2 Words 2 Live By

With his book, 2 Words 2 Live By, first time author Mark Madden not only crossed off an item on his bucket list, he realized the process is what made it worthwhile.

With no writing experience other than academic (Mark attended T.L. Hanna High School, Anderson University, Clemson University, and the University of South Carolina), Mark wanted to write something to help people, but unlike the usual, lengthy self-help books, he made it short and simple.  Mark's 2 Words 2 Live By suggests You can change your life-two words at a time.

I wanted a book people could pick up for five minutes at a time and still walk away with a small nugget of information they could use to improve their lives. I decided I could put a lot of inspiration and motivation into just two words. I came up with at least two hundred two-word phrases during my brainstorming.

It's divided into five disciplines of life: physical, mental, practical, social, and spiritual.  With research or an anecdote, Mark discusses two words, for example: Physical. Seen often at the YMCA, Mark is a confessed gym rat.  Stay Healthy: Your health is your most important asset and must be protected at all costs. Do something now to improve your health. Every step you take toward better health is a step to a longer, happier life. He also gives readers an action.  Choose one new healthy habit such as taking a walk after dinner or adding a serving of vegetables to your lunch.

There's an area in which all of us can use two helpful words, Mental. To Keep Learning, Mark reads fiction for escape, especially the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child.  To broaden knowledge and for inspiration, he enjoys non-fiction.  His favorite is Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell.

It's an incredible tale of the bravery, courage, and compassion of the servicemen and women who protect our precious freedom.

The 2 Words I didn't expect in the Mental discipline were actually the words that helped Mark ignore self-doubt, which is what all of us, especially writers, experience: Expect Nothing. But, Mark's explanation makes sense.  It cannot be denied that human beings have an innate desire to accomplish, achieve, and accumulate.  We are satisfied when we reach our goals and unsatisfied when we do not.

I just focused on the task at hand the process of creating the book. I still expect nothing out of it.

I'd love to sell millions of copies and earn a living creating future related books. I'd love for people to tell me this book helped them change their life, even if only in a minor way. However, I look back at all I've learned and the talented people I've met who helped me complete this project, and I realize that the process is a part of what made this worthwhile, not just the product.

I especially liked Mark's Practical advice, Pursue Adventure, because it's something I don't practice nearly enough.

My absolute favorite hobby is spending time in the streams of the Appalachian mountains with a fly rod in my hand pursuing rainbow, brown, and brook trout. When I'm there all my problems disappear, if only for a while.

A life devoted to nothing but drudgery quickly dulls the spirit and dampens a person's sense of fun. There's excitement in adventures, big and small. Adventure is what makes our fondest memories.  It is what you (and your children) will remember many years from now. Mark is taking his own advice of Start planning your next adventure now.  He and son, Landon, earned their Basic Keelboat Certification in June of this year, so look for them soon sailing Hartwell Lake and in and around Charleston Harbor.

There are few endeavors more creative, frustrating or time consuming than writing and publishing a book.  The writing process for 2 Words 2 Live By took about a year without editing because it was a part time effort for Mark.  He's owned or co-owned several information technology related businesses, been a consultant to several large corporations, and invented and patented a product, which was sold to a company in Rhode Island. Presently, Mark's on a personal sabbatical, working on his bucket list, taking care of his mom, Jeanine Shufford Madden Garvin, who has Alzheimer's, and trying to figure out his next career move.

After editing, Mark had to rewrite 50-75% of the book.  This is standard. Although he encouraged himself during this process (Mark kept this a secret mainly because it was a personal bucket list item he was determined to complete regardless of what others had to say), he persevered and includes two words Encourage Someone as a Social discipline. Everyone has a memory from childhood when an adult, mom, or dad or a teacher, offered words of encouragement.  Mark's dad, Samuel Landon Madden, passed away in 1982.  But, always his biggest cheerleader, Mark knows his dad would be the most proud of him.  That's an encouragement. He realizes Adults need encouragement, too. Find a way to encourage someone this week.

