Sherman visits our soldiers..

Written by a longhorn, but I had to share...

 Coach Sherman Visits Our Soldiers in Iraq

Texas A&M University Coach Mike Sherman came to Iraq this week. As a Longhorn, I didn't think his tour would impact me much. But, it has.
He has had a profound impact actually. There's such a genuine way about the Coach- -something uncommon.
During many conversions, I had the feeling he really seeks to emulate folks of high moral character. He talked a lot about the respect he had for our senior USF-I leaders in Iraq.
After his visit is over, I'm going to find it very hard to root against the Aggies, so I will only reserve this action for the Thanksgiving Day game with the University of Texas.
Coach Sherman's over 25-year football career has spanned high school, college and the NFL. He is an amazing guy.
Riding around with the Coach, I learned a lot. Starting off, he has a deep appreciation for the military. He makes the comparison from what we do to football, but he's highly aware of where the line is.
"There are a lot of parallels to football and what you do here. But, the real heroics are happening here [in Iraq]," said Sherman to General Ordierno.
At one point during the Coach's tour of Victory Base Camp, he presented General Odierno, the current commanding general of United States Forces - Iraq, with a Texas A&M jersey with the commander's name on it.
DGF_1729.jpg
On Wednesday, May 5, he met with U.S. Army Reserve troops in Baghdad from the 492nd Engineering Company, based in Mankato, Minnesota.
DGF_1632.jpg
"Someday, when your kids look back on what you did [here], they will be honored," said Sherman.
Talking to gathered Texas Army National Guard soldiers, Coach Sherman said, "This will be a positive mark when the history books are written up."
At a special event in the evening of May 5th, he signed autographs and talked Texas A&M football and about life, in general, with fellow Aggies.
DGF_1853.jpg
Below are some thoughts from the Aggie Coach I copied down:
Leadership Tips:
Tell the truth -kids are struggling with this today.
Be forgiving to others and yourself.
Embrace people -let your guard down and embrace folks.
The worst thing you can do is not make a bad decision; it's not having the wherewithal to fix it afterwards.
Football decision regrets:
(Paraphrasing) I didn't regret the decision I made at that time. The process was right. It was also made with all the information I had at the time.
Life:
We're not measured by victories and defeats, but rather by the relationships we have with people.
Goals:
To have a locker room full of great guys that love, trust and respect each other.
Football Candidates:
Have character.
If you don't want a degree, I don't want you.
Coaching:
To have success, you have to deal with the whole person. They have to know you care about the total self.

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 8, 2010 at 12:22 PM

    I put together this trip for the Coach. Getting to spend a week with this man was one of the best experiences of my life. You have no idea how much he cares about each of his players and for the soldiers here... we hope he wins games, but what it boils down to is he is building character in each Aggie that wears that maroon.

    Was checking media coverage for the event and came across your blog... you have a very good blog, I have enjoyed reading it! God bless!

    ReplyDelete
  2. TexQueenieMay 10, 2010 at 6:29 PM

    Thanks Chris- for reading and for your comments!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

11 years ago... We Will Never Forget..

Image
Bonfire.   What began as a trash heap in 1909 grew into a massive wedding cake design, which at its tallest stood 109 feet, 10 inches. Bonfire symbolized A&M’s burning desire to beat the hell out of t.u. It was a task of a monstrous size instituted and executed almost entirely by students over the course of a near-century.  It brought to together the Corps of Cadets, non-regs, residential halls, men, and women to build this monument to Aggie dedication and fervor. Bonfire became emblematic of Aggieland and held a meaning greater than just the desire to win a football game. It symbolized the Aggie spirit and a dedication and drive for building something greater than ourselves.   Those who saw it burn on campus have said there was nothing like it. The heat and flame was so much that it even burned their shadows into the ground. Those who built it can attest to the sheer amount of strength and manpower it took to construct a project of that size and magnitude. It was absolut
Read more

Softly Call the Muster... Let Comrade answer "here"

Image
So I know I've gotten a little off track in my blogging.  It's thanks to my busy schedule and a new email pen pal, but this is one Aggie story I can't miss... Muster :  One of the GREATEST traditions at Texas A&M.  What Reed Arena will look like tomorrow Muster- also called muster roll (formerly) a list of persons to come together; collect; assemble; gather. One hundred years before I was ever born, Aggies gathered together on June 26,1883 to live over again their college days, the victories and defeats won and lost upon the drill field and in the classroom. By April 21, 1903, this annual gathering evolved into a celebration of Texas' Independence on San Jacinto Day.  It was not until 1922, however, that April 21 became the official day of events for all Aggies, thus, the annual tradition of Muster was born. The March 1923 Texas Aggie urged, 'If there is an A&M man in one-hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, and li
Read more

Alexis Verzal

Image
This post is dedicated to the greatest couple I ever had the chance of working under, Brandon and Tiffany Verzal.  Brandon was my boss and Tiffany (his wife) came on board a short time later as my superior or Supervisor, either way, I had to answer to them both for a little more than three years in college:  BEST 3+ years I ever had..  You know how they say "if you love what you do, it's not work"?  Well, these two helped me to truly realize what that meant.. The captain of my Christian Dance Team, Chara, knew I wanted to be a sports broadcaster and heard about this job orientation to work in the athletic department at A&M.  I went to the orientation and interviewed with an auditorium full of people at Texas A&M for this paid internship with the athletic department doing video productions.  That was the first day I was introduced to Brandon.  He stood in the front of the auditorium and introduced himself to the big group of students.  He told the us how he and hi
Read more