Among my respondents I find some very
interesting information. Today I share a
web site that might be of powerful
interest to military personnel heading to Iraq and
to law enforcement... especially to
those who might be interested in training in
tracking. I have investigated the
site and I find it to be interesting from the
standpoint of what is taught and how
the group of Peace Keepers who run the
training handle the business of
preparing those who are interested in the subject
of tracking lost people, fugitives
and enemies such as the insurgency in the Middle
East. Take a look. You will find it
very enlightening... at least I did... and I
correspond often with one of the
members of the team. The training is free... no
cost to to the student for the course
of instruction...
For other very usable information
check out these sites:
Frank Borelli is a personal friend and
a professional, dedicated Peace Keeper.
You can gain from the information
available through his site...
SWATDigest is also a very interesting
site... give them both a look... as well as
Centurion.
One of the statements most heard by
my regular students as I teach is,
"HEARING, LISTENING, SEEING,
LEARNING... AND APPLYING..." Herein lies
the process and method of growth and
progress in all things. If you leave out the
steps of listening and applying you
do not learn and retain. Others say it another
way, "Train, Train, Train... Often
and Hard."... or "Train hard... or not at all!"
Sometimes I say it another way, "You
do not know a thing until you can retain it,
repeat it and apply it!" I learned
all of these things through several professions...
Engineering (civil, structural and
mechanical), teaching, preaching and law
enforcement. I had some most
fabulous teachers. Every teacher that was good
for me taught me to think. When I
learned to think, then I learned to absorb useful
information that I could apply to
daily responsibilities on the job... and in daily life.
When a Peace Keeper learns to go
through the process of training and application
he/she learns valuable lessons that
will work in many other places than just when on
duty. Training involves principles
or laws. Once these laws are learned and
applied to gain experience... they
are always available and they always work
whenever and wherever they are
applied... even in situations that do not involve
duty in everyday personal life.
Learning to do the best you can with
what you have where you are and leaving the
rest to God or whoever else is
responsible is the recipe for success on the
battlefield and wherever else that
you might be. My weekly closing admonition is
not just a catchy phrase... it is the
everyday experience gained by me and a lot of
successful people including other
Peace Keepers and a lot of other people...
professionals, laborers,
housekeepers, mechanics and many other endeavors...
"Be alert... watchful...
suspicious... and wary..." These attitudes will cause you to be
successful and truly live the fullest
of your potential in your chosen field. In peace
keeping, these are the attitudes that
keep you alive... and staying alive gives you
both success and victory.
Hearing is a Physiological process...
it happens automatically... But if you are not
listening the sound has no meaning.
Seeing is a physiological process... But if you
are not concentrating on what is seen
the sight has no detail and no revelation to
the consciousness. Learning means
listening and observing in the fullest sense
of your abilities... and making
practical application of what you take in... then putting
it to use to gain the best results
possible. You do not know a thing until you can
apply what you have learned and
explain to another person why you are doing it
and what the results are of making
the practical application.
Being a Peace Keeper is an
appointment. Being a person in the support systems
of and for Peace Keepers is an
appointment. These appointments require people
who will accept the challenge and do
the best possible job that they are capable of
doing. Whether we are talking about
troops on the ground (including law
enforcement), pilots in the air,
sailors on the sea... instructors, dispatchers, clerks,
department heads, administrators or
anyone else... Every one in the whole system
is vital to the success of the
mission of keeping the peace.
Sometimes a Peace Keeper becomes so
successful on the field that they are
moved into a position of training and
instructing everyone from recruits to
specialists. I have talked with many
who have been moved into these positions.
Some wanted it and requested it.
Some were ordered into it and did not like it. I
realized when I began as a Peace
Keeper that the most influential position a Peace
Keeper could attain was to be a
trainer... to become so good at one or more facets
of the profession that they were more
valuable training others by the experience that
they had gained in practical
application in the field on the job... than they could be if
allowed to continue doing the job
themselves. Really good Peace Keepers can
multiply themselves many times over
by sharing their expertise and experience with
those who could learn and apply the
experience that the instructors had learned and
passed on... to those who could do
the job while the instructors kept multiplying their
experience to other students...
class... after class... after class... after class.
Instructing is a place where those
who could do the job did it... and did it so well that
peace keeping needed them to be
multiplied for the success of the current and
future endeavor. From the very
beginning I looked forward to becoming a trainer.
I enjoyed every facet of the job...
but I get the most joy from instilling useful,
life-keeping, life-giving information
into those who can and will take my place in the
thin line of peace keeping... or in
living! Today those students and recruits look so
young and beautiful... Tomorrow some
of them will have advanced so well that they
will be taking our places as
instructors as we pass on through life and graduate from
the process of keeping the peace.
Our replacements... and our future... are our
students and recruits. My job as an
instructor is to train the student so well that they
no longer need me to teach them...
then they can do the job and teach others as well.
>From time to time when someone says
something about the state of the society...
the nation... or the world... I think
for a moment and respond with, "I would be most
happy to work myself out of a job...
or I would be most happy if those I instruct could
do so well that they could replace me
and do a better job... or I would be ecstatically
happy if the world were to progress
to the place where it no longer had need of this
chaplain to perform any of my duties."
My deepest thanks and appreciation to
all Peace Keepers for who you are and for
what you do to make life safe and
livable for all of the rest of us. Last week I asked
for a particular response from
readers. I thank those who responded.
"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!" Be alert,
watchful, suspicious and wary. Take the
very best of care of every facet of
you. Be especially careful to take care of the
spiritual facet... it needs to be
strong for you to succeed.
Call or write if I may be of any
service to you.
As it has always been... so it still
is...
"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST...
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO
WAR FIRST...
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN."
Sun tzu
ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS
SEE THE VICTORY!!!
THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE
OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL
PAYMENTS OF SWEAT,
BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!
WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND
RESPECT...
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE
ENVIED)...
BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE...
[My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as
you do your job... it means
doing the best you can with what you have where you are using
all your faculties to get
the job done well and with good results conquering evil and
keeping or restoring peace...
it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean
to cower or allow anything
to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law
and ethics... it means that if
the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil
as possible in the process.
That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can
and leaving the rest to God
or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for
the sake and protection of all
the things and people that we hold dear.]
I represent, write for... and give the credit to:
God the Father (my Commander-in-Chief),
Jesus Christ the Son (the Eternal Captain of my life) and
the Holy Spirit of God (my Eternal Teacher, Keeper and Guide).
In Christ I live... with Him and for you I serve...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace
Keepers,
VIRGINIA STATE POLICE ALUMNI,
RETIRED Police Officer, Certified
Police Instructor,
757-431-2190,
chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA
23452
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Copyright: CHAPLAIN CORNER (DRS)
2006. All rights reserved.
May not be duplicated without
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