An Admiral Life

John Scott Redd was born in my hometown of about 1,000 people in 1944. He was more than 10 years my senior so I never really knew him, but certainly knew of him. My twin brother and I took over his paper route when we were in grade school. My brother (K0ZR) was also enamored with Scott (K0DQ) because they were and are both avid amateur radio operators extraordinaire.

Admiral Redd is a man of particular note as his biography on Wikipedia clearly testifies. My recollection is that he graduated #2 at the United States Naval Academy where he majored in mathematics and physics. He was president of his midshipman class. Over his many years of distinguished service to our country, he would ultimately become the first commanding officer of the Navy’s 5th Fleet in the Mediterranean in 1995, and he was appointed as the first Senate-confirmed Director of the National Counter-Terrorism Center (Homeland Security) by then President George W. Bush.

What causes a person to rise to such prominence? What drives a person from a little tiny town tucked in the Midwest to aspire to such heights? One can ask similar questions about Butch O’Hare who was the subject of an earlier post.

I have worked with a number of kids over the years who’s families had a checkered past, and they thought themselves predestined to repeat the same failures in their own lives. A lot of parents these days think this way about themselves. One girl I recall knew that she had been adopted and she sought to find out the details about her birth-mother. When she found out that her birth-mom had been an alcoholic and was unwed at the time of her birth, that was all the evidence that she needed to write herself off as a loser too.

Of all people on the planet though, Christians get a carte blanche when they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and are genuinely born again. We adults need to jettison the excess baggage that we carry along from our past, and we need to instill the ideals and the qualities into our kids that led Lt. Commander Butch O’Hare and Admiral Scott Redd to lives of unwavering purpose and direction.

Everyone one of us need to take more of the attitude of another fine naval offer who said, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” (from David G. Farragut, 1801-1870, U.S. Navy’s 1st Four-Star Admiral).

If you sense a little “attitude” with this post, it is intended to be there! Ok, the economy is in the dump. Things on the job are not what I would like them to be. On and on… In the whole history of the world though, has there been a group of people more blessed than we are in America? I say a resounding no. Damn the torpedoes, we have families that need our guidance and direction, and a holy God who insists that we live disciplined lives seasoned with eternal purpose.

Several years ago, a new highway section was built around the perimeter of my hometown back in the Midwest. A few long-time residents took it upon themselves to make sure that Admiral Scott Redd was not forgotten for his many years of achievement and service to our country. They worked tirelessly through government red tape to get the highway eventually named in honor of the Admiral.

May everyone of us follow the examples offered by Admiral Scott Redd and Lt. Commander Butch O’Hare to live an admiral life.