Podcast Episode - In Honor Of Those Who Serve

Listen to Podcast Episode:

Suze has an amazing connection with a member of the US Army.  This Memorial Day Weekend, Suze and KT replay part of an episode where Suze shares the story of that friendship.

Podcast Transcript:

Good morning Mrs. Travis. Hi, Suze. Why? Why what you do not like when I call you Miss Travis? No. You like it. I don't it's, KT. You say it's Suze here and I say KT. I know but I just sometimes like to call you Miss Travis. But KT remember how last, KT Travis, remember how the last Thursday I said to you don't tell everybody what we're going to be doing today because maybe I'll change my mind. Who knows? And you said no, no we have to do it. Because you said, well guess what? I'm changing my mine. Let me tell you why I don't want to go to Suze school today and teach you about annuities. Because this is a serious holiday, where we remember those who lost their lives by serving this country, just that simple our country. And KT, do you remember when we lived in San Francisco what we did every Memorial Day? Yeah, I remember Suze how we would take a stroll through the Presidio Cemetery overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and it was every single marker that recognizes soldier who lost his or her life, because only soldiers who lost their lives are very buried there. But with the flags every Memorial Day, right? They would put flags on every single grave and the graves are all lined up in perfect order, like they were in formation. Then the families would come and we would walk around and we would be part of that remembrance. For us, it wasn't about the hot dogs and the hamburgers and that. It was about truly remembering those whose lives were lost. And so, I just can't talk about annuities, I just couldn't do it. And therefore, there's one podcast that I did in November of last year, it was dedicated to somebody who has spent his entire life serving this country and continue and continues to do so, and this particular man has seen more loss of life than most, because of his position in the military. And there isn't a week that passes that when you'll hear it, we still write all the time to one another. And he said, oh Suze, I just lost this friend and I just lost that friend even to this day. And so, I wanted to replay this one podcast that I did in November because I can't honor him enough. I can't honor those who serve in the military enough. I can't honor those whose lives were lost in the military enough. And this is just my way of doing so. So, we wish you all an amazing Memorial Day weekend and one that is heartfelt one that takes a moment to remember to reflect and to simply say thank you and a little prayer here and there. So, everybody take a moment, have a listen, feel how we feel and just remember today and this weekend is a time to remember. All right, everybody, we'll see you on Thursday with ask, Suze and KT anything. All right. Take a listen now. Welcome to the Women and Money podcast as well as the men smart enough to listen. Suze O here and I have a story, a real-life story that I want to tell you. It was about a week ago now and 28 Junior officers had gathered in Washington D.C. at a ceremony that was taking place at the Pentagon. Now these officers were there to be presented with one of the most prestigious and desired leadership awards that a soldier can attain. And as they took their seats properly, covid distance from one another. The general presiding over the ceremony took the stage. The main theme of his address was that he really wanted the soldiers that were sitting in front of him to fully comprehend what it took for them to be there that day. He knew how seriously hard it was to earn this award and that the percentage rate to have been chosen was even harder and stricter than the competition to be a general officer, not just so all of you have an idea what it really takes to win this award. Just listen to me for a second. There are currently over 120,000 company grade officers in the army. So, to be one of these 28 officers selected for this coveted award, that means their chances were less than two hundredths of a percent. So, this group of 28 really represented an elite group of soldiers who have been identified as the top leaders in the army today. The general took his time telling them that their career was a marathon, that it wasn't a sprint. That each award recipient had demonstrated years of great leadership and he was really proud of each and every one of them and that he knew that they were going to live up to the legacy of those who have gone before them. The highlight of the general’s talk was as follows, He said that great leaders possess the 3Cs of leadership, competence, commitment and character. But the general did not stop there. He paused. He took a breath and then he said, however, this year he was going to add a 4th C to leadership and the 4th C stood for Care. That Care is so very important today because today we need leaders more than ever now that truly care about the soldiers, that they lead. That we need leaders that care about their people, their soldiers, their families and their civilians. He said no one cares how much, you know, until they know how much you care and that the best leaders not only require a high level of intelligence quotient or IQ, but they also should have an emotional quotient or EQ so that they could inspire their people to do incredible things in the army. And as you move up higher, he was saying in leadership roles, IQ becomes less important and EQ becomes even more important. And in closing he wanted everyone to know that the unique background of all of this year's awardees who came from all corners of the country and even overseas. That every single one of them had worked incredibly hard and demonstrated the competence, the commitment, that character and care for our soldiers that our army needs. Now, maybe you're sitting there and you're thinking about why am I telling you this story? I'm telling you this story really, for two reasons. One to ask you to contemplate and think about your own lives. Do you want to be a great leader? A leader, maybe in your own business or maybe a leader in your company or a leader in your family or in your schools or neighborhoods or just and how you live your life every day. Do you, do you possess any or all the 4Cs of leadership, confidence, commitment, character and care? And I really want you to think about, what do these four words mean to you? How do they affect you? How do they affect all those who you love and how can you bring those traits forth in your life? And I just want you to think about this, for I have to tell you in my opinion over these next few months in particular, it's going to be vital that you display these traits in every possible way. But the most important reason I wanted to tell you this story