Mark likes to keep the gospel simple, so his favorite passage is Matthew 22:37-40,

which basically says to love God and love others as yourself.  It also says that all the law hangs on these commands, which leads me to believe that if we would all just love God and love others as much as we love ourselves, we really wouldn't need any other laws.  What a world that would be!

Spiritual -of or pertaining to the spirit, or the soul.  Of or pertaining to God, sacred.  Most of us know I Corinthians 13: 4-7, Love is patient, kind, does not envy or boast, is not proud, does not dishonor, is not self seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrong.  But, sometimes we forget this passage is a call to act.  Two words to live by Love Others: Data indicates that relationships may have as much influence on our health as do factors such as obesity, smoking, and exercise. Everyone wants to feel loved. But what about showering love upon others? His advice? Do something special for a loved one today.

Life is working, creating, and doing. It's how we grow. Writing and publishing a book began as a bucket list, but Mark's life was also changed.

I think any worthwhile endeavor changes your life. You learn, you make mistakes, you meet people who have amazing talent, you discover that through collaboration with others you can do just about anything you want to do.

Our physical, mental, practical, social, and spiritual lives could use a little improvement: Walk Daily, Be Positive, Buckle Up, Appreciate Others, Don't Envy.  With a copy of 2 Words 2 Live By in hand, each day or week, we can read at random or choose a discipline that fits our present circumstances. 

2 Words 2 Live By is simple, enjoyable, and helpful for every person at every age and walk of life, so it makes a great gift.  

You can order a copy from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/2-Words-Live-Mark-Madden/dp/0989988406/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440426595&sr=1-1&keywords=2+words+2+live+by 

 

Mark lives in Anderson, South Carolina with wife Sissy and son, Landon.  His daughter, Kinsley, lives in Nashville. If you live in the Anderson area, you can buy a copy directly from Mark ( his book is on Facebook). https://www.facebook.com/twowordsbooks
I hope you'll buy a copy, Start Reading and Take Action 2 Words at a time.

 

 

 

 

 

A Fish Out of Water

I recounted my Southern California and the City of Loud Trumpeting Angels saga in my post from August 4, Please Be Quiet.  In that post I mentioned Billy Graham's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  My first thought was "A Fish Out of Water."  I wanted to pick his star up and move it far away from the madness of L.A., thinking he didn't fit. He's too good.

I've been to The Cove in Ashville. I've sat in his prayer room overlooking the quiet, peaceful mountains. This gold star is not him, especially surrounded by people obviously not longing for a message from a man who once said, "My home is in heaven. I'm just traveling through this world."

My next thought was the opposite.  If there is a perfect time and place, and desperate people who need his wisdom, it would be Hollywood.  I wondered if he ever influenced anyone in Hollywood.

My answer came a few weeks later when my pastor shared the story of Steve McQueen. A difficult childhood led to a rough street life then finally, through hard work, to Hollywood stardom and tremendous fame and fortune.  Once asked if he believed in God, he replied, "I believe in me.  God will be number one as long as I'm number one."

With his looks and drive, Steve McQueen experienced great success as an actor,  but his star was not as bright by the late 1970's, and he began turning down offers and preferring to be alone.  Health problems took him away from Los Angeles, where he met Barbara Minty and married for the third time.  His interest in aviation led him to a new friend, Sammy Mason, who McQueen described as different from the people who had surrounded him in Hollywood.  Eventually, Steve McQueen wanted to know his secret.  Mason shared the Who that made him different, Jesus Christ.  After attending church for several months with Sammy Mason, McQueen asked the Holy Spirit into his heart.

Seeing a dramatic change in the once rough and arrogant star, people knew his commitment to Christ was serious. Unfortunately, McQueen didn't have long on this earth after his change.  Diagnosed with cancer in 1979, the actor stated that he knew where he'd spend eternity.  He had one last request, though. He wanted to meet Billy Graham.  Rev. Graham visited a bed-ridden, on oxygen, Steve McQueen, and the actor shared his life, old and new.  Before Steve McQueen flew to a hospital for his final surgery,  Billy Graham inscribed his own Bible and gave it to him. Four days later, McQueen died with Rev. Graham's open bible on his chest.

