On Home Runs

The Home Run. One of, if not, THE most dramatic plays in all of baseball. It can change the momentum of a game in an instant. They are majestic. They inspire such incredible emotion in a myriad of ways the moment they happen. For the opposing team, they are demoralizing and can suck the life out of you and your team. However, if the home run was hit for your team, there can be no better play to boost morale and change the entire game. In life, I'm not necessarily saying that its zero sum; that when someone hits a home run and "wins" that someone "loses." Sometimes, when you hit a home run its just a pure win! 

I have loved baseball for as long as I can remember. I played the game as a kid with friends in the neighborhood. I played organized T-Ball, Coach Pitch, U-10, even played in Europe in Middle School, finally calling it quits after just a couple years of playing in High School. In all those years of playing ball, I never once hit a home run. It never really bothered me...hardly did I think about the fact I had never hit one out. I played a different game anyway; I was fast and played more "small-ball." For those that don't know, "small-ball" can be summed up this way: everything but hitting dingers. As was all the rage in the late 90s and early 2000s, hitting the long ball was the sexiest and most attractive thing to chicks...hence the phrase, "Chicks dig the long ball!" Being in my mid to late teens during the time that phrase was espoused by many of my MLB heroes, I sure as hell believed it! Nevermind the fact that there was a correlation between dudes landing chicks that could hit the long ball, and I, having never hit one in my life...was not landing any (many) chicks in High School...ok, so there may be some truth to the phrase. But, I digress.

Fast forward to 2018. 16 years removed from my high school days, my life has been quite a journey; one I never could have dreamed would have turned out quite like it has. Went to college, earned a commission in the Army, had a daughter, got married, served in Iraq, commanded troops in combat, worked for a Fortune 500 company, got divorced, now I work for a start up company out of Israel.

Along the way, as everyone else in life, I've had my ups and my downs. My successes and my failures; professionally and personally. One of the most profound and defining moments of my life was when I became a father to my little girl. I was 20 years old and my life had changed forever. Although a significant challenge for someone that age, I viewed being a father as the ultimate honor. God had given me a gift! A beautiful little girl that He entrusted to me to help raise and be apart of this amazing, crazy world. It was an incredible responsibility; one I have never taken lightly. That being said, I am not the perfect dad. I have, and continue to, make mistakes. Sometimes big ones. Sometimes little ones. I seek to continue to get better as a father, as a mentor, as a friend; I struggle to find the appropriate balance as she matures into adulthood at times. I don't think my experience in that struggle is unique; I've had a lot of conversations with other parents who have experienced their own trying times with their children. I am simply acknowledging this reality. However, in one of our most recent Daddy/Daughter Dates (D3) we shared a profound moment that I will remember for the rest of my life. I'm not so sure she quite understood just how profound that moment was at the time. On the inside, I was jumping for joy! I mean, fireworks were going off and I couldn't even contain my smile! I'm sure she was confused by my reaction because I think for her, it was a moment where she did NOT feel like it was a winning moment...but it was just that! She had hit a home run and she didn't even know it!!!

I will get into the details of the above moment in my next post, but, I'd like to give credit to a friend of mine for inspiring me to begin this set of posts on my blog. See, I shared the story of the above D3 with this friend. When I was done sharing the story, she then shared something her dad does with her whenever they have moments like the one my daughter and I had. Her dad calls them "Home Run Moments. " She explained that whenever they have a moment like that together, he writes them down so that she can have access to the memories whenever she might need or want them. Her suggestion was that I follow suit and I think she's on to something. So, this is my introductory post on this topic and I hope this will be as enjoyable for my daughter one day as I know it will be for me! I would like to thank my friend for her suggestion, her friendship, and her guidance in this endeavor. Thank you Ginny!

Change of Command 4 of 4

The fourth and final installment...

