Backgrounds

A little bit about me, before we go any further…

27, 5’ 11”, 175lbs, brown hair (well, in a kind of requiem for the hair I ONCE had), blue eyes. I have a degree in Economics from CU, Boulder which led me into a short, somewhat entrepreneurial career in commercial real estate finance. I grew up in a military family and lived in 6 different places as a kid, including South Korea and Hawaii. Colorado is, however, home. I’ve made it my home. Love hiking, backpacking, snowboarding and most of the other “-ings” that Colorado offers so superfluously. Personal interests include the martial arts (especially the Taoist internals) and this little workout phenomena called CrossFit. I’m single, have two dogs, and am very close to my immediate family. My social security number is 254 - …

No, really. Backgrounds are important. They tell people where you’ve been, what experiences have shaped your worldview. The first day of class each of us nervously stood up in front of the other 40 (and our coordinators) and briefly gave the spiel. What struck me immediately was how diverse our backgrounds are. There are a few fresh out of school. There are guys just back from Iraq. There are a few with decades of diverse work experience. There are former contractors, former business people, former fundraisers. There are military reservists, ex military special forces, and a tough, tough young woman who just had a baby 3 weeks before! In that moment, if one was listening, one would have gotten the basics, the “macro” factors that make each of us who we are, and contributed to our selection for this academy.

As some time has progressed, however; as I’ve talked to a good many of my classmates, and heard their thoughts spoken during class, I’ve begun to know the REAL reasons why they’re all here.

Most everyone in this Academy gets it. They care. They’re devoted and engaged and smart and energetic and …

I’m excited. The fires are stoked. I’m excited to learn and to work, to sweat and to bleed, and to a degree, compete with some very good people that already, after a week, I look up to in a lot of ways…

By Courage and Arms! Hua!

(They all get it.)