Profiles In Courage Part II

While Im sitting here having lunch, I wanted to do my second profile in courage today.  Meet Ret. Col. Don Bartholomew of the US Army.  I met Don a few years ago at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Leadership School.  It is a rarity just about anywhere for a Colonel to be outranked by someone in the same room but at that Leadership School was General Richard Meyers, the former Chariman of the Joint Chief of Staff.  Regardless, I was instantly impressed with Col.  To be honest, I am not entirely sure I am supposed to call him Colonel Bartholomew for two reasons. 1) I am a civilian 2) he has since retired.  I don't really care. I know lots of doctors, professors, lawyers, etc. but very few Colonels.  Don is a fraternity brother of mine who pledged at The University of Cincinnati (the chapter that just initiated my father) but graduated from EKU.  He has since been stationed all around the world but settled in E-Town Kentucky.  Don is currently the Province Archon for the state of Kentucky which is a significant position of leadership in our fraternity.

Don has this great presence about him and is a very gentle man.  From commanding troops on the battlefield, to watching my girls at an SAE event, he is all things you would want representing your fraternity.  In reality, he is all things you would want representing your country as well.  I have always said one of the best lessons we learned from Vietnam, is how not to treat the troops.  While I wasn't around then it is obvious the way we view the troops now is 180' different from that time period.  After Vietnam, troops would come home to empty airports, or at best hostile crowds.  Men hid their service in shame because people would harass them because they went to a war that most did not sign up for.  Regardless, we are no longer that way. And that is a great thing.  I am not sure America is any smarter but we are more appreciative. 

So this blog is dedicated to someone I am proud to call a good friend, Col. Bartholomew.  The above picture is one I think is one of the best pictures ever.  I have missed a few birthdays and holidays because of my work travel.  Never had I had to miss an anniversary because I was in a war zone thousands and thousands of miles away.  There are times when I have to be gone a week at a time and when that trip comes to an end I almost aways swear I am never going to miss that much time again.  When im gone for two days I feel like I have missed so much.  I couldn't imagine what it is like to be in the environment that Don was in at Iraq, at the time period he was.   This picture is a reminder that wars are not fought by men and women without families and that everyone who is there today volunteered to do so.  Thank you Don for your service to our country, to our fraternity, and for being a great example for others to follow. Thanks for being strong, Army strong.