Today

Ordinary Americans Doing Extraordinary Things

The youth of today are inundated by all kinds of things in the media. Things that tell them what is considered cool and hip in society today. But how positive are the messages that our children are receiving? Think about it, really think about it. Every day in the media, be it television, the radio or even online, we are bombarded with stories about sports figures, musical artists, actors, politicians and other so called pillars of society, who are often in trouble with the law, or in the media for doing things that are socially unacceptable. Yet these are the people whom many of us and therefore our children look up to as role models. They strive to dress like them, act like them and hope to lead a similar life as them. Is that really the message that we want our children to have? Are these really the people that we wish for our children to emulate? Is that the type of person that we hope our children become?

Think about those negative role models for an instant. Snoop Doggy Dogg, Axel Rose, Terrell Owens, Michael Vick, Teddy Kennedy, Roseann Barr, the list could go on and on. Do we really wish for our children to grow up to be like these people? As a parent, I can honestly say that I did my best to make sure that my children didn’t grow up to be like these people and live the lives that they lead. I tried my best to ensure that my children had positive role models growing up and am very proud of the young men that my sons have become. I tried to teach them responsibility, right from wrong, and the joy they could find in doing something for someone else, not because they had to, but just because it was the right thing to do. The role models that I provided for my sons and pointed out to my sons, were for the most part, positive role models. Did they still make mistakes sometimes? Undoubtedly, but they did their best not to do so. Those are the role models I wanted my sons to emulate and for the most part, they’ve done so. People like our Troops, our police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel. Normal, everyday people that we come into contact every day. People who quite often do completely amazing and extraordinary things, not because they have to, but because it’s just the right thing to do.

All across America, there are thousands of men and women who selflessly do things for the betterment of others and of our country. The majority of these men and women never receive any recognition for their actions, nor in most cases, do they wish for recognition. Instead they do the things they do, not because it’s a requirement to do so, but instead because they want to. These people are ordinary people who on a daily basis, do extraordinary things. Perhaps, they are that person who volunteers for the local fire department or Emergency Medical Service. Perhaps they are the grocer who witnessed an accident on his or her way to work and stopped to help. Perhaps they are the teenager who volunteers at the local nursing home, reading to the elderly. Perhaps they’re the Servicemember who volunteered for the military after witnessing the events of 9/11 on their television sets.

While these people may be from different walks of life, in different professions and each encountering different circumstances, they are people who go out of their way to do things for others and for our country, without asking for anything in return. They are people who are willing to make sacrifices to benefit others or to benefit our country. These people are the people we should encourage our children to emulate. They are role models and mentors and they set a great example for each of us.

One website has made it, their mission to celebrate the lives of these extraordinary American people. This website, Great Americans, strives to tell the story of the lives of these heroes, the story of their service and sacrifice for the benefit of others. As part of the mission of Great Americans, they are striving to tell the story of the men and women who serve our country in uniform, both at home and overseas. Our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guard, Police Officers, Fire Fighters and EMS personnel to name a few. These people put their lives on the line on a daily basis, to ensure our safety and security. Each and every one of them are true American Heroes and each of them has a unique and special story. At Great Americans, their goal is to share their stories through video. Please take some time to visit the Great Americans website, to view some of the videos, read their blog and participate in the discussions on their forum.

Please also take some time to read about the founder of Great Americans, Matt Daniels. His is an amazing story of how, with role models, one can succeed in life and be a positive role model for others. Matt grew up in the Spanish Harlem area of New York City. Matt didn’t have many positive role models growing up. When he was a young man, his mother was robbed by 4 men, and in the ensuing struggle ended up with a broken back, that caused her to be disabled and subsequently have to rely on welfare to support herself and her son. Because of some positive role models in his life, Matt was able to do amazing things with his life. Things that one wouldn’t think possible, considering his impoverished upbringing. Because of the example these people set for Matt, he worked hard, received a scholarship to Dartmouth Law School. Because of the influence that these positive role models in his life, Matt’s dream was to created a place to spotlight the modern day “Great Americans,” to tell their story. The stories that we so very rarely hear about. Once again, I encourage you to visit Great Americans. Listen to the stories there about true American role models, ones we should make sure that our children know about. I think you’ll be very pleased with what you find there. In the future, as I’m covering stories about our military men and women, I’ll try to incorporate videos from the Great Americans website.