I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives.  This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God-who does not lie-promised them before the world began. Titus 1:1-2

I don't know how Billy Graham felt when his star was placed on the Walk of Fame, but I have a feeling he didn't think, "I'm too good. I don't fit in."  He is an evangelist, sharer of the Good News of Christ. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 9, "Healthy people don't need a doctor-sick people do. For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners."

Rev. Graham was available to all men.  Even in his younger, healthier years, I'd guess he preferred his retreat in Asheville and his home in Montreat, North Carolina over Los Angeles and the many other cities around the world he visited, but he knew his calling was to go, preach, share, and listen. He was both spiritual advisor and friend to many, even when it was unpopular.  Not only did he invite Martin Luther King, Jr. to preach jointly in New York City in 1957, he bailed him out of jail years later when Dr. King was arrested during demonstrations.

 

Rev. Graham wasn't afraid to leave his quiet, comfortable surroundings or befriend those unchanged by Christ, understanding that he lived in a dark world that needed God's light, words and love.  I'll willing to bet any star in 1979 would have rushed to McQueen's bedside if asked.  But thanks to the influence of Sammy Mason, who was different, McQueen asked for someone he had wanted to meet for a long time, Rev. Graham.

A fish longs for water, his home.  So do I. I long for my comfort zone and others like me, don't you? But, as believers, we can't hide from darkness. God calls us for a purpose.

Sometimes he calls us to be a fish out of water,

Katy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mama Cromer

The service for Allie Mae Cromer was a celebration of her godly life of 102 years.  "Beautiful on the inside and out" has become so cliché, but I can honestly say that Allie Mae Cromer was truly this and more.  Ten years ago, her granddaughter Amanda Vickery, one of my closest friends, wrote an accurate, unforgettable story about her Mama Cromer for Grandparents' Day at Midway Elementary School, where she teaches. Both privileged and honored, I read it at Mama Cromer's service. 

The story was followed perfectly by a message by her pastor, Don Cox. I know you'll enjoy Amanda's story as much as I did.  And please, don't miss the message after that.  Both Amanda and Don gave me so much to think about for my own life. 

My Grandmother

Allie Mae Cromer

Allie Mae (17) &
Claude Cromer

My grandmother, Allie Mae Cromer, born in the year 1913, grew up picking cotton for less than 30 cents a day. She grew up in a small but full home with eight brothers and sisters.  During her elementary school years, she would often go and stay with her aunt in town to attend the town school and come home on weekends. Her favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 31:30, "Charm is deceptive and beauty disappears, but a woman who honors the Lord shall be praised."  She lives out this verse in her life each day.
 

I always dreamed of having a little girl one day and naming her after my Grandmother.  In 1996, my dream came true.  Our daughter, Allie Cromer Vickery, was born.  My grandmother was so thrilled to hear that we had named our Allie after her.  We decided to go with Allie Cromer, leaving out the Mae knowing one day she would "get us good." My grandmother could not understand why we would name our daughter Allie. Here are some of the reasons we did:
 

Mama Cromer, as most call her, turned 95 in May.  She has piercing blue eyes that twinkle and a sweet cackling laugh.  She is 95 going on 18.  She even has Oil of Olay anti-age wrinkle cream in her medicine cabinet.  She washes her own little station wagon AND drives it, too.  She never misses church and backs her own car up in her parking space each Sunday.
 

Not long ago after church one Sunday, it was raining really hard.  I said, "Mama Cromer, let me go and get your car for you."  She said, "No, honey, I'm fine!" She proceeded to put her black leather purse on her frail shoulder, her black leather Bible under her armpit and pop up her "flowery" umbrella and head off in her black leather pumps.
 

