Most importantly, when the name of the game is deterrence, you always want the enemy to be unsure what action will provoke which reaction, especially if the reaction choices include devastating responses.
-- An anonymous student of General LeMay
The second, here, is entitled "Building Your Distance Capability," which nicely dovetails with these observations from Dick Winter's Beyond Band of Brothers:
Physical fitness is another prerequisite for success. I freely admit that I was blessed with a sound physical constitution, but whenever possible, I took the opportunity to improve my physical stamina. Because I was in such good physical shape, I easily survived Toccoa. While men washed out on a daily basis, the contingent from Easy Company that completed the training and earned their wings at Fort Benning were tough as nails. Not surprisingly, I felt that I was in the best physical shape of my life as Easy Company prepared for the invasion at Aldbourne. This did not happen by accident. Following a rigorous day of training, I would take a run every evening following tea with the Barneses. As they were on their way to bed, I would say, "Well, I'm going to take a walk." I would go out and run for several miles even though blackout conditions were in effect. Then I'd come home and go to bed. Because I was in such good shape, my fatigue level never reached the point of physical exhaustion that sometimes contributes to mental exhaustion and, ultimately, to combat fatigue. We all experienced sleep deprivation at times -- that is the nature of stress -- but a physically exhausted leader routinely makes poor decisions in time of crisis. (pp. 286-287)
Winters sums this up in his third principle for success in a list entitled, "Leadership at the Point of the Bayonet.'
Stay in top physical shape -- physical stamina is the root of mental toughness.
4 comments:
Fitness is key to YOUR survival, let alone YOUR ability to defeat an opponent!
Simple exercise: WALKING! Start out slow. Get to where you can walk 5 miles at the pace of 15 minute miles. Not too hard, really. You can do this and still hold a conversation with a walking partner.
Difficult exercise: PUSH AWAYS! Push away from the table! Start eating non-MSG saturated foods. Eat more vegatables and less 'heavy weights'.
Discipline exercise: DRY FIRE & "SNAP IN"! Do it 3 times a week. You need to strengthen the muscles you use for shooting, too.
It's time.
Now get out and do it.
Yep. Something most of us should probably be working on. I find that it's much easier to do, and you can push yourself much harder, when you to PT with other people, which is what me and a few friends plan on doing over the summer.
Well put! I've dropped 25 lbs, quit smoking, and I'm walking a half-hour each night. Been doing this the last year or so, and I feel *much* better.
Still can't keep up with the kids, but then I was never any physical specimen to be proud of.
I started taking the advice of "Trainer" over two years ago. I am a big believer that you can't keep you mind shielded in the glory days of the past and you have to humble yourself and start small all over again - mainly because thats what I had to do!
Baby steps are the key to getting ones extremely large glutimus maximus back into shape. In easier terms, something that I had to tell myself: FORGET THE GLORY YEARS AND GET OFF YOUR ASS!
On top of what the Trainer suggested, do exercises that utilize your own body weight. PUSHUPS - good old fashioned pushups. Start with 5, and every week or two add 2 or 3 more reps. Soon you will find 20 is a breeze, then 25, then 30, etc. DIPS & PULLUPS - same thing, start with 1, then 2, then 3.
One thing that I don't regret is cutting SALT from my diet. Those nutritional facts on the back of those DORITO bags, look at the SODIUM content on anything you buy and start calculating how much you actually eat...not the 12 chip serving size, factor in the whole bag that you take out in a day. You'll start to see a sodium diet of around 3500(way conservative for an "average" american who likes fast food) to 6000 plus. Start cutting that down and make it your goal to get it to 2500 or lower.
You'll find yourself seasoning your protein differently and eating more raw foods such as roasted unsalted nuts and veggies. All that excess water that was in your body from the salt will quickly be gone and your body will start working much easier with you as you work out!
We are all in this together, and for those who don't think you can do it - DO IT, you'll be glad you did.
~Fawkes
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