B-Battery 3/35 FA... Werthiem, Germany. Late 1990- Early to mid 1992...When the doors of Bravo Battery closed behind me, a sound that I would get to know all too well and never forget, I KNEW that my life was about to change... once again!!!! I'm 54 years old, I've been in many different types of units in two different MOS's. I have served with, and have observed men who used many different leadership styles. Looking back, and I mean this with the fullest sincerity that I can humanly muster... My First Sergeant (I'll give him the nickname "Grim Reaper" which fits him exactly) in B-Battery 3/35 FA was the very embodiment of brutality wrapped in authority. He was mean, loud, and unrelenting. His very demeanor, along with his words cut deeper than the bark of his orders. His presence alone was enough to drain the air from a room. Compassion was a language he did not speak!! He seemed to delight in our pain, while physically and emotionally breaking us down as he thrived on pushing us past misery into exhaustion! It was as if our suffering was the fuel for his satisfaction. To this day, he stands as the meanest, most ruthless individual I have ever encountered on this planet.And yet… therein lay the paradox! I LOVED to HATE him! Why? Because hating him was easy. But at the same time, I HATED to RESPECT him! The reason that I respected him was because buried in that cruelty was an undeniable truth! As much as I hate to admit, he made me better! His torment forged my resilience, his harshness hammered weakness out of me, and his mercilessness carved strength where I didn’t know it existed. He was the monster I despised, BUT, also the fire that tempered me and played one of many HUGE roles in making me the person I am today. And I have to thank him for that...https://youtu.be/nBM1-DwjA8I?si=psRe8SGXBDzIjTU1 - "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)" - AC/DC