  She shuffled through papers and eventually found the grave site.  She then asked, “Are you going to walk or drive to the site?”  The statement befuddled me.  Walk or drive?  I hadn’t even considered that the site was so far away that I may have to drive.  And with my disabled right foot, perhaps driving was the best option.  I paused for a second and replied, “Walking.”

I have been an officer in the United States Army for almost four years now.  I was deployed and injured in Southern Afghanistan almost a year ago now.  Leadership and organizational change are huge tenants of being an Army Officer.  In the Army, as with most organizations, we have core values in which all Soldiers subscribe to.  Specifically we have seven core values: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal courage.  All the core values put together both literally and figuratively spell out LDRSHIP.  As with any organization the extent to which our employees embody these values leads to either a smooth and efficient work place, or an inevitable failure. 

As I walked out of the front office my mind was racing.  “How could anyone drive on such honored ground?  How could I look at myself in the mirror if I drove past all these honorable heroes just to get to my friends final resting place?”  My right foot had been severely mangled by an Improvise Explosive Device in September and this walk would be the furthest I had walked since being injured.  Down Patton Street, left on Eisenhower, the street names of countless American Heroes droned on and I thought of my organizations core values, L D R S H I P.  I was proud that I was walking, as it was inevitably the right choice, even though driving would have been easier.

Organizations will continue to live, breath and move.  Employees will enter and exit over the years.  Core values will certainly change based on goals, motivation, and the company’s mission. But, in the heart of every employee there will be a time, perhaps multiple, where you are posed with the metaphorical question “Walk or Drive?”  Which way are you committed to acting?

Job Offering

Recently I have been paying attention to the news a little bit more.  I have seen the riots on the streets in most of our major cities and the "Walks on Wall Street".  I know a major issue brought up is unemployment and growing loan rates that seem to smother our average working citizen or recent college graduate.  Well have no fear, I am here to give you a job description and hook you up.

Requirements:  You must be above the age of 18, 17 if you are given a waiver from a parental guardian.  If you have a college degree you qualify for a higher starting salary and higher position of authority.  You could possibly start with as many as 30 individuals underneath you.  You must meet specific weight requirements that essentially define that you are not obese. You must be under the age of 40, but again a waiver can be drawn up if it is deemed that you are healthy.  There is no disqualification for prior felony charges, gang relation, or any other major mishap in your life prior.

Benefits:  Your starting salary will not be too large.  This is no 60,000 dollar organization off of the bat.  However, almost all individuals will qualify for retrograde college assistance (aka we will give you a lump sum to pay back a portion, if not all of your college loan debts).  You and anyone in your immediate family will be covered 100% medically, be that dental and regular.  You will receive a housing allowance based on your rank, or housing will be provided for you.  You will no longer have to live at home with your family.  In fact for those that complain that they still have to live at home with your family, we actually can almost guarantee up to a year away from your family at certain points.  You may be able to live abroad as well.  We have sites in Italy, Denmark, Germany, and Japan just to name a few.  If you decide to stay with our organization for a long period of time we will pay for your graduate degree and pay you full time duty pay while you are at graduate school.

Warnings:  There is a slight chance that you may be hurt or experience hardships while working with our organization.  There may be some long nights and early days.  Your mind and body may be exposed to abuse that we intend just to toughen you up for better service within our organization.

I am sure you are aware that I am talking about military service.  I find it funny that the jobs people tend to say they "respect" are inherently the ones they do not want to do.  This past year while I was injured I got to spend four months living with my parents, and it was some of the best times of my life.  I have understanding, but minimal sympathy for the complaints on college loans and debt.  I have minimal sympathy for those that have been crushed by the job market.  Ahh, no one was complaining about our free enterprise when it was booming and the job market was great.  Well, the ideals of free enterprise have not changed, we are just merely upset that some of us have been left out in the cold as of late.  Well come on into military service, the fire is nice, the benefits are great, but enter at your own risk.

This in no way shape or form intended to insult anyone, just a mere observation.

The Best Reads

Since I have started writing this blog I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from individuals that have appreciated my honesty and candor.  I can not describe how much it means to me that my words could somehow have an effect, even if it is on one person.  I feel as though I have created a following on this blog and would like to utilize this entry to share the stories that I read, that humble me, that help me understand better.  Below I will share a short story about the author and I, then suggest there book.


