More Inspiration? Try "Iron Mike"

It's all about attitude and it's all about choice -- we can choose our attitude.

Witness "Iron Mike:"

The Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant in the picture is Michael Burghard, part of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team that is supporting 2nd Brigade 28th Infantry Division (Pennsylvania Army National Guard). This story has been verified on Snopes.com.

From the Omaha World Herald, 09-24-2005:

Leading the fight is Gunnery Sgt Michael Burghardt, known as "Iron Mike" or just "Gunny". He is on his third tour in Iraq. He had become a legend in the bomb disposal world after winning the Bronze Star for disabling 64 IEDs and destroying 1,548 pieces of ordnance during his second tour.

Then, on September 19, he got blown up.

He had arrived at a chaotic scene after a bomb had killed four US soldiers. He chose not to wear the bulky bomb protection suit.

"You can't react to any sniper fire and you get tunnel-vision," he explains.

So, protected by just a helmet and standard-issue flak jacket, he began what bomb disposal officers term "the longest walk", stepping gingerly into a 5ft deep and 8ft wide crater.

The earth shifted slightly and he saw a Senao base station with a wire leading from it. He cut the wire and used his 7in knife to probe the ground. "I found a piece of red detonating cord between my legs," he says. "That's when I knew I was screwed."

Realizing he had been sucked into a trap, Sgt Burghardt, 35, yelled at everyone to stay back. At that moment, an insurgent, probably watching through binoculars, pressed a button on his mobile phone to detonate the secondary device below the sergeant's feet.

"A chill went up the back of my neck and then the bomb exploded," he recalls. "As I was in the air I remember thinking, 'I don't believe they got me.' I was just ticked off they were able to do it. Then I was lying on the road, not able to feel anything from the waist down."

His colleagues cut off his trousers to see how badly he was hurt. None could believe his legs were still there.

"My dad's a Vietnam vet who's paralyzed from the waist down," says Sgt Burghardt. "I was lying there thinking I didn't want to be in a wheelchair next to my dad and for him to see me like that. They started to cut away my pants and I felt a real sharp pain and blood trickling down. Then I wiggled my toes and I thought, 'Good, I'm in business.' "

As a stretcher was brought over, adrenaline and anger kicked in.

"I decided to walk to the helicopter. I wasn't going to let my team-mates see me being carried away on a stretcher."

He stood and gave the insurgents who had blown him up a one-fingered salute. "I flipped them one. It was like, 'OK, I lost that round but I'll be back next week'."

Copies of a photograph depicting his defiance, taken by Jeff Bundy for the Omaha World-Herald, adorn the walls of homes across America and that of Col John Gronski, the brigade commander in Ramadi, who has hailed the image as an exemplar of the warrior spirit.

Sgt Burghardt's injuries — burns and wounds to his legs and buttocks — kept him off duty for nearly a month and could have earned him a ticket home. But, like his father — who was awarded a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts for being wounded in action in Vietnam — he stayed in Ramadi to engage in the battle against insurgents who are forever coming up with more ingenious ways of killing Americans.

________________________


Courage. Attitude. Bravery. Choice. Warrior Spirit.

You Want Inspiration? Read This!

GREECE, N.Y. - Alone in the gym after practice, Jason McElwain went through his elaborate pregame ritual. The 17-year-old senior, manager of the Greece Athena High School basketball team, drained a 3-pointer, a double-pump layup and a free throw, kissed the back of his ring finger at center court and sped off to the dressing room to exhort and amuse his teammates.

“You’ve gotta give it everything you got!” McElwain sang in rap verse. “The winner goes home all happy/The loser goes home and says/‘Mommy we lost the game, wah wah wah!”’

McElwain, who is autistic, was back in his role as an all-around motivator on the eve of a sectional semifinal game Tuesday night — handing out water bottles, dispensing tips, helping run drills.

Two weeks earlier, he suited up for a game and delivered a jaw-dropping performance.

His play drew national attention, and a flood of calls from Hollywood. His parents have received inquiries from about 25 production companies ranging from The Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. to independent documentary filmmakers.

“I don’t know what I’m walking into,” McElwain said. In his team’s final home game of the season, McElwain entered with four minutes to go. It was his first and only appearance for the Athena varsity team in this Rochester suburb. The 5-foot-6 manager hit six 3-point shots and a 2-pointer and was carried off the court on his teammates’ shoulders (see above).

His triumph was captured on a student video that made the rounds of the television networks. The school was besieged with calls and e-mails from parents of children who have autism, a little-understood developmental disorder.

