District Governor International President
Gary Benmark John Kenny
Springfield, TN Grangemouth, Scotland
Rotary 2009-10
The Future of Rotary Is in Your Hands
January 29, 2010
Today,
we honorably welcome the military, as Retired Colonel Chuck Harrison pays a visit.
Col. Harrison graduated from Peabody High School in Trenton, TN where he was a small town football star, but in his own words, was shocked to learn that college middle linebackers are not 5’7" and 175 pounds. He went on to attend and graduate from UTM. While there, he changed sports and took up golf. After graduation in 1983, he entered active duty in the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant. His education includes a Bachelor of Science Degree from UTM, a Master of Arts in National Security from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, the Army’s Command and General Staff College and in lieu of the War College, he spent one year as a National Security Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. While in Cambridge, he was self-described as "Harvard’s token conservative in captivity".
Col. Harrison is a Master Army Aviator, and spent most of his career leading aviation units and flying Cobra, Kiowa, Apache and Apache Longbow, and Special Operations Command Little Bird Gun helicopters. The last 5 years of his career have been devoted to strategic level planning for the US Special Operations Command and as the Inspector General for the Tennessee National Guard.
Col. Harrison is highly decorated for services rendered during his career, and will be speaking today on his perspective of The Battle of Mogadishu that occurred on Oct. 3-4, 1993 between the members of Task Force Ranger and Somali fighters. This is the same battle depicted in the Oscar winning movie "Black Hawk Down".
Next week
, we will hear from one of our own, as Rotary Member Al Oliver brings his wife Laura and a couple of guests to report on a recent trip down under and their adventures while in Australia.
We all know about Al, and probably should not put into print some of the things we know, however his wife Laura on the other hand, should bring a bright spot to our meeting.
Laura and Al met while in school at UTM, they married in 1992, and since that time have had two children, Mary Ali 13 and Anna 11.
Laura graduated from UTM in 1991, she has taught school for 17 years, teaching 6th 7th and 8th grade Advanced Reading/Language Arts. Al, as we all know , has been associated with Union City Insurance for several years. He is also an avid hunter and sportsman.
They will also bring along two guests, John Alex Warner, son of Jack and Mellany Warner, who is an 8th grader at Union City Middle School and Justice Walker, son of Shelly E. Watson, who is also an 8th grader at Union City Middle School.
The group will have a powerpoint presentation with pictures of their recent trip, and some interesting facts about Sidney Australia. The boys will be talking about school in Australia.
Last week,
Union City Rotary welcomed the coaching staff and senior members of Union City High School’s Class A Football State Champions.
Coach Bowling took the podium, and began by talking to his senior squad members, explaining to them that they were not forgotten, just because the coaching staff had began concentrating on lower classmen so as to get them ready for next season, he said these kids would always have a special place in his heart and in the heart of the rest of the staff, and he well remembers the effort they put fourth to get the program to where it is today. He went on to say that he could tell from the first of the season that this team could be in the state playoffs come the end of the season and he had some idea along about half way through the season who they would be matched up with and he felt like this team could win that match-up.
He explained that last weeks meeting gave him the opportunity to speak to these seniors and Rotary as well, since that opportunity was taken away from him in Murfresboro, due to the press taking him away from his team as soon as the game was over, so therefore he did not get the opportunity to enjoy the victory with his team.
Recapping the season he spoke of his first visit to U.C. Rotary, and how he had let us in on his 5 year plan for the team, his vision for the future and the way he would try and jump-start the program, he referred to the seniors in front of him and gave them the credit for the program turning around so quickly, he also gave credit to his coaching staff.
He said when he took over the program he wanted a new face, therefore the weight room was completely re-done, and it was kept that way, by his team and staff, which he felt helped teach them self discipline and responsibility, and it also taught them to do the little things right. So he said instilling pride in the program and taking care of the little things mad the bigger things fall into place and helped bring the team to where it is today.
So. Fulton Hosts Halls
