Living alone has thrown me back into living the way I did before I met Ami's mom. I have maybe 2 friends in the area that I would say I hang out with, but considering I haven't seen either of them in a couple of weeks, that's not saying much. I eat my meals alone, and as I did back then, I've been devouring books during meal time. I've almost completed the book "Not a Good Day to Die" and it got me thinking about fallen friends, true heroes, and men who have willingly
gone to the sound of the guns without hesitation, often laying down their lives in the spirit of the the Special Forces motto,
De Oppresso Liber.
Though I am a strong believer in several charities, particularly those that seek to find cures for cancer and multiple sclerosis, the one charity to which I have contributed consistently since gaining full-time employment has been the
Special Operations Warrior Foundation. For over two decades, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation has provided full college scholarships to the children of fallen Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps special operations personnel who were killed in action or during training. I did so not only in support of those warriors who represent the tip of the spear, but also because I was cognizant that at some point my kids might benefit from the Foundation's mission. Across the country several individuals have gone out of their way to raise funds for the SOWF, but perhaps none have done it in as grueling a fashion as United States Navy SEAL David Goggins.
To say this guy is a stud is like saying Warren Buffet is a decent investor, or Bill Gates has a few bucks in the bank. His herculean efforts in some of the most difficult physical competitions you can ever imagine is a testament to the guy's character and determination. A guy like this, who could probably devastate the endurance competition cadre were he to dedicate himself to it 100%, is instead serving his country in a front-line, tip of the spear military unit, on behalf of all of us, and for a salary that's probably a joke. This is the kind of dude I'll be telling Ami' about when he's old enough to understand that these are the people to look up to, and not some idiot on tv or on the radio spewing a bunch of crap. Take a look at David's BIO below, taken from his
webpage, and then watch the three videos at the link below and ask yourself, where do we get such men!?
Who is David Goggins?
About Me:
I’m nobody special. Let’s be perfectly clear…I don’t like to run. I don’t like to swim. I don’t like to bike. I do this to raise money for the children of soldiers killed in combat.
I joined the military over 13 years ago to push my limits. When I first joined, I couldn’t run down to the mailbox. I weighed 290lbs. The guy at the recruiting office looked at me like I didn’t have a chance. He was very wrong. I became a Navy Seal.
Well, after 9/11 hit, I lost some buddies in a mission that went bad in Afghanistan. I vowed to do something for the children of those fallen soldiers. I started looking into ways to raise money for them. I really didn’t think selling lemonade on the street corner would work, so I went online and Googled the 10 hardest things to do in the world.
That led me to enter the worlds toughest endurance races – I figured if I experienced some serious physical pain it would inspire people to get interested and donate some money. Someone told me about this ultra marathon race in Death Valley called “Badwater” (a 135 mile race in 120 degree heat). I didn’t even know what an ultra marathon was. So, I called up the race director of Badwater to see if he let me in. He asked me how many 100 mile runs I had done. I said, “None”. Then he asked how many marathons I had done. “None”, I said. He said I had to have at least one ultra marathon under my belt before he could consider letting me in. Long story short, I got that ultra marathon under my belt and haven’t stopped running since.
I know what it’s like to run 203 miles with busted-up feet. I know what it’s like to be alone three miles out in the freezing ocean in the middle of the night. I know what it’s like to bike 500 miles non-stop. I’m not scared of extreme pain. I’m nobody special, but I refuse to say the words: “I can’t”.
With the Special Ops Warrior Foundation's help, we put 266 kids through college last year. And that's what keeps me going. Like I said, I don't like running. I don't like biking. I don’t like swimming. I do it to raise money. But, now that I'm in this sport I want to see how far I can push myself. What makes me tick is that pain you feel when you do these ultramarathons. I can take a lot of pain.
Show no weakness,
Goggins
