As I mentioned in a previous post, the group of men and women that are a part of this JCOC class are all very well accomplished in their respective fields. In order to protect the privacy of those here I won't disclose names, but I will share their professions to give you a glimpse. We have with us:
- A college president
- Multiple doctors
- Presidents & CEO's of large companies
- Other elected officials
- Multiple people who are in the TV or film profession
- Professional and college sports executives
This is just a sample of the dynamic collection traveling with our group. For the TV junkies, I promised a picture of a recognizable face. She is Ms. Diane Neal (photo below). She is an accomplished TV actress starring in television hits such as Law & Order and NCIS, just to name a few. I must admit I don't get to watch much television. I have, however, seen episodes of these shows. In each of her roles she plays a very serious and professional law enforcement officer. Well, let's just say she's a great actress because the real person is the total opposite! She's completely down to earth and wonderful to be around. She's the life of the group, often cracking some of the funniest one-liners I've ever heard. She has been a hit with the troops, and many of them immediately recognize her. She has been great to all of them and is genuinely a true supporter of our military. It's been great to meet her. I also want to share two other stories that have been very moving. Both of them happened yesterday on Marines Day, but I wanted to save it for this post. At lunch yesterday, I was seated with two members of team Air Force as we chatted about our experiences. During the later half of our meal we were approached by a Marine who asked to join us. We were honored and quickly moved over to make room. I asked him about his family and if he had kids. He replied that he did - one daughter that is five and another that just turned two. He went on to describe a medical condition that his youngest daughter suffered from. The name of the disease escapes me now, but what happened next doesn't.
A pediatrician, who is now a director at a top medical institution, happened to be one of the two others sitting at the table for lunch. He knew exactly what the Marine was describing and explained that the reason he was on the trip was to attempt to develop a program to help families of the military that need medical assistance. Not only was he exploring that, but he offered his willingness to personally get involved and help the young girl. The Marine, who could have picked any one of over two dozen tables to sit at, seemed immediately relieved that he picked ours. The connection of those two was magical to witness and reminded me that these men and women have so much more to worry about than just their assignment. They, like me and you, are humans with real human problems and issues to deal with. This calling impacts all aspects of their life.
Secondly, at our morning welcome session, we were welcomed by Colonel Benjamin S. Blankenship. The colonel is about 6' 4" and is in great physical shape. I'd estimate he is in the range of 50 years of age. He's been a Marine for 28 years and looked as fit as many of the twenty-somethings. Marines preach to always be prepared, and true to the mission he had read all of the biographies of our group. I know this because at one point he mentioned a woman with us specifically by name. The reason - her husband died in the attack at the World Trade Center on 9/11. Immediately, when the colonel recounted his whereabouts during the attack his eyes welled with tears. He attempted to continue as tears rolled down his face. After a short time he was unable to continue, which prompted the widow of the 9/11 attack to stand and weep with him in a deeply moving embrace. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. If it wasn't real before that moment, it was now. This is real. For every American. It's a moment I'll never forget.I've enjoyed getting to know this group and learn more about them. I'm honored to be included in such an esteemed group.
- MLR
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| Me with Law & Order actress, Diane Neal |
