Bryan Strawser

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Bryan Strawser

Obama comes to help the wrong candidate

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The President comes to town to help his senate candidate, Martha Coakley, and finds, perhaps a bit of a cold reception.

The Boston Herald opines:

He may have come to town to fight for his agenda, but there is a growing body of evidence that his agenda – on health care, on energy, even on financial regulatory reform (which somehow the president equates with yet another tax on the banks that actually repaid their government loans) – isn’t what the people of Massachusetts are looking for right now.

Tomorrow, we’ll see if Scott Brown can turn his lead in the polls into reality – and become the first Republican elected to the Senate from the Bay State in a very long time.

Merry Christmas

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Along the road to Damascus the light shone brightly. But afterward Paul of Tarsus, too, was sore afraid. He feared that other Caesars, other prophets, might one day persuade men that man was nothing save a servant unto them, that men might yield up their birthright from God for pottage and walk no more in freedom.

Then might it come to pass that darkness would settle again over the lands and there would be a burning of books and men would think only of what they should eat and what they should wear, and would give heed only to new Caesars and to false prophets. Then might it come to pass that men would not look upward to see even a winter’s star in the East, and once more, there would be no light at all in the darkness.

And so Paul, the apostle of the Son of Man, spoke to his brethren, the Galatians, the words he would have us remember afterward in each of the years of his Lord:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Published annually since 1949 in the Wall Street Journal.

They came all the way from Canada

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More than 1,000 of them – to pay their final respects to four officers from the Lakewood, Washington Police Department, who were killed in the line of duty just over a week ago.

RCMP Officers at Lakewood Funeral

Sergeant Mark Renninger
Officer Tina Griswold
Officer Ronald Owens
Officer Greg Richards

RIP.

Thirty-Eight

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We all have people who touch our lives in many ways. One of those folks was Mike Casalini, the first manager I had at Target that took me under his wing and mentored me professionally. When I was just an hourly employee, Mike saw in me some sort of future potential and helped me discover my path as a leader here at Target. He was instrumental in helping me realize that this could be a great place for career.

Sixteen years later, I’m still here plugging away – and having a great time. Mike had a lot to do with my decision to make Target my career coming out of Indiana University.

More than just my boss, Mike was my friend – and a friend of many others that he worked with here at Target.

I became Mike’s peer in 1995 and then moved away from Indiana in 1996 to the northeast. In 1997, Mike joined the team in New Jersey, and not long later, I was promoted and became his boss. In much the same way that Mike taught me as my leader, he taught me as a member of my team.

It wasn’t long that he was promoted again to be my peer – moved out to Pittsburgh, met his wife Lisa and had two children. Later, they relocated to Philadelphia and moved into the stores organization as a Store Team Leader.

We lost touch somewhere in there – we were in different organizations, and I had moved on to headquarters. We’d see each other at some meetings from time to time, but generally had not had much contact with each other in quite some time.

Just a few days ago, I picked up my phone to discover several text messages and a few voicemails. The first voicemail I listened to was from a peer on the east coast who told me that Mike had passed away suddenly on Saturday night.

If there’s anything I’ve learned in the last few days since Mike’s passing, as old friends and co-workers have gotten back into touch, is that you should never let your friends fade away… I’m grateful that I’ve relearned that lesson, but ashamed that it took Mike’s unexpected death for me to realize it.

He was only 38 years old.

Staff Sergeant Jared Monti

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Staff Sergeant Jared Monti, of Raynham, Massachusetts – just a few hundred yards from my former home in Taunton, Massachusetts, was today awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, posthumously, for his actions in 2006 in Afghanistan:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Staff Sergeant Jared C. Monti distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a team leader with Headquarters and Headquarters troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Calvary Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, in connection with combat operations against an enemy in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, on June 21st, 2006.

While Staff Sergeant Monti was leading a mission aimed at gathering intelligence and directing fire against the enemy, his 16-man patrol was attacked by as many as 50 enemy fighters. On the verge of being overrun, Staff Sergeant Monti quickly directed his men to set up a defensive position behind a rock formation. He then called for indirect fire support, accurately targeting the rounds upon the enemy who had closed to within 50 meters of his position. While still directing fire, Staff Sergeant Monti personally engaged the enemy with his rifle and a grenade, successfully disrupting an attempt to flank his patrol. Staff Sergeant Monti then realized that one on his soldier was lying wounding in the open ground between the advancing enemy and the patrol’s position.

With complete disregard for his own safety, Staff Sergeant Monti twice attempted to move from behind the cover of the rocks into the face of relentless enemy fire to rescue his fallen comrade. Determined not to leave his soldier, Staff Sergeant Monti made a third attempt to cross open terrain through intense enemy fire. On this final attempt, he was mortally wounded, sacrificing his own life in an effort to save his fellow soldier.

Staff Sergeant Monti’s selfless acts of heroism inspired his patrol to fight off the larger enemy force. Staff Sergeant Monti’s immeasurable courage and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Calvary Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and the United States Army.

President Obama commented, as was written long ago, that “the bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet, notwithstanding, go out to meet it”.

RIP, Staff Sergeant Monti. And thank you for your sacrifice.