Have a Safe New Year

Myspace Graphics, New Year Graphics at WishAFriend.com

Merry Christmas

Well I guess it's that time of the year..I though I would take this opportunity BEFORE Christmas day to send out this Christmas, Holiday Wish to you all..

I would like to start with a couple things.

First.. Lets not forget the Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and Sailors that will not have this opportunity this year to celebrate with their family. Some of you on this e-mail, I KNOW right now, have BROTHERS & SISTERS deployed and that they MEAN THE WORLD to you. I know they are thinking of you right now. So SMILE and thank the lord for our FREEDOM that they protect. I know that YOU ARE first on their mind and they would do ANYTHING to be there with you as much as you with them..

Second.. To you all my FAMILY.. You know we would love to be able to spend this time of the year with you all but we too SERVE and protect the FREEDOM we all enjoy. We love and miss you all a bunch

Third..our FRIENDS (to include the extra special C..K..G & BFF) you all know how much you mean to me, I obviously wouldn't be me with you..THANK YOU again for allowing me the chance to be in part of your life.

Last for EVERYONE...Happy Holidays, be safe, be thankful because I am for YOU..

So from your Friend, Son, Nephew, cousin
We the T-hoe family LOVE and Miss you all a bunch and hope you all have a GREAT DAY !!!

The Jingle Bell Reunion Run

We got to get at least 4 of us together this morning for a BRISK run through Ft Walton beach..  Very nice course and as always.. We came away with at least ONE award, AND found a way to GRAB a Team trophy for a MIN.. LOL

 We almost got KILLED trying to use this trophy..LOL..  I think she said " I BETTER NOT SEE THIS IN THE PAPER"  LOL.. No..we are just carrying on a TEAM tradition relax.. We even let HER take the picture..

Myspace Graphics, Thanksgiving Graphics at WishAFriend.com

Thanksgiving

Well Well.... It's been a while since anyone has written so I I figured I would drop a couple sentences down. I may EDIT this numerous times this week so read it more than once to see  :-)

Where do I start... another year older... Do I feel like it... NOPE... YUP... MAYBE.. Who knows

Thanksgiving....What are we thankful for this year....

I am thankful for a GREAT healthy family
I am thankful in these time to have a SECURE job
I am thankful to have made AWESOME friends
I am thankful that everything , everyday, everyone, every experiance that has made me ME

There is so many things I could put down here that I am thankful for but I would BLAB BLAB and BLAB as you all know I can...

So I will take this chance ONE more time to say THANK YOU to all of you for being part of my life, for listening when needed and for allowing me to listen to you when you didn't want anyone to say anything..
THANK YOU Again for being such great friends and for joining my family...

THANK YOU...THANK YOU....THANK YOU...

R...I...P

      Well I HATE to be the one to break the news to everyone but the Cuppys (BFF hangout) is now officially closed.. Windows are all papered up and all the employees are gone..  Can't believe it myself but when the cooperate office doesn't care about the ONE little store right down the street from the Main HQ then what are you to do.. OH.. and without warning anyone, they UP and moved to Alabama.. I guess HURRICANE insurance was tooooo much for the cooperate office to maintain...

So EVERYONE please take a MOMENT of silence for the DEATH of the Original BFF Hangout..

Football Collage

Family & Friends
    I put this together so you all could see how BIG these two kids are getting..WoW.. They have really grown up and this is only the FIRST year they have played football.. More to come I am sure.. As I get more pictures I will make more collages for you..
  Feel free to print

Congrats Hickam Family

James
  Congrats brother.. I know you will be home SOON... Congratulations !!!!

T-hoe

Hey Fellas & New (M)Sgt's

Just thought I would drop you a line since it's been a bit... Not much NEW except that I passed another test.. Yup I took te DANTES for Ethics in Amercia and passed... So all my requirements should be complete now for my CCAF, I just have to make sure my UMUC transcript has been sent..  Watch out world  T-hoe actually made him self eligible for SMSgt..

Just i would let you all know since it YOU all (and Tammy) who care..

Love and miss you all
J

Howdy BFFs

Sorry I've been kinda lazy on posting or keeping in touch. What can I say there's a lot going on. Okay no excuses...I'm bad a it.
Well I'm here in Al Dahfra. This is the most I have every seen a base set up out of all my deployments. You guys may have already heard of the many creature comforts we have here: wireless internet, off base trips, dorms, a pool, a sports complex, 2 beers a day, movie theater...the list goes on. You'd think all these things would make a deployment fun. Well it's the opposite really. I had more fun fun getting shot at and roughing it to tell you the truth. This mainly because the Fire Chief is running all the guys into the ground and destroying moral and motivation. I actually approached him about it and it ended up getting flipped around on me. To make a long story short, remember back when we use to comment on the differences between a leader and a manager(or shall I say micro-manager). Either way I have a great group of guys to work with, and they help me look past our daily battles.
Enough of the griping.
Things are well with me and the fam. Andrea made it through 29 weeks of pregnancy. This makes me extremely happy being that we weren't able to make it through 24 weeks with Ryan. The surprise that I have for her in August is definately going to happen. (I mentioned what that was to John and Sergeant G. It's still on the D/L) I'm still hoping for a boy.
Not at all upset about Tech promotions. I wasn't expecting to get it this year anyways. I know where I stand and feel I have a really good chance next year. I actually came close. I am really happy for the ones that did make it. Dillon and Skerrett both got line numbers for Master. Sorry Jeremy, better luck next time bro.
I hope that that everyone is doing well and is able find happiness during this time in our lives.

