Tag: brotherhood

Finding Purpose with a DD214

It’s hard to describe the struggle of finding meaning and purpose to a civilian; this is something only a veteran will understand and appreciate.

Purpose in the military

I remember quite clearly the day I drove onto Fort Bragg, fresh out of Ranger School and ready to lead men into combat.  I arrived at the 504th HQ and immediately took on the monicker of the Devils in Baggy Pants, a name earned in WWII given to the brigade by a german soldier.  I wore a US Flag on one shoulder, and the All American unit patch on the other.  From my first day, I represented much more than just myself.  I belonged to an elite group of men with a rich history.

 

It was more than being a part of a group with history though, it was also the gravity of what I was doing.  I was fighting for my country, ready and willing to sacrifice everything for the greater good.  The spartans came home with their shields or on them, I was similarly coming home with my flag or under it.  Every formation, every training exercise, every action I took in uniform was about sharpening myself and my men so we could make the other poor bastard die for his country.

Then I got my DD214…

Both Chad and I have told you many times, and i’ve written about it in the book, to make sure to answer why you’re getting out (1, 2).  It’s because both of us understand how difficult it is to find a purpose greater than yourself when you’re not in anymore.  To a civilian, that might not seem like such a big deal, but to a veteran, nothing is more important.

You didn’t joint the military because you cared about yourself, you did it because you cared about something greater than yourself.  You were a cog, and for many that served with you, you were an integral part of their lives.  Now what?

I don’t live to earn money.  Money is a necessity to survive, but having it doesn’t really motivate me.  I would go through a lot more pain and suffering to earn a cloth tab than to earn a dollar.

I also don’t live to work for my employer.  I know, that’s like a taboo thing to say, but I’m not willing to die for my company, but I was and am still very willing to die for my former employer:  The United States of America.   There are very few things I wouldn’t do to protect the red, white and blue, there’s no way to replicate that in the civilian world.

So?  Now what?

First, if you have a good “why” maybe that is your purpose.  Maybe you need to get involved in helping veterans or doing something for your community.  Maybe you need to run for office, or maybe you need to volunteer at church.

What you’re missing is the selfless-sacrifice that formed the keystone of everything else you did.

For me, I volunteer at church, give tons to charity, run this blog, support vets, and I live for my family.  My motivation to kick ass at work and earn money is so that I can continue to fund the efforts that make up my new purpose…a purpose that is bigger than me.

What’s yours?

 

 

-LJF



“The Drive”

My name is Chad.

Louis Fernandez asked if I would be willing to write some on his blog.

After deciding that I would, we both agreed an introductory segment would be the most appropriate place for me to start.

I will not spend much time talking about myself, as I assume most readers will have little concern about such things.

However, some information about myself, as well as my connections with the author of CONUS Battle Drills, maybe good for context.

I am a civilian now. Before that, I served in the United States Military for nine years.  First, as an Infantry Officer and then as a Special Forces Detachment Commander in the Army.

I am now a self-employed farmer and a stay-at-home dad.

I first met Louis in the summer of 2000.  We were both newly enrolled ROTC cadets at the University of Florida.

I had no intention of going into the military but took the course as a suggestion and recommendation from a fellow high school graduate and friend of mine.  That’s not very much important.  What is important, little did I know at the time, is that through this decision to take ROTC classes, I would be exposed to some of the most brilliant and patriotic Americans I have ever encountered.   Some of which have become my best friends.  The climax of both would be Louis Fernandez.

I have countless stories of how my life-long friendship with Louis began, developed, and endured.  I am not sure that this is the forum to tell all of those stories. Should you find me on a porch swing or around a camp fire with a beer then maybe you will be afforded the opportunity to hear such great tales.  I will simply say, for now, that Louis and I have certainly spent some formative years together and he has had a huge impact on my own life.

I do, however, want to take a brief moment to share one particular personal story (there are SO many) with all of you that I think will help paint the picture of Louis’s character (for you readers who are interested).

Louis and I graduated from the University of Florida and were commissioned as 2LTs in May of 2004.  Shortly after that we were required to report to Fort Benning, GA for the Infantry Officer Basic Course (IOBC).

To make a long story short, we loaded up our minimal personal belongings into his KIA Sephia, the day before we were suppose to report, and made the 278 mile drive from Gainesville, FL to Fort Benning, GA.

Immediately upon checking into our barracks I realized that I had forgotten not some but ALL of my military uniforms back in a closet at my previous home in Gainesville.  Our course was to commence with a formation early the next morning.

There was not enough time for me to buy or pull together replacement uniforms.  For me, there was no other option but to retrieve my forgotten uniforms.  I was both stressed and anxious to say the least.  Rather than just lend me his car (which would have been most generous in-of-itself), Louis decided to travel all the way back to Gainesville with me.
We got back into his car and we drove all way back to Florida (and then back again to Fort Benning).  All through the night we drove.

What would have been a 4.5 hour trip turned into a 14 hour trip.

 

I was exhausted and frustrated at my own stupidity.  Yet, he did not let me endure the hardship of my mistake alone.

He could have easy stayed at Fort Benning that afternoon and evening; and got the good nights rest, he deserved, before starting his first day of his new career.