Nate and I stood half way up church hill on our way to the Army Football game.  We had spent all morning crowded around a computer trying to figure out how to make the Leader Challenge program more appealing.  We got almost all the way to the top and Nate stopped.  We had been speaking about previous experiences he had in the Army and how he was doing.  Now we stood in silence.  Still silence, maybe five minutes of silence.  Nate was hurting and even as a sophomore cadet I could see the pain in this prior Ranger Platoon Leaders eyes.  Nate had seen some things and they were still effecting him that day.  A year or so later Nate Self decided to put down on paper the story that had haunted him so bad.  Not only did he share the entire story, start to finish, he included the after and how PTSD effected his life and marriage.  The book is titled "Two Wars" and if you want to gain a better understanding of a traumatic situation that a Soldier encountered and how it mentally plagued him afterwards you must read this book.  


"Kyle?"
"Yes, sir"
"Am I facing the wall or facing you?"
"Your facing me sir."
"Good good, have a seat lets talk."
I sat in the cramped commanders office at the West Point WTU.  Across the big wooden desk was a family friend that was critical in getting me back to West Point.  A fellow infantry officer, combat wounded, a father, and a husband.  He smiled in a corky way and his eyes constantly blinked.  His gaze was about two feet over my head and maybe 3 feet to the right of me as he spoke.  We spoke for about an hour about staying positive, about how people said he would never run but he is running a marathon now, about faith, and just about general life issues.  I remember thinking, "Wow I have never met such a positively thinking person in my life."  What I failed to mention was, my family friend is Captain Scott Smiley.  To some this may mean nothing to others a lot.  "Scotty", as we all referred to him, was severely injured in Iraq when a suicide van packed with explosives went off in front of him.  He lost site in both of his eyes.  Scotty is 100% blind.  His book entitled "Hope Unseen" is a phenomenal read about his struggles from being a perfectly healthy individual to accepting the fact that he will never get to see his wife and kids again, let alone anything in this world.  Its is a great spiritual read that will leave you feeling, "Hmm my life is not to bad."  Truly inspiring.


As I sat in the crowd at Ike Hall my firstie year I was beaming with excitement. Two of my all time favorite college basketball coaches were going to give a lecture to the Corps of Cadets.  None other than Coach Bobby Knight and Coach K.  I was anxious to see the difference between the two men and their leadership styles.  I only remember a simple few things from that brief, one being Coach Knight exclaiming, "Piss on ethics!" as he cut off Coach K's attempt to real him in.  But, Coach Knight did suggest a book.  A book that he said every American should read.  This book was "The Lone Survivor" by Marcus Latrell.  I put that in a notebook and didn't think anything of it.  I finally read that book several months ago and it rocked my world.  Far to often we get caught up in the best fictional books out there, whether its Harry Potter or Twighlight, we read these making up our own non fictional feelings to these stories.  Well this story is a non-fiction true story about a 4 man seal team that was over run and ambushed.  The title gives away the ending of the story, but it is an incredible read and really portrays the spirit of the military. 


These three books have been incredibly enlightening for me to read.  I understand they are all military books but for the reader who is truly interested in understanding the military in a deeper sense, these are must reads.  I encourage you to pick up atleast one and give it 20 pages of your attention, thats all it will take.  Thank you all for reading.

Soldiers Reunite: A few great men and their stories.

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. 

This past weekend was Columbus Day Weekend.  A strategically placed weekend that allows college students to Soldiers on the front line claim "4 day" (military term for 4 days off in a row).  Usually 4 days are used to travel to extravagant areas, or to do something intense like free falling and rock climbing.  This weekend I stayed right in town at good old High Falls, New York.  A group of my short lives heros were coming in town for the weekend and we were all going to spend time together.  I had not seen them since the day I was removed from the battlefield.  What I would like to do is use there personal stories and lay out an incident that occurred to them in Afghanistan.

CPT Bryson Shipman-  2008 graduate, was in BOLC, IBOLC and Ranger with me.  Then through the Army we got assigned to the same battalion at Fort Campbell 2-502.  After convincing the boss a little bit I was told that I was going down to Delta Company, Shipman and I were going to be platoon leaders together.  Shipman, Ivey, Weaver and Snook.  We were the uh "dreamteam",  more like 3 studs trying to get the new platoon leader "me"  figure out how to properly do my job.  I would never have been a quality platoon leader if it were not for these individuals guidance and teaching.  Bryson was moved to XO prior to our deployment for manageable faults within the upper level of our Company.   He was told he would not lead a platoon in combat and the news angered and saddened him.  But Bryson being a professional took his job very seriously and was extremely successful as an XO.  He went out on several patrols but one patrol was unique.  As he walked along a path he thought he had felt something compress beneath his feet, under further inspection is was a very large IED.   They cleared out of the area and the IED was blown up.  Later found to be nearly 100lbs of HME that Bryson had been stepping on just an hour earlier.  100lbs that would have sent him atleast 65 feet in the air and would have required the mission to change to 'find body parts'.  A strong Texas man I am sure Bryson sees past this but it still wares on his mind.

