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It’s been quite a while since I’ve blogged and life has changed quite a bit since then. Late last spring I left Active Duty (for the second time) and transitioned into an Army Reserve position near my hometown. My time at Fort Benning will definitely be looked back upon as one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences of my life. I made a lot of great friends, accomplished many goals, and hope that I trained a Soldier or two to standard while I was...read more
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“It’s not bad. There are a couple grammatical errors I highlighted. You see Fred, ‘to’ in this instance should be ‘too,’ but overall it’s okay.” I took notes as General Karimi provided feedback on a speech I wrote for him recently. The irony, of course, is that English is his third language and he speaks and writes my native tongue better than me. Never failing, he concludes with, “Thank you very much. It’s...read more
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A Command Sergeant Major had the audacity to give me an on-the-spot correction for a uniform violation recently. It was the best thing that has happened to me in a long while. General Karimi and I were accompanying the commander of the warfighting Corps, Lieutenant General Scaparrotti, to Torkum Gate, a beautiful place of historical and strategic significance on the Afghanistan and Pakistan border. We recently experienced an incident where our Soldiers received fire from...read more
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After 5 years as Army broadcaster in the reserves and Maryland National Guard, I was commissioned on active-duty as an Infantry officer in 2002. My military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Public Affairs Officer Qualification Course and the United States Army Airborne and Ranger Schools. Other than, being a Platoon Leader, working as a Recruiting Officer for ROTC has been a very reward job. The ability to encourage youth to pursue future goals,...read more
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It’s a typical day at the office. LTC Khanullah Shuja, General Karimi’s senior aide, is explaining his military genius to everyone within earshot. In excruciating detail he recounts one of the hundreds of battles he fought during his six years of company command. I’ve heard the story about a dozen times and each successive account his exploits are more superhuman. However, the ending never changes - Shuja ultimately saves the day with a brilliant...read more
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The best leader with whom I have served in my 27 year career in the Army is my wife. I’ve learned more about leadership from Laura than any General I know. And, I know some really good ones. We met when she was commanding her third company at the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. She led a complex organization that guarded a special population of military criminals that included death row inmates, She took those experiences into civilian life where she...read more
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This past weekend on 4 November, three members of the USAMU Action Shooting traveled to Columbia, SC to shoot in the 2011 IPSC Nationals on 5 November at the Mid-Carolina Rifle and Pistol Range. SGT Dimaculangan, PFC Sweeney, and myself all shot our respective divisions. This match was a national level match, and the points that you win here are used towards the selection of the Men's teams for the next World Shoot in 2014. Shooting this match helped all of us get a...read more
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People ask for my BlackBerry number all the time. They are amazed when I have to dig in my wallet and look at my business card. “Don’t you have it memorized yet?” they ask. Nope, I do not. I have to pull out my Dog Tags to remember my social security number. My wife, Laura, taught me every memorization technique known to man so I don’t forget her birthday. I do have special day committed to memory, but only after severe beatings. Madelyn, our daughter, stopped...read more
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It’s been a rough couple of weeks. I allowed myself to get into a bit of a slump. The Cardinal’s victory in the World Series was a short-lived respite from the inevitable bout of melancholy that is naturally a part of the emotional ebb and flow of a deployment. The raid on my resiliency wasn’t a full blown frontal assault. Rather, it was a sneak attack at weak points in my soul’s defenses. To combat the ennui I reviewed notes I made in a black and...read more
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So today marks the ending of the 2011 USAMU Action Shooting Junior Clinic! Another successful year, with all of the junior shooters leaving with more knowledge and better skills than what they showed up with. Every year since 2008 the USAMU Action Shooting Team has hosted a Junior shooters clinic, where we get young shooters from across the country to come to Ft. Benning and learn from the USAMU Action Shooting Team. It is also a big recruiting tool that we use to...read more
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