Borrowing from John...

Back in my "younger" days, I used to play in a band back home in Austin, TX.  I even "sat in" with a few other local bands… It was a tremendous experience.  Along the way, I met John Langford.  He hosted a "House Concert" one night while I was sitting in with a guy named Steve Weichert (a talented singer/songwriter).  John is a professional photographer and a darn good one too.  About the same time I was getting selected to flight school, John decided to sell ALL of his earthly possessions and travel the world.  He sold his car, his house, and everything in it.  John now carries everything he owns in two bags.  If you get the chance you should check out his blog (www.CosmicCandidCamera.com). 

In John's last blog he shared some reflections/thoughts on his first six months of traveling.  I think it's a great idea and one that I'd like to borrow.  So,… I've been stationed at Fort Rucker Alabama, home of Army Aviation, for 7 months.  Here are a few of my thoughts (and a couple other folks) so far.

1.  Growing up I learned there was a right way and a wrong way.  Apparently, there is a third…. The Army way.  It can be the right way sometimes and it definitely takes longer ALL THE TIME.

2.  I like being a Warrant Officer better than I liked being an NCO (Sergeant),… but it still doesn't pay as good as the "O grades".

3.  "Happy “accidents” occur by putting yourself out there, by taking risks, by not having expectations about how things will turn out." (John Langford)

4.  Texas is better than Alabama

5.  I miss home and I think about it all the time.  The hardest part has been accepting the fact that I know I am supposed to be here.

6.  There will ALWAYS be somebody, bigger, stronger, faster, smarter… but that doesn't give you an excuse not to try to become better.

7.  I have saved a lot of money playing xbox, but truth be told, it offers very little if not any edification at all.

8.  My golf game has improved since I came to Fort Rucker, but it costs way more than xbox.

9.  SERE stands for; Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape,… what happens at SERE is classified and I can't tell you or anyone about it.

10.  By the time I leave Fort Rucker I'll have anywhere from 150 to 200 hours of rotary wing training.  The FAA only requires you to have 40 hours to get your private pilot's license (20 for a sport pilot license).

11.  Be accountable for your men, your equipment, and yourself… all the time

12.  Some things in life are incredibly difficult to understand,.. and no matter how hard you try to embrace the situation you are still left wondering and asking yourself questions about how or why things happened a certain way,.. or how/why they didn't happen a certain way.  If only the lessons in life came first instead of the tests.

Well,… I'm almost done packing for SERE.  Here's a picture of my progress…  I'll be gone for the next month,… see you on the "other side"!