Her favorite shows are Jeopardy and Price is Right.  She continues to bake her famous coconut cake.  She still insists on doing it the old-fashioned way by breaking the coconut herself on her driveway.  She grates the coconut only on the fine side of the grater. (That takes a lot longer!)
 

Most of all, my grandmother is known for her flower garden. It is more magnificent that any words could ever say! It is where we gather each Easter to hide eggs.  We have to be careful amongst her flowers.  Each flower has a tin stake labeled with a shaky hand-written name of each flower.  My grandfather made all of these for her before he died.

 

She goes to bed at 8:00 and rises at 5:00.  (These days she even wakes at 12:00 midnight to turn off her sprinkler). Early each morning she heads straight out to her garden.  If you ride by her house, you can see her bent over body and the silhouette of her wide brim sunhat.  You really don't notice her small white wood house because it is surrounded with so much beauty! She has gardened her entire life.  Her garden is loved and visited by so many people.  She says that God has multiplied her seeds and bulbs because she has shared them with friends and family.  Although she lives alone, she is never lonely, for she has so many garden visitors during the day.

She wins awards for her flowers, too.  Mainly, she is known for her daylilies.  One time, she even won an award for winning the most awards.  Another time, she won a Bass boat and sold it to purchase central heat and air for her home.

She is a strong and prideful woman.  I have never known a woman quite like her.  Over her 95 years, she has lost her husband and one of her five children to cancer.  She has kept her strong spirit through it all.  Her beautiful blue twinkling eyes are beginning to fail her, and her hearing is growing weak.  Other than that, she is still much like the young girl picking cotton, but in an aged body.

After my own father died, she and my mama became best friends again.  During Grandparents' week, she always comes to Midway with Mama.  My daddy never had a chance to come and visit our wonderful school.  My mama gently leads Mama Cromer's frail body down these long shiny halls.  She holds on to her tightly every step of the way.  Having her here at Midway for Grandparents' Day is all I have ever known.  "I can't imagine," she tells us, "being a part of such a wonderful, beautiful school as this. Midway is such an opportunity," she tells my girls.  They ask her about when she was in school.  She tells them of how schools were long ago.  We are all amazed at how things have changed.

That one little girl I dreamed of turned into two little girls.  My prayer for them both is that they grow up to be like my Mama Cromer.

Amanda Vickery

Amanda's prayer for Allie and Maggie is what a mother's prayer should be for her daughter, a faithful and giving life. 

As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight.  I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 2 Timothy 4:6-7

Paul encouraged Timothy personally and challenged him to be faithful and persevere in his ministry.  Dr. Cox spoke of Mama Cromer's race.

Looking at the tiny frame of Mrs. Cromer, you might not think of her as a warrior or a runner, but in essence, in Christ that is what she was. She became a disciple of Jesus earlier in life when she placed her trust in Jesus to be her Lord and Savior.  She was one who put her hand to the plow and never looked back. Her battle and race was not like that of Apostle Paul.  She did not face martyrdom, but she was faithful in that sense that all Christians are called to be in how she lived life in the sphere the Lord gave to her.

Mrs. Cromer's battle, her race, was more along the lines of 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 "make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders."

Paul places this type of life right in the center of what it means to be faithful to Jesus.

As Amanda mentioned in her story, Mama Cromer's yard was a sight to behold.  In Anderson, most know about her yard, especially her daylilies.  No matter how fragile, she didn't stop working.  Everyone knew she enjoyed God's creation. Dr. Cox reminded us that not only did she enjoy communing with her Savior as she worked, she also glorified Him with the array of colors that grew up due to her diligence. 
 

 

Amanda prays for her daughters to be like Mama Cromer, but that is actually an appropriate prayer for all of us.  I, too, need to grow up to be like Mama Cromer. She was a person in love with Jesus who did good and showed kindness.  If she gave you a flower from her garden, she gave the best that she had.  Dr. Cox challenged her family, and I felt challenged as well.