is because one of my great friends, Captain Karim Nicholas Dockery. He loves to go by his middle name Captain Nicolas Dockery, who serves in the U. S. Army Special Operations Command, was one of these 28 recipients last week. Now I've talked to all of you about Nick before, on one of our past podcasts. He was the one who gave me the American flag that was flying over a mission that he completed in Afghanistan. It was there at his post for months and it meant a lot to everybody that was on this mission. And he took that flag when the mission was over and he gave it to me then I have to tell you, I have that flag along with the picture of all the soldiers that fought under it and I framed it and it hangs right here. I'm looking at it right now in my podcast studio. I look at it every day and I remember all those who lives were lost under that flag. So, I tell you this story for I have to tell you, I'm so proud to be Captain Nicolas Dockery's friend, so proud. You know, a few months ago when I was going through my health situation, Nick was so worried, he was so concerned about was, I going to be okay? What was I going to do and on and on and on. And he kept emailing me and he would say, you know Ma'am, he always calls me ma'am. By the way, you know Ma'am in my life, I've lost more than most and I have left my best friends on the battlefield. So, I think of my friends every day and I know what a true friend is, I know what it's like to risk your life for a friend and how important friends that truly care are. Then he asked me a question, he says, Ma'am, I've sent you something in the mail that I really want you to have. Did you get it? And I wrote him back and I said, Nick I'm back on the island in the Bahamas where I can't get mail. I'm not in my Florida home anymore. So, if you mailed it there, I have to tell you, I'm just not going to get it for some time. He writes back and he says it's okay ma'am, it can wait one day, it will get to you. But I just want you to know that there's nothing that I could give you that means more to me than this. Now, I have to tell you when I read that I was so curious as to what Nick sent, but there wasn't much I could do until a few months later when somebody I knew was going to be flying over here and I asked them if they could bring a gift to me that someone gave me, if I could get it delivered to them and they said of course. So finally, I get Nick's gift and I open it up to find a little blue box. I carefully open up the little blue box and literally my heart just stops beating. I close the box and I go to KT and I said, you have to see this. And I opened the box up for her to see and she just stares at it in silence for there really were no words. Inside the box was a purple heart, a purple heart that Captain Nick Dockery had been awarded for almost losing his life while he was in Afghanistan, with the purple heart was a handwritten letter from Nick that I would read to you. But no way could I get through the entire letter without crying my eyes out. In essence, Nick just wanted me to know that he feels like I've cared for him and that I am indeed his true friend. And in life there is nothing more precious than that. You know, out of all the awards and accolades I have ever been given in my lifetime, Nick’s purple heart, without a shadow of a doubt will always be my most treasured. Nick is such a special person. But it's not just Nick. It's all the men and women who served in the Armed Forces. We must never, ever forget that they are risking their lives for the honor of you and our country, for our freedom and to keep us safe and sound. I've seen Nick's wounds and what he's been through and yet nothing. I mean, nothing can keep him from his mission in life of protecting all of us. And it's moments like this that when you meet somebody and you get a connection with somebody, even though you have nothing in common with them. Nothing, I mean, I don't even know how it happened really that I started this relationship with this soldier. How did that happen? That we email each other once two or three times a week that somehow, I touched his heart so that he gave me his purple heart. You know, we briefly met face to face on the island where I live because he has a family that lives on the island. But I have to tell you many families live on this island and I've never connected with most of them. I don't even know half of their names, but I sure know Captain Nicolas Dockery. I know him. I know him well. And I'll never forget once he was talking to me. He said, ma'am, do you think I could ever get married? And I said, I don't think so, Nick. And he said, why? I said, Nick, you're married to what you do. You've seen too much. You know too much. And I just don't think so. I think it's like just this dream, but not reality. And it was at that moment that he was also thinking, well maybe he really should do something with his life. Maybe it's time after all these years that he goes on and he goes back to school and he just becomes something. And I said to him, what are you talking about? You've become everything. Look at the awards on your, you know, on your uniform. In fact, now that I'm saying that I'm going to post on the Women and Money app a picture of Nick going to the ceremony, he was so proud. He sent me a picture and along with it he said, you know, Suze, I don't normally get dressed up like this. How do you think I look? And it was so sweet. So, I'll post that for all of you to see. I'll also post a picture of the purple heart for all of you to see. But we were talking and I said Nick you've given everything, really. You've given everything, what more could you want? And he said I'll have to think about it ma'am. And then he went on and another award that he was just given, was he is now able to get a full scholarship to go to any school he wants to go to and he's applied to now Harvard and all these schools so that he can then be trained to learn whatever it is that he needs to learn to come back to the army to really be able to then command the forces when they do secret missions and all these other things. So, Nick, all of a sudden now has gotten his dream and he's now going to go back to school, full scholarship, and then go back to the army. The main point of all of this that I'm telling you this story is that we have to be open in our lives to those that we meet and we come across and no matter what they're doing in their lives, we have to be open and hear the entire story before we just judge them on what they look like or whatever it may be. We really have to now have the 4Cs in our life. The 4 C’s that great leaders possess. Because this world has needed those 4Cs right now, more than it's ever needed it before. So, I tell you this story again, mainly to honor Nick, to honor Nick, who I am so proud to call my friend.

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