Warriors

Soldier Becomes First Amputee In Warrant Officer School

Since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began, more amputees than from any other war, have opted to continue their career in the military and proven that their amputation didn’t prevent them from performing their duties and doing so very well. Take Captain David Rozelle, who lost his foot in Iraq to a roadside bomb. He remained in the Army, went back to Iraq leading a combat team and has competed in many marathon and triathlon competitions. Or, US Navy Petty Officer Casey Tibbs, who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident, remains in the Navy today and competes in the Paralympics in running events. Or perhaps you remember the story awhile back about Army 1LT Juan Castro who was blinded in Iraq and has ran the Army 10 Miler. All Soldiers that we’ve featured here at A Soldier’s Mind and all of these men have overcome their injuries and continued to serve our nation. A few years ago, this would have been a very rare occurrence. Today however, with the advances in prosthetics, many have been able to return to active duty and remain in the Army. I don’t have exact numbers, but know that about a year ago, the number was in the 60s. They have to basically prove that they can still pass the military physical standards.

Yet another Hero has overcome injuries he received in Iraq, and in doing so, has become the first ever amputee to be accepted into Warrant Office School. This spring, he’ll join his fellow students at the school and from what I’ve read about SSG Johnathan Holsey, he’ll be a darn fine Warrant Officer. He’s to report to the school in Fort Rucker, Alabama in April. Currently he is assigned to the Human Resources Command in Alexandria, Virginia.²

Hosley was injured in November 2004 when a roadside bomb detonated. At the time he was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 503rd Infantry Regiment. The bomb caused severe damage to his left leg. His leg wasn’t amputated right away. About two weeks after he arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he was fighting a severe infection in his leg, when doctors told him that they would need to amputate, due to that infection.

“I remember the day when the doctor came in,” he recalled. “I remember the doctor coming in on the 22nd of November and … he told me that it was best that we amputate, but it was my choice.”³

Imagine having to make a decision like that after two weeks, post injury. I’m sure that there was a lot of hope that the doctors would be able to save his leg, so I can just imagine how devastating and difficult it was to have to make that decision. Through the support of his family and his faith, SSG Holsey made the decision to follow the doctors advise and go ahead with the amputation.

“Family is very important to the recovery process,” he added.⁴

Holsey persevered and decided that he wanted to continue to serve in the Army. Throughout his recovery, he thought hard about he could continue to meet the challenges that come with being an amputee. Almost 5 months after his injury, he was fitted for his first prosthetic leg. He learned how to manage the challenge of not having a leg, by participating in some of the activities that Walter Reed has for patients, such as skiing and fishing.

“I’m blessed in my recovery, and I try to challenge myself to figure it out,” he said. “Even though you might have lost your leg, it doesn’t mean you can’t do … things. You just have to figure out how to balance it or figure out how to do it. You have all these questions … things you probably never thought of,” he added. “Before I became an amputee, I can honestly say I never met one and probably never knew one.”⁵

Holsey has always been a person who meets challenges put in his way, head on. He knew he wanted to continue to serve his country and never let anything stop him. In March 2006, shortly after he completed his rehabilitation, he attended Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course (BNCOC). He was on his way to becoming the first amputee ever to be accepted to Warrant Officer School.

“It was an interesting thing for me, because I was one of the first human resources soldiers to go as a amputee,” Holsey said. “I felt that even though I wanted to stay - I wanted to be a Soldier regardless - this is what we do. I wanted to go the next rank and knew this was something I had to do.”⁶

For Holsey, BNCOC was interesting. The instructors questioned whether he could complete the annual physical fitness test. That didn’t stop him and he sought guidance on how he could perform and complete his annual test. Just like those amputees before him, who blazed the trail and showed that an amputee could perform their duties as Soldier, Holsey is blazing new trails of his own. Hopefully his example as a Soldier and a leader will inspire other young Soldiers who might face similar hurdles in their path, to never give up and continue to reach for their dreams.

1. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53247 [↩]
2. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53247 [↩]
3. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53247 [↩]
4. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53247 [↩]
5. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53247 [↩]
6. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53247 [↩]

Politics

A Veteran Speaking Out

Lately we’ve all had politics overload this past year, with the Democratic and Republican primaries and now the two candidates having been chosen by their respective parties, to represent them in the Presidential bid. I’ve said all along, that I don’t hold a whole lot of faith in politicians and often feel that our country would be much better off, if “we the people” were more able to be in control of the inner workings of our government. However, I do know, that I will chose to vote for the person who most closely reflects my beliefs. I feel that it’s extremely important that we really listen and research each of the candidates, their past actions and words, before we decide who we’re going to vote for. I also believe, because the war in Iraq is such a crucial issue in this year’s Presidential race, that we also listen to the men and women who are or have fought in Iraq. Listen to their assessment of what has and is occurring there and think about which candidate you feel will do what’s best for our Troops, the Iraqi people and ultimately our Country. For many years, I’ve not voted based on which political party a candidate represents, but instead based on that person, what they promise they will accomplish if they are elected and based on their past history. I’d like to provide our readers with the opportunity to listen to one young veteran, listen to what he has to say about the war in Iraq, his thoughts and beliefs. After watching this video, really think about what he has said. If you have the opportunity, talk to veterans of the war in Iraq and ask them their opinions, before you make your final decision. Be informed, be aware and be an educated voter, one who doesn’t take the candidates words on face value, but instead a voter who is willing to do some digging before you make your decision.

Motivation

Ordinary Americans Doing Extraordinary Things

The youth of today are inundated by all kinds of things in the media. Things that tell them what is considered cool and hip in society today. But how positive are the messages that our children are receiving? Think about it, really think about it. Every day in the media, be it television, the radio or even online, we are bombarded with stories about sports figures, musical artists, actors, politicians and other so called pillars of society, who are often in trouble with the law, or in the media for doing things that are socially unacceptable. Yet these are the people whom many of us and therefore our children look up to as role models. They strive to dress like them, act like them and hope to lead a similar life as them. Is that really the message that we want our children to have? Are these really the people that we wish for our children to emulate? Is that the type of person that we hope our children become?

Think about those negative role models for an instant. Snoop Doggy Dogg, Axel Rose, Terrell Owens, Michael Vick, Teddy Kennedy, Roseann Barr, the list could go on and on. Do we really wish for our children to grow up to be like these people? As a parent, I can honestly say that I did my best to make sure that my children didn’t grow up to be like these people and live the lives that they lead. I tried my best to ensure that my children had positive role models growing up and am very proud of the young men that my sons have become. I tried to teach them responsibility, right from wrong, and the joy they could find in doing something for someone else, not because they had to, but just because it was the right thing to do. The role models that I provided for my sons and pointed out to my sons, were for the most part, positive role models. Did they still make mistakes sometimes? Undoubtedly, but they did their best not to do so. Those are the role models I wanted my sons to emulate and for the most part, they’ve done so. People like our Troops, our police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel. Normal, everyday people that we come into contact every day. People who quite often do completely amazing and extraordinary things, not because they have to, but because it’s just the right thing to do.

All across America, there are thousands of men and women who selflessly do things for the betterment of others and of our country. The majority of these men and women never receive any recognition for their actions, nor in most cases, do they wish for recognition. Instead they do the things they do, not because it’s a requirement to do so, but instead because they want to. These people are ordinary people who on a daily basis, do extraordinary things. Perhaps, they are that person who volunteers for the local fire department or Emergency Medical Service. Perhaps they are the grocer who witnessed an accident on his or her way to work and stopped to help. Perhaps they are the teenager who volunteers at the local nursing home, reading to the elderly. Perhaps they’re the Servicemember who volunteered for the military after witnessing the events of 9/11 on their television sets.