As Paul wrote to encourage Timothy through his life, you her family know that as she loved you, raised you, spent those times talking with you, listening to you, praying for you, cooking for you, she was doing that to model before you how a believer should live for the Lord. She wanted to be a consistent witness, and she was. Allie Mae had to make choices to sacrifice so as to minister to others and to advance the cause of Jesus. Mrs. Cromer would want you her family and us her friends to see her life in the light of Paul's words to Timothy.  She was pouring her life out for Christ not so as to earn eternal life but because she had received eternal life as a gift. As she lived out her life by the principles of the faith she kept or to which she was faithful, she would want us to run the race well.    

Mama Cromer lived a faithful life, even in difficult circumstances.  She was certainly a role model for those seeking to live that life.

You are known as ones who are part of the family of Allie Mae Cromer-a great woman in the eyes of God. As people could always look at her and see faithfulness, as they could pass by her house on that little corner with the beautiful garden and be reminded that the fragrance of Jesus hangs there as much as the fragrance of flowers, so let your homes and your lives continually be known likewise.

 

I can only hope and pray that when my race is finished, I leave a story as this,

Katy

 

 

 

 

Please Be Quiet

Last year's California trip was my ultimate Nature Lover's Vacation, so I shouldn't complain; however, with exception of a few beautiful beaches, you can have Southern California, especially Los Angeles, the City of Angels, which was obviously named after the loud trumpeting angels. Personally, I prefer the quiet, appeared in a dream, whispering in your ear kind.

 

We did the touristy thing in Hollywood and walked around TCL (formerly Grauman's and Mann's) Chinese theater looking at the Walk of Fame: a stark difference to the quiet beauty of Big Sur and Kings Canyon.  We tried to stay close.  It was madness: up-and-coming anxious "artists" pushing their CDs expecting cash in return, precariously hopeful "star" impersonators willing to be photographed also expecting cash, various incognito criminals waiting for a chance, sadly experienced homeless of all ages searching for a handout, and of course, cars, buses, taxis, tourists, shoppers, and employees loudly hustling and bustling with ipod and smart phones as the loud trumpeting angels in the second largest city in the United States proclaimed THIS IS WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF! For me, it was more like a nightmare.

Ready to escape the madness outside, we raced up the stairs of their version of a shopping mall to find food. I should've known better. We were still in the City of Loud Trumpeting Angels, never wishing to be quiet.  These were no ordinary stairs. "What is that noise? Where is the music coming from?"  Luke knew immediately. "Oh cool, Mom, these are piano stairs."  Well, great, each step provided more loud noise.  At this point, I wanted to scream PLEASE BE QUIET!

I was interested in only two of the Hollywood Stars on the Walk of Fame: Billy Graham and Tim McGraw.  My first thought when seeing Billy Graham's star was "A Fish out of Water," which I'll write about later.  I smiled at Tim McGraw's star.  Driving through the City of Loud Trumpeting Angels, I was what Tim McGraw sings about in Shotgun Rider, navigating David on the fast-loud-crowded lanes of the 405, the 10, the 5, etc., beside him singing to the radio.

Away from the City of Loud Trumpeting Angels, Disneyland was less scary but certainly not quiet.  As if the theme park itself isn't noisy enough with thousands of people talking and laughing and babies crying, guests are serenaded at the hotel swimming pool, the sidewalks, and queue lines with Disney tunes.  We had a great time, but I needed quiet.

My wish was granted as I sat beside a fellow reader on the plane ride to Houston.  But, we picked up a seat-beside-me talker in Houston. NOSE IN A BOOK is the universal sign for Please Be Quiet, but one pause and close of the book, and the Please Be Quiet sign is OFF. Tempted to read again when he started talking, I closed my book because he had two saving graces. One, he was a good Texan story teller and shared stories of his son at West Point and many travel stories, including a submarine ride in Hawaii.  Two, he was a history buff, and after asking me the loaded question, "What do you think of THE flag?" we discussed the Civil War and Robert E. Lee, the Revolutionary War and Francis Marion, the Alamo and Sam Houston, and the Berlin Wall and Ronald Regan (I had been to his library).  He impressed me a lot.  I impressed him not at all. 

