11 November 2018

Veterans Day: The Spectrum of Those Who Serve...

On this Sunday in the United States of America, it is Veterans Day November 11. As you look around your neighborhood, how many others are flying the colors of our American Flag?

Flag of the United States of America
Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is an official United States public holiday, observed annually on November 11, that honors military veterans; that is, persons who served in the United States Armed Forces.
As the son of a U.S. Marine, the thought of what our country has endured and how people like him loved all that the Flag stands for, brings tears.  This morning, we are the only house on our street with the "Stars and Stripes" on display flying in the wind.  Why?

It is hard to understand and yet most people on the block have never read "Team of Teams" either.   There are millions in the U.S. Armed Forces who have lived their whole career, experiencing when people working with a sense of mission can be so remarkable.

Yet you don't have to be holding your Form DD-214 to understand, that the American people on your block, in your town or across your state, need a clear mission to come together.  A purposeful mission helps most people get out of bed in the morning.  To go to school.  To show up at work.  Are you a leader of people or a leader of a true Team?

Sure, you can use the sports analogies to get the point across.  The Vince Lombardi stories are famous for getting people to understand team work and winning the game.  Yet ask any Veteran, and they will probably say that a game that lasts years, is so much different.  Lombardi coached at West Point at one point in his career, and this had a lasting impact on him.

The new rules of engagement for a complex world, is the name of the game today.  The rapidly advancing tools of conflict are changing from superior geographic positions on the hill with a Combat Controller (CCT), to the stealth of an exploit code software payload.

So what?

Start thinking about the spectrum of digital members of our military who serve our country each day.  Some are behind a keyboard, or working on the front lines of software maintenance to keep the data centers operating at peak efficiency.  Think about all of the professionals in the shadows, who are collecting and analyzing intelligence for us all to better anticipate, prepare and to be more resilient.

The asymmetric conflicts here are going on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Right in your own city or business.  Everyone has their specialty, and each finds there way into the job they are destined to perform.  And they are truly a "Team of Teams"...

Thank you for all that you have done for our country.  Thank you for what you are doing today for us here and in the rest of the world...

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