Miss ya fellas, God bless.
-HICK

Workin it

I know its been a while since I posted anything on the blog, but I figured this would be the easiest way to reach everyone. This has been a trip so far after spending around 50 days at FOB Rustimayah we finished the DFAC roof 15 days ahead of schedule, even though we had over 100 mortars dropped on use you would be amazed how fast you can jump off a 35 foot roof when alarms start going off considering the FOB is only about a quarter square mile big no matter where they hit you would hear it and the DFAC is almost in the center. We have a guy working on a slide show once he's finished I will post it.

I am now back at FOB Hammer it is quiet and peaceful but, there is so much bullshit here I would rather go back to "Rusty" and get mortared everyday. They have some of the dumbest smart people I have ever meet running the show here. We are at least 2months behind on every project and my 4 little stripes are flexed to there fullest, no one wants to be told by a SSgt they have F__k up everything from the start. But enough complaining I have to get ready for work

Later

True Friendship

I thought this really spoke about the BFF's , my local Wingman sent it to me today.

1. When you are sad -- I will jump on the person who made you sad like a spider monkey jacked up on mountain dew.

2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3. When you smile -- I will know you are plotting something that I must be involved in.

4. When you are scared -- I will rag on you about it every chance I get.

5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much Worse it could be until you quit whining.

6. When you are confused -- I will use little words.

7. When you are sick -- Stay away from me until you are well

Again. I don't want whatever the hell you have.

8. When you fall -- I will point and laugh at your clumsy ass.

9. This is my oath.... I pledge it to the end.

'Why?' you may ask; 'because you are my friend'.

Friendship is like peeing your pants,

everyone can see it,

But only you can feel the true warmth..

Nail in the Fence

NAIL IN THE FENCE
Make sure you read all the way down to the last sentence. (Most
importantly the last sentence)
There once was a little boy who had a bad
temper.
His Father gave him a bag of nails
and told him that every time he lost his
temper, he must hammer a nail into the back
of the fence.

The first day the boy had
driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next
few weeks, as he learned to control his
anger, the number of nails hammered daily
gradually dwindled down.  He discovered
it was easier to hold his temper than to
drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the ! day came when the boy didn't
lose his temper at all. He told his father
about it and the father suggested that the
boy now pull out one nail for each day that he
was able to hold
his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally
able to tell his father that all the nails
were gone.

The father took his son by the
hand and led him to the fence He said, 'You
have done well, my son, but look at the
holes in the fence. The fence will never be
the same. When you say things in anger,
they leave a scar just like this one.  You can put
a knife in a man and draw it out.

It won't matter how many times you say 'I'm
sorry', the wound is still there.  A verbal
wound is as bad as a physical one.

Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They
make you smile and encourage you to succeed.
They lend an ear, they share words of praise
and they always want to open their hearts to us.'

YOU ARE MY FRIEND AND I AM HONORED!

Please forgive me if I have ever left a hole.

Work in Progress

So I figured since George and I have been passing some qoutes back and forth that I would just start listing some of them here.. I assume everytime that you or I edit this post it should remain near the top for all to see.. Feel free to add one if it's GOOD !!.. Lets see how this thing ends up.. Here are the 1st couple

1- He who sedulously attends, pointedly asks, calmly speaks, coolly answers and ceases when he has no more to say is in possession of some of the best requisites of man.

2- "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke

3- How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it

4- No one, on their deathbed, ever wishes they'd spent more time at the
office.

This one for you guys

I thought this was cool..

in the sand, Pusan, S. Korea

Another one leaves

Well I know all you probably already know, but I thought I would update the PROJECT.. Jeremy leaves Tues night I think for T-hoe's old stomping grounds in Afghanistan.. Yup he is going to be on vacation at Bagram for a couple months doing some good things.. Red Horse personnel have been building that place up a lot and he is going to have a hand in it now !!..

Just thought i would wish you good luck, stay safe and if you need anything, let us know but also know we (the OLD GUYS) have connections everywhere to include the KBR crew at Bagram. I am sure we all know someone there...So if you need anything let us know !!

alright, stay safe bro

T-hoe out

Happy Valentines Day

Another GOOD ONE !! WOW

Why we do IT !!