We talked about the City of Loud Trumpeting Angels and agreed the world is too noisy, crowded and busy. We need more quiet, and the next thing I knew, we were in beautiful South Carolina.    

There's another reason I smiled at Tim McGraw's star. He and wife Faith Hill recorded the ultimate "big city, we don't fit in here" song, Meanwhile Back at Mama's.  It's their version of Please Be Quiet, expressing how I felt in the City of Loud Trumpeting Angels.  By the end of the week, I couldn't wait to "pack it up and leave here." Meanwhile, Back at Katy's, there's a porch, dog, living room, favorite QUIET coffee shop, and yard when I need for the world to Please Be Quiet. Meanwhile back at Katy's, I have friends who understand "in a world gone crazy as this," we need quiet.    

We seek and experience God's presence in the crowded and intimate, and the loud and quiet.  For me, I experience His presence more in the quiet and intimate. It's a relief. If I'm home alone, the television is off. I don't even own an ipod.

...but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. I Kings 19:12

Sometimes, in the middle of this crazy, crowded, noisy world, I think God says,

Please Be Quiet,

Katy   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Than Self: A Soldier




It's time to proudly wave and wear red, white, and blue, eat BBQ, and celebrate the United States of America and her birth.  It's time to give thanks for our freedom, pray for our country, and sing our favorite patriotic songs, like The Star Spangled Banner and America, the Beautiful.

America, with her spacious skis and majestic mountains, is beautiful.  But as a selfish person, I need to look at the third verse of America, the Beautiful, which not only reminds me of how we won our freedom but also urges me to remember how we keep it. 

     Oh Beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife

    Who more than self their country loved 

    And mercy more than life.

While we sleep soundly in America, the Beautiful, there are those whose mission is to place "us" before themselves, and they deserve our praise, so I asked my favorite Veteran, my cousin, retired Army Sergeant First Class David Brown Crawford, to share his service.

When David entered the army in 1988, he said the Army didn't actually do that good of a job instilling Country First or Selfless Service.  It was talked about, but he joined with a generation who grew up with a sense of patriotism.  They had recited the Pledge of Allegiance in school and respected the flag of the United States of America.  When a soldier acted selfish, they were berated a bit with physical activities and taunting, "It's all about Johnny, isn't it?" Then, everyone else was punished for a soldier's self-serving attitude.    

The majority of the guys I served with almost regardless of background had at least the basic building blocks of  "America biggest and best" concept instilled in them.  Through my 22 years in the Army these building blocks were rapidly eroded, and more and more new soldiers only were in it for themselves. Combine this with "the mass punishment is cruel" mentality and the "Me, Me, Gimme, Gimme" attitude of the modern day youth, the Army had to improve their messaging.  So toward the end of my career (2004-2009 time frame), the Army began to develop things like the "Soldiers Creed," Army Values and Warrior Ethos.

The Soldier's Creed begins and ends with I am an American Soldier with eleven statements in between, among them, I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values, I will always place the mission first, I will never accept defeat, I will never quit, I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.  The Army's Core Values are Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage.  Selfless Service: Put the welfare of the nation, the Army and your subordinates before your own.  This messaging is now a large part of Basic Training.  Along with posters and paintings on the walls, recruiters teach their recruits these sayings before Basic Training, keeping these ideas in the forefront of a Soldier's daily life.

Army's Core Values http://www.goarmy.com/soldier-life/being-a-soldier/living-the-army-values.html 

Soldier's Creed http://www.army.mil/values/soldiers.html 

These are strong words, but if you don't believe it, and at some point give yourself to cause then the tendency to continue to put yourself first will remain and reflect in how effective you are as a Soldier.

