From the Editor - Life is good. But that doesn't mean it is always fair. May dad used to say, "Life is a series of short lived highs and lows interrupted by long periods of the mundane." He would counsel my brothers and me to enjoy the highs, work thought the lows and to not overreact to things beyond our control. For me this has manifested itself to a pretty simple personal philosophy; take care of yourself so you can take care of your family work hard to make yourself indispensable while realizing you are not.
As This philosophy was abruptly brought home recently. One of my young college-aged nephews sustained a severe head injury while skiing. While it is too early to know the long-tem effects, we are grateful he is alive and showing signs of slow but steady improvement. My nephew, his dad (my wife's brother), his mom and his younger brother define family. They have enjoyed life's successes and have dealt with its harsher realities though none I would venture as difficult as this. My wife's brother has a very successful career with a Fortune 500 company. My sister-in-law is an accomplished education professional. Both were true "parenting partners" before it became fashionable. The two brothers are outstanding student-athletes and have garnered numerous academic and athletic honors along the way. Over the years I have observed the four of them through the prism of the usual family events - weddings, baptisms, birthday parties, holiday gathering, funerals and the like. The thing that was always apparent was their individual and collective focus -- family. In this moment of pain and uncertainty, it will not be the accolades, the promoritons, the athletic awards, or scholarships that sustain them. Rather it will be their lifetime of commitment to what truly matters. And, for me, it serves to add perspective to dealing with the realities of the day-to-day life while being careful to not be consumed by the moment and lose site of the course the has ultimately been set for all of us.
Life is good; fairly or not.
Carpe Diem!
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From the Editor - A number of years ago I attended a retirement ceremony at which the retiree included a comment in her remarks that has stuck with me ever since. As memory serves it went something like this, “I never really planned on hanging around as long as I did, but as it turns out, the longer you stay, the longer you stay.” As it turns out I will be staying here in Washington, and with the Coast Guard, a bit longer, having been hired on permanently as this publication’s Editor.
As I mentioned in my initial From The Editor column as Interim Editor, a significant part of my professional career outside the Coast Guard Reserve was in the public relations, publishing arena as an entrepreneur and small business owner. It is my plan to utilize those private sector experiences to maintain and, if possible, build on the outstanding reputation the Reservist so rightfully holds. My guiding principle will be to “do no harm.”
Fortunately, I have an excellent partner, Chris Rose, the magazine’s art director extraordinaire. His creativity is boundless and well recognized both inside and outside the Coast Guard. Going forward it is our goal to continue to seek opportunities to improve editorial content, its presentation and means of delivery. We will strive to maintain an appropriate balance between providing, what might be termed, programmatic or policy information with their real world manifestations; the human face of your individual and collective efforts. Your thoughtful comments and feedback are welcomed and encouraged.
Finally, I am grateful to the Coast Guard for the opportunity to hang around a bit longer. I am equally grateful to be in a position to help tell your stories. Stories like one in this issue written by BM3 Paul Dragin of Port Security Unit 309 about fellow Coast Guardsman, Thinh Truong.
It is the story of Thinh Truong and countless others yet untold that make the staying not seem that long.
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From the Editor - Recently, I was on an oh-dark-thirty flight from Washington, DC to Oakland, CA for the wedding of our youngest son. Before I dozed off a headline on the cover of the in-flight magazine caught my attention. It read, “Life, like golf, is all about how you play out of the rough.” For a long-in-the-tooth duffer like me this analogy is certainly one with which I can relate.
As a In fact, it instantly brought to mind what I consider the best clutch shot from the rough ever. It was during a play-off for this year’s Master Golf Championship between Louis Oosthuizen and Bubba Watson. Watson had put his tee shot well into the woods and out of sight of the green. With his ball sitting on a mixture of pine needles and straw beneath a stand of tall trees, Watson created a shot that not only cleared the surrounding hazards but hooked some forty yards and landed on the green where he drained his putt to win the championship and the coveted Green Jacket.
As we go about our daily lives much of what we do is straight down the fairway. But there are times when we find ourselves playing out of the rough. This is when the training, the attention to detail, and discipline make it possible for us to create the circumstances for success. In this issue of the Reservist you will find a number of stories about how reservists like yourself are taking advantage of a variety of training opportunities to enhance their individual readiness for surge and contingency response. Some attended formal courses like the Reserve RB-S Boat Crewman Course at Yorktown. Others participated in locally developed training focused on increasing competency and proficiency in core Coast Guard missions including pollution response and law enforcement.
When the inevitable call to duty comes, these reservists will bring with them the confidence of knowing that, like Bubba, should they find themselves in the rough they will have the tools necessary to find their way to the green.
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From the Editor - In the last few issues of the Reservist you may have noticed some changes. Specifically, we have added a couple of new Departments: those being, “Around the Reserve” and “Shipmates in Focus”. The reason for these changes is straightforward: spotlight the many interesting and innovative things happening around the Service; and tell, what we hope you will find to be, compelling stories about the men and women who make up the Coast Guard Reserve.
Our cover story will continue to focus on the “big picture” like this issue’s Centralized Assignments feature with its accompanying articles. In addition, our online magazine (www.uscg.mil/reservist) will offer additional content in the form of embedded video. Speaking of video, we are extremely pleased that former Director of Reserve and current Commander of the Personnel Service Center, Rear Admiral David Callahan, agreed to author this issue’s “The View” as well as appearing in a short video on our newly created Reservist Channel embedded in our digital version of this issue.
Online viewers will also get to see America’s most famous weatherman, Al Roker, who has created a video promoting support for the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance campaign. Other embedded videos include two reservists who are here in Washington to assist with the Presidential Inauguration.
As we look to the future, we encourage units and members to continue submitting articles that highlight the value and contributions our reserve, active duty, civilian and auxiliary personnel make every day. We also encourage, that, when appropriate, consideration is given to the inclusion of a short video – 90 to 180 seconds – for possible “airing” on the Reservist Channel in future online issues. You will find more detailed submission guidelines on the Reservist website.
Finally, we continue to be inspired by the awesome contributions you make, both individually and collectively. It is a privilege for us here at the Reservist to tell your stories.
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