Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Promoted to Commander….

Seal of the Office of Naval Research departmen...

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Every now and then, you have a special opportunity to see a glimpse of true tradition.

Usually, for me, at least, it’s a religious experience, but the other day, our friend then-Lt. Commander Joseph Cohn invited me to his promotion ceremony at the Office of Naval Research (I’m almost the mayor on Foursquare Smile)

First off, if every institution ran their ceremonies with the same degree of efficiency as the Navy (they are definitely Time People), I would dread going to so many of them. The whole thing was over in 15 minutes.

But, it’s about quality vs. quantity.

In those 15 minutes, the Admiral made a heartfelt, emotional presentation about the impact that Joe has on his office, the ceremony itself was meaningful as his epauleimagets were replaced and he reaffirmed his commitment to defend the Constitution and now-Commander Cohn made a very nice and brief speech about how he appreciated not only the proud tradition he was a part of, but how special it was.

In very few jobs, he noted, do people take an oath to do their job up to the point of giving their life away.

“No one says, ‘I’m going to give my life to Target,’” he pointed out…correctly.

It’s a special type of person who serves in the military and I feel blessed that I had a chance to participate and share in the moment.

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