So, today is Veterans Day, a day where we honor those who have served and are serving. For some reason, it grates YHC’s nerves when it is treated like Memorial Day, a day we honor those who died in service to this great nation.
I put the call out to the pax to post at REDFriday – where we honor those who serve each and every week – on this day which fit so perfectly with Veterans Day. To say I was a little disappointed when only seven pax showed up is an understatement. There were many more than valid reasons for guys not to post, but I kept thinking about all the men and women who served who put aside what they wanted and what they preferred to do something bigger than themselves. In my black-and-white mind this was the perfect reason to ditch the hill run and get some honor-laden work in,
Then it hit me.
Yes, all those who normally run the hills on Friday should have posted at REDFriday. But all those who normally post at REDFriday should have posted at the hils. Had YHC not been the Q, I probably would have high tailed it over there.
The point I was trying to make is that it doesn’t matter what our plan says or what we feel like we want to do. Those who serve our country routinely give that up so we don’t have to. It should have been no problem for us all – YHC included – to forget what we wanted to do and honor those who serve.
I remember being in Mayport, Florida, as a child when my dad was stationed there. This would have been around 1988-89 time frame. It was my birthday, maybe my 11th, but I’m not certain. I can clearly remember standing on the pier where Dad’s ship was moored as he prepared to deploy that morning. Standing on the pier, he handed me a birthday card.
“Happy birthday, Bud!” it read in his barely legible scrawl. “I’m sorry I have to leave on your birthday. You have a great day. I love you! Dad”
In conversations since then my dad has said that he hoped one day I would understand that there are things bigger than us, bigger than birthdays, bigger than your own family and bigger than our selfish desires. And there are some men (and women) who simply cannot help themselves but to sacrifice the things they love the most to serve the lives of those they have never met.
I got it, Dad. I understand. Sometimes too well.
We did a little work this morning. We honored the Wise brothers – Jeremy, Ben and Beau. Jeremy was a Navy SEAL, Ben an Army Green Beret and Beau USMC Infantry. #Respect
Jeremy and Ben were both killed while serving. Beau remains on active duty. Today, we pay homage to Beau and all those who have served. Aye.
THREE WISE MEN
- “Ben” 7 min AMRAP
- 5 burpees w/ lateral jump over coupon
- 10 squats with coupon in front rack position
- Rest 2 minutes
- “Jeremy” 7 min AMRAP
- 10 merkins
- 20 LBCs
- Rest 2 minutes
- “Beau” 7 min AMRAP
- 15 rabbit burpees
- 30 jump squats
- Mosey into the shadows in a field. Many times, vets feel like they are in the shadows though there is light all around, just like in this field. 22 merkins to honor the 22 veterans who take their lives each day because they cannot adapt to life after war.
- Mosey to the hill. Battling one’s way out of severe depression and anxiety related to PTSD can be a difficult climb. Bear crawl up the hill, jog back down and head back to Old Glory.
I love Memorial Day and I hate Memorial Day. On Memorial Day we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. And I know each of the men who post here at F3Greenwood and many of the men around F3Nation. Every one of them I can most assuredly say would die for their wife and kids. No hesitation. No questions asked.
But today is Veterans Day. We honor the living veterans today, those men and women who gladly sacrificed their wants, preferences and often even their needs to serve us, people they have never met. The bigger challenge for us today, as #AcceleratingMen, is will we live for our family? Will we put aside our wants, preferences and even needs for our family? To me, this is a much deeper question of character and manhood than giving up our physical life for our family. Living for them requires a daily decision to swallow the #DRP and make a conscious decision in every moment to #LiveThird.
#TClaps to Duggar for his service and to all my other brothers who have served or are currently serving!
Aye!