“We have an obligation as a society to find a way to include people with different abilities,” said the school’s athletic director, Randolph Hutto, whose 12-year-old son, Joshua, is autistic. “This, hopefully, will help open doors for some people, or open some eyes.”

McElwain, who didn’t begin talking until he was 5, still lacks social skills but has learned to cope well in his teens, said his special-education teacher, Diane Maddock.

“He might talk a little loud, laugh a little too long or not be able the read the body language or even the tone of voice of a person, but it’s not a big difficulty,” Maddock said. “If you call him on it, he will acknowledge it, say ’OK, you’re right, I shouldn’t have said that or laughed when I laughed.” ’

“This couldn’t happen to a nicer kid,” she added.

Considered too small to make the junior varsity, McElwain signed on as manager, then took up the same role with the varsity to stay near the sport he loves. Amazed at his dedication, coach Jim Johnson had him suit up for the home finale. There was no guarantee he would play — Athena was battling for a division title — but he got in when the Trojans opened a large lead.

“It was like a big old bucket and I was just hitting them like they were free throws,” McElwain said. “I just felt relaxed.”

(Sounds a little like our Tennis book, perhaps? -- Mark)

The coach couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“He’s been my right-hand man, he’s there every day and just getting him the opportunity to suit up was emotional enough for me,” he said. “For him to come in and seize the moment like he did was certainly more than I ever expected. I was an emotional wreck.”

Because he played in just one regular-season game, McElwain was ineligible for sectional play. But he’s not bothered. “I just want to win as a team, not individually,” he said. What’s more, he prides himself on having a lot of friends.

On March 15th, President Bush stopped at an airport near Rochester, New York, and greeted McElwain (see above), who was accompanied by his parents and coach, and called him "a special person."

"Our country was captivated by an amazing story on the basketball court," the president told reporters gathered on the tarmac, his arm draped around the 17-year-old senior, with Air Force One, the presidential jet, in the background. "It's the story of a young man who found his touch on the basketball court, which in turn touched the hearts of citizens all around the country."

“I’m not really that different,” McElwain said. “I don’t really care about this autistic situation, really. It’s just the way I am. The advice I’d give to autistic people is just keep working, just keep dreaming, you’ll get your chance and you’ll do it.”

At 17, Jason McElwain has character, honesty and humility that few Americans can match.

Managing An Aging Contingent -- Are Your Veterans Resources Or Corruptors?

I am a Baby Boomer.

My parents were from The Greatest Generation. We're already learning what incredible contributions the Greatest Generation made as we view the series Band of Brothers.

This year, a bulk of Boomers turn 60. My brother Don, for one. Some of my friends also. A member of this class is a few months away. This has set off a depth charge which few Bean Counters anticipated, and Number Crunchers the world over are just now beginning to shoot off emergency flares.

When Bismarck first introduced state pensions in the 1880s, they became effective at age 70 -- 20 years past the average life span at that time. Most retirements kick in now at age 65.

In California, the "state of the art" is now "3 @ 50," a standard for law enforcement.

In the FBI, mandatory retirement occurs at age 55.

Those Boomers who turn 60 this year comprise the largest number of persons to ever voluntarily give up work in such a short time. These Boomers are larger than the generation that follows -- or that preceded it -- and may leave what I call an "Institutional Memory" gap, though no one in my department, or those I've discussed this with (my SLI class included) seem to much care.

Japan, for example, expects its workforce to shrink by 16%, about 10 million workers, over the next 25 years. Europe will see the number of workers nearing retirement grow by a quarter. Some companies are already complaining of a shortage of skills.

In attempting to deal with a worker shortage, some US companies have responded by offshoring a number of jobs -- perhaps a natural occurrance anyway, in order to take advantage of an abundance of cheaper workers. But is it really?

But do we really need to go here? I submit that we may not necessarily have to; perhaps our finest labor pool exists under our very noses:

Those persons who have recently or are about to retire.

Law enforcement is different, in terms of labor, from the greater bulk of workers. The burnout rate is higher, it is a physically and mentally demanding job, and so-called "safety retirements" are much sought-after. Already there are a couple of different retirement tiers in my department. LASD has 7 + retirement tiers in its hierarchy.

In the corporate world, retirement packages are dwindling. GM is going broke right now over its so-called "legacy costs," among other things. These are pension packages promised to certain union groups under certain contractual years. Many persons realize they will not be able to retire in the style they have been led to expect. Just last week GM announced it must cap health-care spending by its retired workers.

