Closure, no ... Vindication, no ... A new beginning, yep that's it. A New Beginning

 

***** Warning for any Coasties that are faint of heart at the mention of a darkside of the force, you may want to skip this post. *****

 

 

Every story has an end and a beginning.  Why can't we know the end before the beginning? Most of my life I have been guilty of not being able to wait until the end of a story or book.  If I was reading it by myself I would secretly skip ahead and read the last couple of pages so I could save myself the heartache and suspense that goes along with reading.  Isn't that the point of reading you ask?  Maybe, but I found I could enjoy the book much more if I knew what was going to come of it all.  I could relax and let it be.  Perhaps in my need to know I missed the best parts ...

 

So life happens and sometimes it's not pretty, and sometimes after a long not pretty spell you realize that the not pretty could have been pretty if only you stopped worrying about the not pretty.  And sometimes you realize that you increased the not prettiness of the not pretty by worrying about the "outcome".  

 

As many of you know, we came here on a last minute transfer.  Our household goods were already in Georgia and we were a couple of days from driving away.  We get a call and they tell us they need someone with Sam's skills and qualifications to fill a job in New Orleans. The laughter could be heard for thousands of miles around, what else could possibly happen. Word to the wise if you are going to utter that statement, even think it, be prepared!  So we loaded the kids and left the next morning.  

 

At Sam's change of command ceremony, there was a man there that caught my eye.  For now we'll call him Mr. Stink eye, as that's what he was giving Sam the entire ceremony.  Mr. Stink Eye had some choice words for Sam, none of which were even remotely pleasant.  I will spare you all the details but you'll get the picture by the following, now infamous comment (please read this with a vivid image of the most fabulous stink eye imaginable).  While shaking Sam's hand and introducing himself, he nastily says, "You are not qualified to be here.  I am watching you."  That's so awesome!  

 

Follow it up by events that are so ridiculous you wouldn't believe them if I wrote them, and you have the perfect storm for an unassuming get to work kind of guy like Sam to get hosed in the grossest proportions.  Turns out when you have a big ego, and you are a part of the 'good ol' boys network', and you don't get your way with trying to have your friend transferred into this NOLA job, _and_ you have a lot of covering up to do; you can be a particularly difficult fellow to work with.  It also just so happens to stink when he manages to cut you off from communication with any other superior officers.  Could Sam have gone over his head, sure.  Did he have any idea that he needed to, absolutely not.  

 

If we'd known the end before the beginning we wouldn't have come here.  If we wouldn't have come here we wouldn't have grown here.  They did need him here, desperately, and the only way for his purpose here to be fulfilled was for things to happen exactly as they did.  The only way for the truth to be known and things to be taken care of was for someone to take the fall, the long hard fall, and for whatever reason that someone was Sam. 

 

Was he wrongly accused, yep.  Was he treated with utmost disrespect, yep.  Was he railroaded in such a way that good friends of ours don't even believe we are telling the truth, yep.  Was he honest, trustworthy, and an amazing leader, you bet!  Was he changed in any way as a result of the gross misconduct of things and treatment of himself and his crew, yep.  Just try telling him he's an incompetent Officer in Charge, go ahead just try it.  And more importantly to Sam, was his crew changed for the better, most definitely.  He is still in contact with many of them and had great influence in all of their lives.  

 

If he could do anything over again, he would disobey orders to leave his unit at once without speaking to any member of his crew and demand that he be allowed to address them.  It's hard to think that clearly when you have been told you are having a friendly visit by a couple of officers after an inspection nearby and then they come in and kick you out of your office.  Even harder when you not only had no idea what was coming, but also were told that you would be meeting with Commander Licoln or Capt. Stroh before any action would be taken.  Oh all the stories I could tell.

 

Anyway ...

 

Sam had a meeting, a long overdue meeting, today with Capt. Stroh and Capt. Cook.  This is the first time he has spoken with anyone, other than Mr. Stink Eye (Mr. Temple), about all that has transpired.  Despite numerous attempts since the beginning of this year, some even through his lawyer, to have a meeting with those responsible for signing off on all of Mr. Temple's nonsense; he finally had his say.  In person, not through 7 page statements and 5 page rebuttals, but in person, face to face, where his demeanor and integrity could say more than any silly piece of paper with little letters all over it.  That is just crazy to me, but who am I?  The crazier part is that he hasn't even been officially relieved yet, again, who am I?  

 

Would anyone like to know how he finally got the meeting?  I'll tell you.  He did not accept "No one sees the Capts.". He refused, respectfully, to stop asking when all lower parts, in both the old and new departments, of his chain of command said, "No".  He was going to be heard.  He was relieved in April and started requesting a meeting much earlier due to things with Mr. Temple getting much worse and the severity of all he was uncovering at the ANT.  It is an understatement to say it took a long time to be heard, but it was well worth it.  

 

For two Captains to tell you that things were grossly mishandled and that you are due an apology is huge.  For one of those Captains to be the one that signed off on your Relief for Cause is pretty awesome.  For an acknowledgment that things were hung around your neck that you had absolutely nothing to do with is fabulous.  For the same Captain that signed your relief to genuinely tell you that if you ever need a recommendation give him a call and he'll gladly do it, that's monumental.  For them both to pledge to be advocates on your behalf moving forward, with marks and recommendations and such, is stupendous.  And to follow it up with praise and recognition of dramatic improvement of an entire department after you began working there, well I guess that's what you'd call supercalafragalisticexpealidocious.   

  

Does it get him his job back, no.  Does it change the way people talk about him and the garbage that will be spread about him for years to come, no.  Does it mean we don't have to move and rush to ready the house and get it sold, no.  Does it mean that we will not be separated for a time, no.  Does any of that really matter, not at all.  All is well, and all will be well.  

 

Sam was finally heard and people listened.  I'd call that a great beginning to the next chapter and I promise no more peeking :)