Friday, September 11, 2009

Honor 9/11 by Staying On Mission

Teammates, Freedom is not Free - God Bless our troops and the families that grieve for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Some of you may remember Tom's thoughts last 9/11: the message is as valid now as then.

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN


CM SEAL Team blogger: Tom Rancich

9/11. The day that changed America. Separated us into pre and post 9/11. Well, those who have read “For the Courage of the Founders” know how I feel about that. It is wrong. But that got me to thinking about the things that change us and how. So there have been some positive changes in the country since 9/11, but I think that at a very basic level, when you allow your enemy to change the way your conduct your life, you are making a fundamental mistake. Your enemy does not want you to succeed. He, by definition, wants to see you fail. So to change the way you live because of his actions, well, just fundamentally wrong to me.

So what does that have to do with CHARLIE MIKE? Well, continuing the mission is CRITICAL to the success of the mission; be it a pyrrhic success or otherwise. The point is, if you let the enemy stop you---well no CHARLIE MIKE in that. So who are your enemies in your quest for fitness and a more healthy lifestyle? Is it the high school gym teacher that said you can’t do pull-ups because you are a girl (whether or not you actually were a girl)? Is it the pie in the fridge? A beloved enabler on the couch? Or, like most people I know, is it the voice that says, I can’t, or I don’t have the time, or I am too tired, or, or, or……

So on this 9/11, let’s share some of the enemies that are trying to turn us away from fitness---and then share ideas on how to defeat them. I have met a lot of people who say, “I want to be fit and I feel better when I PT, but I just never have the (time, energy, desire.)” I could never make sense of that thought---but clearly an enemy is getting in the way---let’s kick its ass.

Tom Rancich
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Lt. Commander Thomas Rancich, US Navy SEAL (Ret.) is the co-founder of VRHabilis, a disabled veteran-owned small business that seeks to employ the highly trained and motivated veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars for work in construction and related fields. Rancich and co-founder Elliott Adler are pioneering the concept of using adaptive technology to bridge the gap between industrial and medical technology. Their company contributes proceeds to two worthy causes: a fund for the development of adaptive technology that will allow disabled veterans to pursue their desired career path and the EOD Wounded Warrior Fund.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I live less then 30 miles from Ground zero.I will never forget how and what I felt and saw that day. The stillness in the air after the attack kept me on guard for days, and the safety was off. I was ready for anything. When I was growing up there was a program called "Schoolhouse Rock" and one of the songs (With a cartoon with it) was:"Take your Rifle, Take your Gun, and report to General Washington".( It showed what looked like a Mother sending her family off to war) I was long out of the Guard unit I was with, and wondered "Who was my General Washington" if god forbid fighting broke out in our streets. I was ready both physically and mentally to do what ever it would have taken to protect this country WITHOUT even giving a dam about my own safety. I make no bones about it, I love this country and would give my life for her.


Others where not ready. Some people where so out of shape they could not save themselves and even stopped others from getting to safety. I still can't believe that some people can't even walk fast because they chose to eat themselves so dam fat they can't move!

Fight or Flight is in our Genes. It is there for a reason. You owe it to yourself and your family to be at least "fit shape".

If you can't get your family to safety, then who will?


Gob bless America and may he always have our military's back, and may he give comfort to the families of who are serving this country and in harms way, and to those who gave it all.


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