So someone came up with the idea of thanking people who might have had a role in building this support and they chose to begin with a "Thank You" program for employers. After all, it was they who sometimes got the short end of the stick when it came to giving employees time off for training, mobilizations and deployments. They called it the Thank You Program to the Employers Support for the Guard and Reserve and my first chance to put it into effect was stopping in to see Mr. & Mrs. Barnett at the hardware store. Dave was my First Sergeant at the time and he probably took as much time away from the store as I did from the school.
It was really nice to be able to recognize them for their support, not just because they really went "above and beyond," but also because they were really good people. I would call the store all the time to talk to Dave and Mrs. Barnett was always so cordial and always took time to talk to me -- a lot of the time because Dave was with a customer, cutting keys or selling something. Mr. Barnett was just that cool, calm guy that nothing seemed to rattle. I guess after raising Dave, he had seen everything and nothing new was going to get to him. Like I said, they were just plain "good people."
It's kinda fun looking back at these old pictures and seeing things the way they were back then. I do, however, have to wonder at the sanity of the Army giving a command of a company of MPs to such a young whipper-snapper. It's also fun to see how Dave looked "in his prime."
Everyone's life comes with a certain amount of baggage. It's those who help you carry it that really matter.
Hooah
No comments:
Post a Comment