Life in Small Bites

As far aback as I can remember Teams have always been important to me.  Over the years my stories of the experiences and relevance expands.

From Cub and Boy Scouts, playing in Little League, to other baseball, basketball, and football teams each Team had a central place in my life at the time.  Practicing teamwork and mutual appreciation for team members were essential teachings of these Teams.  Add my university fraternity brothers as team members and those who sweated it out with me in Air Force ‘Boot Camp’.  Every Team offered opportunities to improve skills – athletic, relationship, and life.  Usually nicknames and stories were an essential part of developing teamwork to work toward a desired outcome.

When I entered flight training in USAF I readily embraced one of my favorite Teams – Scatpack/Tipper 73-01. During a year of stressful training my fellow pilots-in-training became a close Team.  Although our training required superior individual performance we all were very supportive and encouraging to each other.

After initial flight training I was sent to train in the B-52 Stratofortress bomber – another Team developed.  Subsequently I was assigned to a squadron in the Strategic Air Command (SAC) at Carswell AFB, Ft. Worth, Texas.  As this was in the mid-‘70’s during the Cold War our squadron was one of many that were a part of essential US military deterrent.  We trained hard and practiced launching our strategic bombers at a moment’s notice.  This required great preparation and collaboration – real teamwork.  Humorous nicknames were part of our squadron milieu to solidify ‘sense of team’ and in part to ward off the angst of using our skills in strategic combat during a world at war.

During this time I was proud to serve in the US Military – proud to be considered an important element of our national defense.  However, I did not agree with our nation’s leaders that our nation’s defense required waging a war in Viet Nam.  For me, it seemed like a big mistake that wasted tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars.

Some of my squadron team members were sent to fly bombing missions in Viet Nam.  I wasn’t.  President Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had signed the Paris Peace Accords, titled the ‘Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet Nam’ with the North Vietnamese and Revolutionaries.  The ‘Agreement’ required the removal of all US Forces, including air and naval forces.  A large pilot draw-down was initiated throughout the Air Force.  This draw-down resulted in me being transferred to the Air Force Reserves.  I left my B-52 squadron team members.  Some were left forever in Viet Nam.   Unfortunately the ‘Agreement’ did not end the War as it continued to rage for more than two years forfeiting the lives of an additional 20,000 Americans and many many thousands of Vietnamese from the North and South.

When I subsequently swapped my cockpit for a business boardroom my interest and commitment to build Teams persisted.  As owner or the senior manager I served as ‘Team Captain’.  It was always a privilege to train and lead.  My business career has carried me around the world, specializing in developing countries, Panama, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand.  The teams created in these countries had members of mixed nationalities and cultures. 

The objectives of our business Teams were similarly intended to improve skills in effectiveness, relationships, and collaboration.  Given the diverse backgrounds of the team members, stories were often used to convey concepts and ignite needed understanding.  The stories, old or created, were selected to create emotional commitment to complete the assigned objectives.

I carried forward the positive experiences of working and creating teams when I entered the International NGO world.  The Teams created here were also composed of persons of diverse ethnicities and experiences, all devoted to public service.  Even here stories were very useful for developing mutual appreciation and social cohesion.

Now retired, however, in no way resigned to inactivity or refraining from public serving contributions I am looking, ‘post-COVID’, to join or create a new Team.  A Team collaboratively synergized to expand personal growth and contributions.  I am certain that stories will be important in this team too.  We may drop the nicknames…