Gettysburg Trip

The 55th JAG School Grad course went for a two day class trip to Gettysburg on Thursday and Friday. I had a lot of fun, but I am a history geek. We toured the battlefield, doing Day 1 of the battle on Thursday, and Days 2 and 3 on Friday. Several of us got to do a presentation on one of the leaders in the battle, with the idea of capturing leadership lessons for our careers as military leaders. I gave a talk on General Longstreet, Lee's second in command in the Army of Northern Virginia. The lesson to be learned from Longstreet is to carry out (lawful) orders with precision and speed, even if you disagree with the orders. My favorite lesson was that of General Meade, the commander of the Army of the Potomac. He assumed command less than a week before the battle began, he wasn't the first choice for the job, he was now commanding subordinates who had turned down the job, and the fate of the Republic depended on how he and his troops performed in the battle. If you ever start a new job and start to feel sorry for yourself for all the problems you have inherited from your predecessor, think of General Meade.

Just a few more weeks of class before we leave Virginia and head for the West Coast. I am looking forward to the end of the school year, if not what comes next.

Shawn giving the Longstreet presentation

For a virtual tour of the battlefield, go to:

http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getttour/main-ms.htm

Easter / 40

Greetings to all of our friends and family. Happy Easter. The Gordon Girls did some Easter Egg decoration and hunting. All went well until the final egg was left to be found. Eowyn had five eggs, Seneca had two, and Giana had four. Seneca was standing and crying, and wasn't focused so much on egg-hunting. I thought that it would be fair for Eowyn and Giana to end up with the same number of eggs, so I pointed the last egg out to Giana, then stopped Eowyn from rushing over to get it. Eowyn informed me that I was a big bully, that I wasn't fair, and that I was ruining her life. And she is six! If I am ruining her life now, think of what I'll be doing when she is a teenager! It boggles the imagination. Eowyn ran inside crying, while Giana told me what a good daddy I was. I eventually got Eowyn to agree that it was fair that she and Giana both found five eggs (although, as she pointed out, Giana really didn't find the last one), and that it was okay that her life was ruined.

And yes, if you are wondering, it is my 40th birthday today. Yes, I do feel old, and yes I wonder how I can keep up with my Gordon Girls when they are teenagers and I am in my 50s. I am feeling sorry for myself today, but when I look at my Gordon Girls (Gia included) I realize how blessed I am to be able to spend time with them, even though I am getting old and decrepit. I can't feel too sorry for myself, I suppose, when I am surrounded by youth and beauty.

As many of you know, I will be returning to Iraq this summer for a year long tour as the command judge advocate for a medical unit. I will miss a year of the Girls, with Eowyn going to first grade, Giana getting out of her terrible threes and into four-year-old-hood, and Seneca becoming a little lady and not just a baby. That makes me terribly sad, but I knew what I was in for when I signed up, and these sacrifices are part of the life.

Spring Break II

We took a nature cruise on our last day in Florida. We went through the mangrove estuary here in Naples. A little ways into the cruise, we saw some dolphins, and we followed them all the way out into the Gulf. The girls were thrilled. We also saw some pelicans and egrets. Here are some photos. It is hard to take pictures of dolphins with a digital camera with low batteries. They don’t surface for long, so I just pointed the camera and sort of pre-focused, then just tried to click when they came up.

Spring Break

The Gordons are in Florida for Spring Break. We drove down from Virginia, and stopped by to see our friend Amy in Fort Stewart on the way. We are visiting Gia's dad in Naples, Florida, which is south of Tampa on the Gulf Coast side. The weather is fantastic. We are staying about a mile from the beach. There is a coconut tree in the front yard. I have some pictures of the Gordons on the beach.

Giana on the beach

Under the umbrella

Gia and Seneca Rose

Daddy and his little lady