To the Headhunter Families: your service to our country cannot be overstated. i am in awe of the sacrifice each of you make every day to support your Service Member. It has never been easy and never will. Whether they are on 18 hour day training cycles at home station or on an 18 month mobilization to god-knows-where, you are charged with keeping the home fires burning bright whether you want to or not. And you do. And you do it so well. Often times it seems like the families of Service Members are overlooked or forgotten. I cannot tell you just how much I appreciate each and every one of you for serving our country as you have. Your Service Members would not be who they are today without your tireless efforts and I will never forget that. Please join me in thanking our Families!

To the incoming HHC Commander, CPT Brent Smith: Brent, getting to know you has been an absolute pleasure. I have no doubt that you will serve in your command with dignity and respect as you have throughout your career. I wish you all the best and know that I am at your service if ever the occasion calls.

To the Service Members continuing to serve, I want to leave you with the following challenge: keep and remember your oaths. When challenged, remember it will take PERSONAL COURAGE to stand up for what is right. It will take INTEGRITY to do the right thing when you think no one else is looking. In do so, we protect our sacred HONOR. Act SELFLESSLY in your responsibility and give of yourself always. RESPECT is earned, never given. So set about earning everyone's respect by respecting them. It is your DUTY to keep your oath; precious LIBERTY, itself, is at stake. As someone who keeps their oath, remember your LOYALTY is to remain vested in the PRINCIPLES of the document you swore an oath to protect with your lives and your sacred honor-- DO NOT BETRAY THEM!!

Star of the North!

Head Hunter Six, OUT!

Change of Command, Part 3

The following is Part 3 of 4 of the speech I delivered at my Change of Command ceremony on December 13, 2013.

It has been an absolute honor and a privilege to have served with and led such a wide variety and hihg quality group of people over the last three years at Camp Atterbury. I will forever take with me the many lessons I learned from our seasoned Non-Commissioned Officer Corps; truly the backbone of our Armed Forces. I want to thank my many mentors: the Officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, Enlisted Members, Army Civilians and the many Family Members I have come into contact with over the years for helping shape me into the leader and person I am today.

None more important than that beautiful woman sitting right over there, my wife, DeAnna. Ladies and gentlemen, that woman is one tough cookie! We've been married for 8.5 years, the last 4 of which have been spent living separately. She in Tennessee and I, first in Mosul, Iraq then in Franklin, Indiana. That little one sitting next to her; I left her essentially fatherless at the tender age of 5. You are what I live for, but I have been absent from your lives for far too long. Yet, you have stayed by my side and thus I am eternally grateful to you, DeAnna, and you, Destiny! I love you both so much and cannot thank you enough for enduring these last 4 years!

Change of Command, Part 2

Part 2:

I earned my Commission in 2004 from Marion Military Institute (MMI). MMI is one of five Military Junior Colleges offering a commissioning program called the Early Commissioning Program (ECP) which offers the opportunity to earn an Army Commission in just two years. As a high school student having just witnessed the events of 9/11 and eager to "get into the fight" the two year option was the best option for me. So, at the ripe age of 19, my wife and my grandfather, a retired Air Force Senior Master Sergeant, pinned a par of gold bars on my shoulders.

My first full-time assignment was as the Officer Strength Manager for the Tennessee National Guard. Those first five years were some of the most formative years of my life as a professional. As an Officer Strength Manager I was in the envious position of educating prospective Officers of the benefits of becoming an Officer in the Army and helping develop solutions for the next six to eight years of their lives! I am very proud of my time as an Officer Strength Manager as many of my prospective Officers have accomplished some incredible things; successfully leading units around the world in support of Overseas Contingency Operations and leading disaster relief efforts here at home.

My next assignment was as a Convoy Security Company Platoon Leader and Executive Officer assigned to Mosul, Iraq with B-Battery, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment. This was one of my most treasured times as an Army Officer and an experience I will never forget. Most Officers in the Army will tell you that the best job an Officer will ever have is to lead Soldiers in combat and I couldn't agree more! I am proud to have served with those 34 men and women in combat as we logged more than 5000 miles throughout northern Iraq having not one of them receive any combat related injuries. We were the only platoon out of 9 Convoy Security Platoons to not receive any damage to either our customer vehicles or our own vehicles by enemy contact to include: small arms fire and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). 34 Soldiers in, 34 Soldiers out!

