29 Aug 08

Today’s title is simply the date because today is just another day here. However, just another day is anything but ordinary. Late this afternoon I was coming out of a meeting and afterwards people were congregating and a Captain came up to me and said, “Excuse me, sir, but were you at Fort Knox in 2002?”  He then proceeded to tell me that he was formerly a Staff Sergeant who decided to compete for a slot to Officer Candidate School (OCS) and become an officer. For those who don’t know, the jump from enlisted Soldier to officer can be an arduous one. It’s full of paperwork, endorsements, physicals, exams, and culminates in a selection board composed of three officers who grill your motives, decision making, and qualifications.

It just so happened that I was one of the three officers who sat on his selection board. Why he remembered me is beyond me, but he definitely did and it meant the world to see Captain’s rank on him now. Here’s a young Hispanic American who enlisted in the Army as a private. He worked up through the ranks to become a Staff Sergeant which is no easy task, especially in war. Then he made the leap to apply for and be accepted to OCS. OCS is no picnic – it’s a rigorous course that lastes several months and is designed to weed out those who can’t hang. After OCS he had to complete his branch’s officer training, in his case, Armor Officer Basic Course. Finally he had to complete at least a bachelor’s degree. And there he was, having done all that and been promoted two more times to make Captain. It was a proud moment for both of us.

To round off the day, my Korean friend Martin gave another one of his speeches today. Though I didn’t get to hear it, he did let me proof it. His task this week was to give an information speech so he spoke about the challenges of mastering a foreign language. It both hilarious and informative. He stated in Korean there are no phonetic sounds for L, R, and B, so he said, “I love you” and “I rub you” are all the same, but if you love someone your eventually rub them too he surmised.

He has been speaking English since age 14 but explained the best way to learn a language is to put yourself in a position where you need it, like the vendors outside military bases in Korea. Though they have little education, their livelihood depends on what they sell to American personnel, so they must speak the language to make a living. Martin equates it to a bicycle. You can study a bicycle all you want, but until you ride one, you can never master it. But once you do, you never forget.

So one of the men in his Toastmaster’s group wanted to learn Hebrew. This man took Martin’s bicycle advice and applied it. He took a passion of his – the Bible, and decided that he’d read it in Hebrew in order to force himself to learn the language while doing something he enjoyed. I am so impressed with the discipline these guys have.

By the end of the conversation, Martin and I agreed to meet tonight and work out. I asked him what his goals were because if you want to bulk up, you lift heavy and do fewer repetitions. If you want to tone up, you lift lighter and do many repetitions. Martin said, “More like Bruce Lee, not Arnold Schwartzenager”. Got it, buddy. So we spent an hour and half killing our sphaghetti arms building not only our bodies but our friendship.

Martin is quite an impressive fellow and I am glad our paths crossed. He has a degree in electrical engineering, speaks fluent English, has travelled to 40 US states and every one of his country’s own national parks. He has been to Canada, Mexico, Kuwait, UAE, and now Iraq and others I’m sure I missed. He travels all the time. He swims, plays golf and tennis, and joined the Toastmaster’s Club to sharpen his speaking skills. He goes to church, works out, is running 8 miles tomorrow, and even told me he sings at Karaoke Night at the Morale Tent. He’s fearless when it comes to trying new things.

I’m thankful for the people God has put in my life – this new Captain, Martin, my wife and kids, friends and family, and my parents. It’s amazing what God orchestrates for each and every life out there. The 29th of Aug, 2008 is no accident whatsoever.

Have a great holiday weekend!

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