There will be more cuts by GM and other corporations -- and this will, naturally, filter down into the civil service community.

This means me and you. No matter what you've been "promised."

Boomers are presenting their own set of unique problems insofar as they seem to be indicating they would stay at work if given the chance. They seem to be saying they would stay for reasons greater than just cash -- if for the "mental stimulation" only -- a factor non-existent in any given 20-year-old.

Allow me to refer to "elder corporate statesmen" such as GE's Jack Welch (80+), Time-Warner's Carl Icahn (69), or GM's Kirk Kerkorian (88).

The Economist recently wrote that "Governments, employers and workers all need to change to keep baby-boomers on the job." And that coming from a clearly left-leaning British publication.

Clearly, governments prosper when older workers continue to produce -- they pay more in taxes and cost less in terms of benefits. But instead of freeing up labor markets to help older people work, governments are focusing to ban age discrimination. Do what I call the "logical extension": if you make older people harder to fire, you discourage hiring them.

We all need to be more flexible, I submit.

Many jobs have worn themselves down to a part-time venue. This is surely fine with older workers who don't want to embrace the 40 hour work week.

And finally, older workers themselves need to adapt -- though that is not as large an issue here as it is in the EU. Customarily seniority = greater pay. In the new age, their worth will be = to what a worker is worth to the company. It is a matter of give and take.

What we have found, in my department, is this: our new Cold Case unit is comprised primarily of retired detectives. And they don't necessarily work strictly for cash. They work because they have a Drive. And they "donate" a massive amount of hours per case.

As an example, a large department in my area doesn't seem to understand the resource their retirees provide. If you wish to return to this department, you must jump through specific hoops A through Z. There are no options; one either works these assignments (some are on major holidays) or one does not work. My department does not mandate those strictures. As a result, many of this department's retirees have come over to my department to do "on-call" work. And all, to an individual, have said: "I did not realize the huge difference in departments. You appreciate us. This is a major change." A paradigm shift for these retirees?

Aging workers present a challenge to the supervisor and manager. If there is an individual in your unit who presents themselves as a "corruptor" then you must deal with them accordingly. Corruptors must not be allowed to stay, for any number of reasons -- particularly if you have a small unit.

But do not dismiss the "aging work force" as they may provide an experienced tool to utilize in order to enable your department's overarching mission of service to the public.

Remember this: with the birth rate diminishing in certain First World countries, there may in fact be more jobs than can be filled with accomplished workers.

We, as law enforcement professionals, will be increasingly finding ourselves competing with the natural business world. If we offer our workers strange hours, uncommon days off, mandatory overtime, "challenging" work conditions, stressful scenarios -- then what can we additionally offer to compensate? We cannot continue with the philosophy I've heard espoused many times by managers in my and other departments: "If they really want the job, they'll cope." Life was like that at one time but now, with younger employees having easy "fallback" positions (i.e., they'll just go home to Mom and Dad), we are discovering they will leave law enforcement at the drop of a hat. Things I have personally heard from young deputies as reasons for leaving my department:

- I don't like the gun you issue.
- I can't grow a beard.
- I don't like black uniforms.
- (Department X) pays more money, and will pay for me to move there.

We must adapt. Already we are experiencing our share of "hiring challenges." And older workers are a resource we ignore or fail to utilize only to our detriment.

___________________


An addendum regarding LAPD:

The Los Angeles Times reports on Friday, 03-24, that LAPD is facing a "brain drain" on its own Institutional Memory when it writes:

Even as it struggles to expand, the Los Angeles Police Department will face a dramatic departure of seasoned veterans when a special retirement program enacted four years ago to keep senior detectives and commanders in the ranks begins pushing them into mandatory retirement next year.

Once again, the East Coast vs. West Coast theory of police work:

The current city budget calls for the police force to reach 9,611 officers by July 1, still fewer than the department put on the streets at its peak eight years ago, when sworn ranks totaled 9,852. There now are 9,314 officers.

Let's compare Los Angeles vs. New York City.

City of Los Angeles: 466.8 square miles.
Population: 4 million +
Officers: 9,300.

City of New York: 368 square miles.
Population: 7 million
Officers: 39,110

What do you think Los Angeles might be able to do with 30,000 more officers?

Scenes To Consider for SLI: From the Movie "Crash"

From the "What Kind of Leadership Is This?" Department:

The recent academy award winning movie Crash had one very interesting scene I would call to everyone's attention, involving an interaction between a line level troop, Officer Thomas Hansen (white), and his superior, Lieutenant Dixon (black). The background is that Officer Hansen has determined his partner, Officer Ryan (Ethan Hawke), is a racist. From the Crash script:

Hansen: I don't wanna cause any problems, Lieutenant. I just want a new partner.

