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.
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On Wednesday, May 5, he met with U.S. Army Reserve troops in Baghdad from the 492nd Engineering Company, based in Mankato, Minnesota.
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"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.
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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

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