While these people may be from different walks of life, in different professions and each encountering different circumstances, they are people who go out of their way to do things for others and for our country, without asking for anything in return. They are people who are willing to make sacrifices to benefit others or to benefit our country. These people are the people we should encourage our children to emulate. They are role models and mentors and they set a great example for each of us.

One website has made it, their mission to celebrate the lives of these extraordinary American people. This website, Great Americans, strives to tell the story of the lives of these heroes, the story of their service and sacrifice for the benefit of others. As part of the mission of Great Americans, they are striving to tell the story of the men and women who serve our country in uniform, both at home and overseas. Our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guard, Police Officers, Fire Fighters and EMS personnel to name a few. These people put their lives on the line on a daily basis, to ensure our safety and security. Each and every one of them are true American Heroes and each of them has a unique and special story. At Great Americans, their goal is to share their stories through video. Please take some time to visit the Great Americans website, to view some of the videos, read their blog and participate in the discussions on their forum.

Please also take some time to read about the founder of Great Americans, Matt Daniels. His is an amazing story of how, with role models, one can succeed in life and be a positive role model for others. Matt grew up in the Spanish Harlem area of New York City. Matt didn’t have many positive role models growing up. When he was a young man, his mother was robbed by 4 men, and in the ensuing struggle ended up with a broken back, that caused her to be disabled and subsequently have to rely on welfare to support herself and her son. Because of some positive role models in his life, Matt was able to do amazing things with his life. Things that one wouldn’t think possible, considering his impoverished upbringing. Because of the example these people set for Matt, he worked hard, received a scholarship to Dartmouth Law School. Because of the influence that these positive role models in his life, Matt’s dream was to created a place to spotlight the modern day “Great Americans,” to tell their story. The stories that we so very rarely hear about. Once again, I encourage you to visit Great Americans. Listen to the stories there about true American role models, ones we should make sure that our children know about. I think you’ll be very pleased with what you find there. In the future, as I’m covering stories about our military men and women, I’ll try to incorporate videos from the Great Americans website.

Rebuilding

The Art of War

I have finally gotten around to enrolling in the hand-to-hand combat class known as Modern Army Combatives or just Combatives.  In the past I have avoided this class like the plague.  The core elements of the class are ground fighting/grappling techniques.  If you have ever watched UFC on TV, the class teaches you the same techniques and skills.  As a boxer it is completely unnaturual for me to find myself wrestling on the ground.

After day one, I can say I have found a new respect for the class.  Today I spent basically 8 hours getting my ass kicked.  I have found myself sitting in front of the computer, completely dehydrated, sore from head to toe; I am drinking glass after glass of water and doping up on Bayer.

The morning started with the 14 of us learning Combatives Drill One.  This included achieving a dominate position over your party/enemy, whether this is to  be on top of your foe or to achieve a position that leaves your counterpart with their back to you.  Next we learned to escape your foes dominate position and place yourself back in a dominate position.  We drilled this over and over,  at a slow speed so everyone could learn each of the steps.  I can tell you, it was incredibly repetitive and became very boring.  But, with everything in the military and in life in gerneral, you must crawl before you walk and you damn well better walk before you run.

After breaking for a brief lunch, we returned.  We continued to learn a few submission moves to include arms bars and chokes.  Once we ran through those for the next we moved on to our run stage.  First we grappled one versus one to achieve the dominate position, next moving to one versus one to achieve submission.  From their we moved on to a drill known as the bull ring.  Here, you fought everyone in the class.  If you found yourself the “bull” every member of the class would grapple with you one after another with no rest in between.  Just as you thought you were done with one person, another would be shooting in to achieve a dominant position and ultimately make you submit.

I must state it was definately a brutal day.  I am excited, but at the same time cringe when I realize that this is only day one and their are four more days of progressivly harder drills.  I will continue to keep you posted on the outcome of the days.  For now I leave you with the history of the Modern Army Combatives Program (MAC-P). Read more »