Dixon: I understand. Your partner's a racist prick. But you don't wanna stir up any bad feelings with him. He's been on the force for a long time. Seventeen years.

Hansen: And I do have to work here, sir.

Dixon: So you don't mind that there's a racist prick on the force. You just don't want him to ride in your car.

Hansen: If you need me to go on record about this, sir, I will.

Dixon: That'd be great. Write a full report. Because I'm anxious to understand how an obvious bigot could've gone undetected in this department for years. Eleven of which he was under my personal supervision. Which doesn't speak very highly of my managerial skills. But that's not your concern. I can't wait to read it.

Hansen: What if I said I wanted a new partner for personal reasons?

Dixon: So now you're saying he's not a racist prick, you just don't like him?

Hansen: Yes, sir.

Dixon: That's not a good enough reason.

Hansen: Then I guess I should think of a better one and get back to you.

Dixon: So you think I'm asking you to make one up?

Hansen: Uh, no, sir. I just can't think of one . . . right now.

Dixon: You wanna know what I heard? I heard it was a case of uncontrollable flatulence.

Hansen: You want me to say he has flatulence?

Dixon: Not him. You. You have uncontrollable flatulence. You're too embarrassed to ride with anybody else so you're requesting a one-man car.

Hansen: I'm not . . . comfortable with that, Lieutenant.

Dixon: I wouldn't be either. Which is why I understand your need for privacy. Just like I'm sure you understand how hard a black man has to work to get to, say, where I am, in a racist fucking organization like the LAPD and how easily that can be taken away. Now, that being said, it's your decision. You can put your career and mine on the line in pursuit of a just cause, or you can admit to having an embarrassing problem of a personal nature.

______________________________


Absent the entire LAPD movie paradigm, it would appear there might be some talking points to be acquired, regarding leadership, from this portion of the film -- including, of course, the decision made by the officer.

I posit: might that scene from Crash be worthy of inclusion in this or future SLI classes?

Reminders, And Mark's True Classic Organizational Chart

If nothing else, I am all about clarity and brevity. Here is "Mark's True Classic Organizational Chart," which can be readily adopted and printed for most all departments by simply installing one's agency logo nearby (click on photo for larger, purloinable version). Why wait? Thrill and amaze superiors and friends; attach this as a cover sheet on your next project and become a Lieutenant this month!

FOR NEXT SESSION:

All seriousness aside, as a reminder, we are jointly tasked with the following:

• Complete your Ethics Survey; bring to Session 3;
• Keep up your journal work (yeah Mark, that means you!);
• Review the two new books.

Remember also: the old format is "out;" we are to now to call out meaningful and salient portions of each book and contrast and compare them to the larger issues and topics we've covered to date (as you've likely noticed, all overarching topics for SLI can be located at the bottom of the journal pages). This leaves the review format and content essentially "wide open," as Dennis noted.

You may also compare and contrast the concepts we reviewed this past session (Loyalty; a Wider Perspective; Blame v. Accountability; Incongruent Value Communications and others) with all prior books we've read, along with the prior movies, videos viewed and articles read.

I take this to mean: the door is open. We have but to walk through.

One final note:

I plan to update this blog on, at least, a weekly basis. My own personal blog gets updated daily; sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. Please check back once a week for further information and new posts. If you have an article you would like to post, perhaps in its entirety (I can do that, within reason, here), please e-mail me at:

- malley@sacsheriff.com (work)
or
- milepost154@yahoo.com (home)

Also, if you would care to act as a co-Administrator for the blog (so that you can make your own posts), you have but to let me know. Links are appreciated as well -- 14" long or not.

Please remember that you have the ability to comment on each and every post. Click on the word "comments" at the bottom of the applicable post. There are already comments, made by Marlin, on the very first post. If I can figure it out, and then Marlin can figure it out, you can too.

"We only extract what we invest."
-- The Bloviating Zeppelin

_______________________________


P.S.
When you arrived home, was it 39-degrees inside your house, and 19-degrees outside, with about three feet of very fresh powder on the street? I'm not complaining, mind you; I immediately kicked out a great fire in the stove, ramped up the propane, set some candles, snoveled some show, and ended the day with my feet up in a blanket, roaring fire, hands wrapped around a warm Adult Beverage.

Semper Gumby!