Extreme Leadership

Steve Farber's The Radical Leap: Extreme Leadership at Work and Beyond

| View | Upload your own

Slides from Steve Farber's popular keynote on the meaning and practice of Extreme Leadership as described in his books, The Radical Leap and The Radical Edge. www.stevefarber.com


SlideShare Link

The Practice of Leadership

I added this to the links on the side but thought I post it just in case you NEVER look over there

http://www.thepracticeofleadership.net/


Enjoy !!

here is another addition to the original post

| View | Upload your own

Getting the gills wet.

Yo JP...enjoy a little taste from home. The waves were epic yesterday. Head-high freightrain standing barrels. Too bad I didn't have any hommies to share the session with. I caught some sick barrels and rides without having to worry about competing with the grommies. Definately a rare case at the pier. Wish you were here.

With that said I wish all of you were here. I'm in the mode were work has just basically become work. The same routine over and over again. It was a lot more fun with you guys around.

Always be Yourself

Always be Yourself, Because The People That Matter,
Don't Mind, and The One's That Mind, Simply Don't Matter.

When in Doubt... LEAD

Some stuff happens by chance, other stuff happens cause it's meant to be. I went into the Mechanics office in the station looking for a drill, and found a book. I swear it almost jumped off the shelf... When In Doubt... Lead! The leaders Guide to Personal & Organizational Development in the Fire Service. now figure the odds that book would be in the Mechanics office... why would it be there?? Hmmm As luck would have it, the book found me and I carried it in my pocket for a day... Then I began to read. I couldn't have opened it to a better chapter - Chapter 4 - titled A Few Things About Change.
Again... meant to be. See, we are going thru lots of change here... 3 out of the 4 top guys left in the blink of an eye and the "new guys" came in an instituted change! go figure! Some of the older guys tried to explain that hey, we gotta get use to the new LEADERS as they get used to us and how things are here... Those folks were so right!
Now I know I am ABRASIVE and can be very stubborn, but I came in with the most open mind I could and tried to understand the whys of some things... others, I just dismissed as wrong, illegal or immoral! those to me were the very easy ones to change. Then, as I listened, I tried to figure the top three or four things that really got to the guys... i changed those and thought we were off to a very good start! Little did I know that some people will just fight to fight! Some of these very well paid 'firefighter' did 2, 3 and or maybe 4 years in the Military and got out... certs in hand and now, they are here and so spoiled they cant function if asked to do their job!
Lets see... respond to an emergency safely - why? We don't have to do that, we are the FD! Meet the requirements of NFPA 1500 - Why? I can pass my fit test with a goatee! Be on time for work -why? no one else has said anything!
Well, often we as leaders must play the hand we are dealt with personnel, these guys didn't get to pick their new leaders, so... some change is bound to happen! Can any of you even fathom being upset because the uniform that is purchased for you is being changed to make you look better, make your appearance better? Are you kidding me? I will wear whatever they tell me ! But no... 'we should have a say in the uniform'. For years you have worn t-shirts and faded pants, now you want a say? Whatever! we are here to help defend democracy... not practice it! yup, stole that from a movie!
Anyway... If you can get your hands on the book... do! from the back cover -

"One of the key roles of leadership is to position the people in the organization to be successful. this includes aspects of organizational design; general management; the selection, nurturing, and direction provided to people throughout their careers; providing a conduit to our customers; and tending to our own professional and personal needs. "

Haters are gonna hate...

Fellas, I gotta vent...
Didn't take too long... man, the haters are out in force! But oh well! Funny, you'd think that people that served in the military, and are now in the position to support our troops and get paid rather well could have the intestinal fortitude to do a good job, and be happy doing it... NOT! If for one second I was disillusioned... things are clear now. Lots of smoke & mirrors! And then along comes people that are not afraid to tell people to do it the right way... how dare we? Who do we think we are?!?! I know, I know... we are the people that wanna do the right thing, cause, um... it's the right thing to do!

Hope folks soon realize, I am not afraid... I don't worry that I will be "told on" or worry that my actions are inappropriate! I ain't skeered! For real! I am thinking that some of these cats never had a boss with any balls! oops, they got a few now! Bosses with balls, cause they don't have any! Wanna run and tell on me? Have the balls to own up to it... nope, they don't! Bitches and snitches is how I describe em!

Funny, had a new person try to threaten me with a visit to HR... I offered to drive him! I guess it's about the same as someone trying to file a grievance, I say go for it! Ring that bell, but remember, ya can't un-ring it! If I am doing something wrong... I am sure I will be told by those over me!

"Management VS Leadership" is the next post... bet your on the edge of your seat now! Stay tuned... I am on a roll!

New workout partners

Need a partner ???