Cory Kastl-  West Point grad 2008, BOLC/IBOLC/Ranger School, then assigned to the good old 2-502.  Cory was a leader in the battalion.  One of the guys that just seemed to do everything right.  If I needed advice on war related topics I went to him.  If I wanted advice on lifting weights, as Cory was an all american championship boxer, I would go to him.  Cory certainly was considered an immense asset to our battalion because he possessed the will power and leadership that you dont see in many junior leaders.  

December 12, 2010- Members of Cory Kastl's platoon worked long hours to set up the new outpost out in the village near Sangsar, the birthplace of the Taliban.  Squads were out on patrol while others continued to fortify the new outpost.  The men had worked to exhaustion and it was time to put some of the Soldiers on rest cycles.  The Soldiers laid down in the building for the the last time they would sleep.  A massive vehicle born improvised explosive device, essentially a van packed with explosives, drove past the outpost and exploded directly next to the sleeping building.  I have never asked Cory nor am sure it would be appropriate to about what happened next.  The end result was 6 soldiers dead, some of them from being barred alive in the rubble.  Cory himself had been trapped and received lacerations to his face and skull.  I had been tracking the story through the news paper for days, prior to finding out it was Cory's Platoon and I broke down crying in my basement when I heard.  I felt bad for the dead, and I felt bad for the living.  The living would have to carry this for eternity and I cried for them and Cory.  

Larkin O'hern was a 2008 West Point grad, BOLC/IOBC/Ranger School.  Larkin came to 2-502 and was immediately granted a position at platoon leader in Bravo country.  Since I started to get to know Larkin mostly at Benning I can tell you he was a quiet but very poignant.  The man spoke with conviction and with confidence on all issues.  Standards were key to him, yet at the same time he knew how to hold a conversation and be a close friend.  He was the perfect balance of confidence and empathy.  I am sure by having a new wife by his side she aided in this attributes and encouraged Larkin. 

New Years Day 2011-  Trying to work through the normal New Years Day hangover, I laid there in bed and reached for the computer.  I decided to check Facebook for the normal stupidity that interests us all.  As I got on a message popped up from my good friend Jake Ivey.  We exchanged normal talk, then he said, "Man really sorry to hear about Larkin?"  I said excuse me, "He said Larkin lost both his legs and his right hand on December 30th." ........."Jake I have to go sorry."  My eyes welled up, I crutched upstairs to be around my family and my mom came over and rubbed my arm, she said "are you ok kyle?"  I dont think I got a word out for 5 minutes, I just sat there and cried as my mom held me.  A massive IED had just taken my friends legs  and right hand, also mortally wounding another Soldier in the process.  

As I hung out with the three of them, Larkin with his amazing wife Rachel and Cory with his uh not to far from soon to be wife Megan and Bryson, it was crazy to reflect on how much has happened in one year.  I was blown away by Larkin's drive to maneuver freely.  I am sure he could have sat in the wheelchair all weekend had he wanted to, but no he wanted to walk around.  With  the curious stares of onlookers you could see a look in his eyes that he certainly could care less what they were thinking and barely acknowledged their starers.  Cory who has always been a strong guy was so concerned with the health and needs of others that I wish I would have gotten an opportunity to talk more about how he is doing....I mean how he is really doing.  And Bryson, my best friend for the past 4 years, the mental side of war that only few speak about.  Running medevacs for dead and wounded soldiers or children, not feeling as though you were adequately used, and knowing that had that IED gone off that would have been the end of him.  I admire his mental strength.

José Narosky once said, "in war, there are no unwounded Soldiers."  The mental and physical scars left behind can not be compared nor related to one another.  What may mentally destroy one person, may be just another day at work.  I have struggled with the mental side of war most recently, and I consistently struggle with justifying my feelings when comparing them to others who are less fortunate than myself.  It is to not play down there injury, nor to embellish upon my own, but experiences as potent at these leave scars that only time and love can heal.  I love my friends very much and I am committed to giving them my time to ensure they heal.  Cause as a lot of people have said "Its just a bump in the road,"  and as my friend Larkin responded, "Yeah but its a pretty big fricken bump."

Thank you all for listening and please comment if you have any questions.