I was then assigned to Camp Atterbury, Indiana as a Team Leader of an Observer Controller/Trainer (OC/T) Team from late 2010 to late 2011 where I planned and facilitated training for more than 5200 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and DOD Civilians mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, Operation Enduring Freedom, the Horn of Africa, Multinational Forces Observers, and Kosovo Forces.

In late 2011 I was then assigned to 1-335th Infantry Battalion as the Headquarters and Headquarters Company Commander until 2012 where my culminating assignment was as the Headquarters and Headquarters Company Commander for 205th Infantry Brigade.

Change of Command

The following is an excerpt from my Change of Command speech delivered on December 13, 2013. I will deliver my speech here in 4 Parts. Thank you for reading Part 1, I hope you enjoy.

On May 29, 2004 I took the following oath:

"I, Corey Grant Henderson, having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of Lieutenant do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God."

For almost 10 years I have done my best to keep that Oath. But all things must come to an end. Not only am I relinquishing command, I am officially resigning my Commission and entering the business world as the calendar flips from 2013 to 2014. I am both excited and nervous,  as many of you might reasonably understand. I have had several of you, here in this audience, respond with disbelief and disappointment when I announced my resignation. You questioned my reasoning; for I am at or over that magical "10 year threshold" and have said to me, "Gosh, you've come this far, why not just finish this thing out to 20 years?!" I've also heard, "It's a shame to see you go, we need more people like you." With all due respect, I truly appreciate the sentiments, but I never have, nor do I now, view service to my country as a means to a lifelong pension and medical benefits plan. For me, service was a call to arms. With the current state of affairs abroad I feel I have satisfied my country's call to arms and now it is time to move on.

Good To Great

A quick synopsis: Good To Great by Tim Collins was a great way to start the interview preparation program with Cameron-Brooks because it offered a frame of reference for the business world in general, but more specifically help set the tone for how great companies think. I always knew the public sector was very different from that of the private sector, I just never really knew to what extent. What's great about Good To Great is that it gave very detailed examples into the psychology of turning a business around; a kind of playbook for how to get a company on the path to greatness. Its for this reason I believe this was a very appropriate beginning to the reading list. Companies looking to hire Junior Military Officers are expecting those Officers to have an immediate impact because they are striving for success. They're out to win the World Series and there's no room for anyone not playing for the same goal.

Introduction

Hello Blogosphere! This is my first attempt at a blog not named Twitter or Facebook. It has taken me quite some time to decide first, whether I should start a blog, and second, what in the world it would be about. There are countless blogs out there centered around many of the topics I'm interested in: politics, economics, CrossFit, the Army, Minnesota Twins baseball, etc. I wanted to be a little unique in purpose of this blog, especially being that it is my first one.

I have nailed it down to this: initially, this blog will contain reviews and my personal thoughts on books from a reading list by Cameron-Brooks. Cameron-Brooks is a recruiting firm that focuses solely on Junior Military Officers (JMOs). I was accepted into the recruiting program in April to aid in my transition from the Army to Corporate America. Their reading list, along with other resources, is intended to better prepare me for interviews with companies across the United States. During one of my latest performance evaluations my boss outlined a few things he felt would help make me a better professional both during my remaining time in the Army and in my future career in the business world. One of those areas was to improve my written communication skills. I suggested a (this) blog (which I had been back and forth on) and he enthusiastically approved. After running the idea by a few peers (chiefly, Olivia Cobiskey, our resident Public Affairs Officer), my wife and folks that work for me, I decided that there was no better time than now.

Having said that, I think this forum may be a better medium for discussing my thoughts on some of my other passions; i.e., politics, economics, CrossFit, the Army, Minnesota Twins baseball, etc, as the opportunity presents itself. Who knows? Perhaps those topics will spin off into yet other, distinct blogs and take on a lives of their own?! For the near future, I will focus on the reading list and use it as a platform from which to turn a weakness into a strength!

To all future readers: First, I want to thank you for being interested in what I have to say. Second, any and all feedback on any topic I write about, or you think I should write about, is emphatically welcomed and appreciated!