Being forced to put up with an in-your-face master sergeant, run laps around a muddy football field and march in the pouring rain are just three reasons I hated my high school ROTC class.
I managed to survive for one year, but that was it. I wore my dry-clean-only uniform every Wednesday, lifted weights every Thursday and said, “Sir yes sir” every Friday when the sergeant ordered us to have a good weekend.
But two weeks into my sophomore year, the sergeant screamed at me in front of my classmates for not wearing my uniform. That might not sound that bad, I’m an overly sensitive person who doesn’t handle confrontations very well. Feeling embarrassed and disrespected, I quit.
Besides that, I just hated all the exercise.
I was content with my decision until the sergeant walked into my art class one day. When he saw me, he turned to my teacher and said, “I feel sorry for you that this clown is in your class.”
The art teacher said, “Who? Sammy? He’s one of my best students.”
The sergeant replied, “That because your class is easy. See, he’s one of those people that does great at the things that come easy to him, but gives up as soon as he’s challenged.”
As much as I hated that guy, he was absolutely right. I frequently do give up when I find things harder than I want them to be.
After high school, I eventually enrolled for classes at Sinclair Community College, where I was confronted with the new challenge of balancing school and work. Juggling the two has been difficult, but I haven’t given up because I want to prove the sergeant wrong.
That was until this quarter at the Clarion.
After getting a week behind schedule and incredibly stressed out, I seriously contemplated quitting one of my part time jobs. But then I remembered what the sergeant said and told myself, “Samurai, you’re never going to get anywhere or develop any as a person if you keep putting up the white flag every time you’re in battle.”
So I made the decision to keep both of my jobs and tough it out. With some work, I was able to get caught up, for which I am proud of myself.
Now, after all these years, I would like to thank that sergeant for the constructive criticism he gave me. His words seemed harsh, but over time they have made me a much more determined individual, who doesn’t immediately give up the first time something goes wrong, but instead faces the problem and deals with it.
As Thomas Edison said, “If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”