His willingness to endure what I have since coined “The Drive” is a memory that I will never lose or an act of kindness that I will ever forget.

So, with the windows down at 70 mph, smoking cheap cigars, and talking about everything from money, religion, politics, and women, to stay awake, the two of us made “The Drive” together.

I chose this story, from so many, to share because it speaks volumes about who Louis is as a person.  He is fiercely loyal to his friends, family, comrades, and countrymen.  He goes above and beyond to make sure that no one is left “going it alone.”  These same attributes were so blatantly obvious to me in his book CONUS Battle Drills.  Sure, he might be abrasive when he tells you that you are an idiot (though he is probably right) but never to the extent where he is actually passing any judgment.  He has made his own mistakes.  He is not perfect.  But you can bet that he is looking out for you.  He wants to provide EVERYONE with the opportunity to learn from his own experiences and to make sure you are successful.

I can tell you, without any doubt, that Louis wants you to be ready on the day you sign in, to the extent that he will get in the car and drive you the extra mile to get you there.

-CWS




It’s Time for a Buddy System

I read a story this morning about a veteran who killed himself after his call to the VA for help went to voicemail. Besides the obvious reason for getting pissed off, I’ve been asking myself a lot lately, “what are you going to do about it?”  I’m done bitching and whining, it’s time for action.

The DOD has no idea why soldiers are killing themselves more now than ever before.  I know most of us think it’s because of the wars, but nope, there is no correlation between combat and suicide.  They are also not spending any money figuring out the cause by the way.

The point is this:  We need to band together as a veteran community and start taking care of ourselves; it’s obvious no one else is going to.  There are a lot of great organizations out there like Warrior360 and 22kill that are veteran run and really doing a lot of good, but I want to take it a step further:

I want YOU to get involved.

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Identify a buddy, tag them in this post, or if you don’t have facebook, comment below.  This is a public declaration that they are your buddy.
  2. If you don’t have a buddy in mind, then please comment that you need a buddy and state your location and date of service.  We will find you one.
  3. You will talk to your buddy at a minimum once a week.  You will ask difficult questions about their finances, relationships, and mental state
  4. You and your buddy will answer honestly
  5. If your buddy goes into a dark place, you are the first line of defense to get him help
  6. You will take this role seriously

None of this is new to any of you, we’ve all done it before.  We are making a formal buddy assignment.

It’s time for us to band together, set up our security perimeter and watch out for each other…no one else is going to do it for us.

 

———

The Christian Soldier

Being a Christian and a soldier has its own particular set of difficulties.  Some may call you a hypocrite, and they would be right but for the wrong reasons.

You see, all of us Christians are necessarily hypocrites.  We proclaim loudly that no one should sin, yet we admit to doing it every day.  That truth holds for me as I suspect it holds for many of you, and therefore as a Christian, I am also a hypocrite.  Being a soldier, however, does not make me a hypocrite.  I can be a soldier and still live as Christ and God expect me to.

Even a cursory glance at the Bible shows that God does not punish the soldier.  Abraham conducts the first recorded night raid to rescue Lot, Saul had his thousands, David his tens of thousands.  Even in the New Testament, John doesn’t tell the repentant centurion that he must quit, and both Peter and Jesus commend Roman soldiers for their faith.

The military is very much the context under which my faith was born.  What started as a ruse to get communion bread in Ranger school resulted in my actually hearing the word of God.  Slowly I began my conversion.

Two groups that typically have larger percentages of religious belief are soldiers and the elderly.  Both groups have come to grips with their own mortality.  I realized this quickly after my first firefight when the whizz and crack of bullets all around me showed me that it was luck, or maybe grace, that one of them didn’t find me as its target.

I accepted that I was indeed going to die one day.  All of us know this intellectually, but to believe and embrace it is quite a different story.  Many people see their eventual death as they get older and their body begins to break down.  As an Infantryman I realized that it really could happen any day, not in an intellectual way, but I knew it…I felt it.

Not everyone is built to do this job.  Some hesitate in a door, some don’t fire, and some will suffer emotionally for years.  Then there are the warriors who move with no apprehension straight into the face of danger and inflict whatever violence is necessary to eradicate the threat.  I’ve come to believe that you need to be designed that way, that’s not something that can be trained or taught.

In my walk with Christ over the years I’ve met men that can preach sermons that bring you to tears, others that give me goose bumps when they pray, and other still that can make music that brings you right into the very presence of God.

Some of us were given a different skill, like Peter who didn’t hesitate to draw and cut off a Roman soldier’s ear when they tried to take Jesus, we shouldn’t hesitate when confronting evil.  Also like Peter, however, we should be willing and able to show mercy, empathy, grace, and love.

Although some evil requires action in the physical realm to eradicate, other types of evil live in man’s heart, and can only be reached with love.  One of the efforts of CONUS Battle Drills is to teach you how to quell that beast so you can find love, compassion and empathy and live it in your daily life.

Violence is a tool, but it shouldn’t be your only tool.  When you lean on Christ you will find many other tools to add to your arsenal and you will not only be able to fulfill your purpose as a warrior but also as a Christian.