"He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.  He is a shield to those who walk with integrity." Proverbs 2:7

David served twenty-two years, including three tours in Iraq.  Toward the end of Desert Storm, he was part of "Operation Provide Comfort" in Iraq and Turkey. During his second tour in 2004, he joined  his unit already in country twelve months and ready to redeploy. With temperatures reaching 110 in Kuwait, his men were ready to recover their gear, load the boat, and "let the freedom bird swoop in and take us home to our families, comfy beds, good chow, and no more sand!!"  But, that didn't happen. Because of troubles with Shite Militia in Eastern Iraq, their time was extended ninety more days.

I feel certain each of us were having deep conversations in our heads dealing with Love of Country, Selfless Service and Mutiny at that time.  We did what we were told, packed up and went back to base and got our heads down. The next morning my battalion commander had the task of telling the unit we had to go back.  He was choking up as he told us, and we knew we were all getting a huge gut check from the lowest ranking to the highest ranking. In the end I knew I couldn't complain at all.  My guys had been there much longer and would have cut me no slack if I was to complain at all.

David's last tour in Iraq, 2007-2008, was fifteen months.  Many guys he served with had already spent close to five years in either Iraq or Afghanistan.

We knew there was little you could do to make it go faster.  It was not a race. You just had to literally lean forward everyday and put one foot in front of the other just to get through it. We all knew we could die but we knew we were good at what we did, and if we continued to do what we knew how to do then as a group we would survive.

Not only do Soldiers sacrifice their lives for us, their families sacrifice as well.  Missing countless birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays, David knew what time he had to be at work but never what time he would be at home, often going home for dinner then back to the hanger for more work.

My family all agree that it was a good luck day when David met Anja while stationed in Germany.  Taking care of two children with a husband overseas and moving every three years wasn't easy.

It was probably tougher on her than me in many cases, but Anja's level of motivation and responsibility always amazed me and allowed me to do my job without having to worry that the kids were not being taken care of or other household duties were not being accomplished. I owe more to Anja for keeping our family together during those times than I could ever put into words. Anja and our kids (Josh and Hanna) were very supportive during this process. I think they have a sense of duty because of the environment they grew up in.

The Army's Core Value of Selfless Service states The basic building block of selfless service is the commitment of each team member to go a little further, endure a little longer, and look a little closer to see how he or she can add to the effort.  David said, "Accepting 'you can't just quit' attitude is the only way to get through it."

With an adventurous spirit (always), David enjoyed the travel the Army provided. His job as a helicopter mechanic was challenging, but "learning and managing a complex piece of machinery was exactly what I needed." His mom, my Aunt Gladys, always said he spent most of this childhood taking apart and putting back together anything and everything.  But, David also served as a recruiter for a few years and was as honest as possible with new soldiers.

Sacrifice was part of my pitch, but I didn't really focus on it. Anyone who goes into the Army not taking into account that they are going to have to give themselves to the process at some time usually didn't make it. Those who were unable to relieve themselves of "me first" mentality and give into the "I am here to serve a cause that is bigger than me. My buddies are in this with me, and what I am doing matters" at some level did not fare well in the Army environment.

Being a Soldier is a job, yes, but it's also a big sacrifice with a mission.  Every employee has goals and a mission, but the mission of a Soldier is to make it possible for us to live freely in America, the Beautiful.

Even though he doesn't agree with the path we are taking and believes our situation will worsen before it improves, David would serve again. 

"I feel very fortunate to be an American.  I always think back to what it took to win WWII and wonder if we would have the intestinal fortitude to win that type of fight again.  Oddly enough, if I had to do it all again, I would still choose to join the Army and serve my country.  The level of camaraderie and respect I have for the Soldiers I had the privilege to serve with is enormously important to me, and I will value that until the day I die.

How much do you love America, the Beautiful and our freedom?  Thank our Soldiers.  Your welfare comes before their own.

Happy Independence Day,

Katy

I could never express how proud the Brown family and I are of our Soldier, David. After twenty-two years of career military, we were relieved to have him safely home in the country he served and protected.  Thanks, David, for your willingness to share your service and thoughts.