Rest in Peace

In Memory of Capt. Sean Sims

Captain Sean Patrick Sims born August 27, 1972, died November 13, 2004 in Fallujah, Iraq. Captain Sims was commanding A Company, 2-2 BN, 1st Infantry Division, when he was killed in action. He was leading his company in action against a band of insurgents occupying buildings in Fallujah.


Captain Sims graduated from Texas A&M University. He was a member of the Corps of Cadets, the Ross Volunteers, Ranger Challenge and commander of Company L-2. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and received a distinguished military graduate commission into the United States Army as an Infantry officer. He was the top graduate in his platoon at the Infantry Officers Basic Course, and then attended the Airborne School, Pathfinder Course, and Ranger School. He then was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division as a platoon leader and Company Executive Officer. He later attended the Armor Officers Course and followed that with an assignment to Germany where he was assigned to the Seventh Army Training Center at Grafenwoehr. After one year he was transferred to the 1st Infantry Division in Vilseck where he spent the rest of the time as Brigade and Battalion Staff Officer, including eight months with the 1st Infantry Division deployed to Kosovo. He then joined Company A, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division for deployment to Iraq in February of 2004.


He was married to the former Heidi Duty 96 of Eddy, Texas. He is survived by Heidi and a young son, Colin Patrick, who had a mere five weeks with his father before he deployed to Iraq.


Captain Sims is the son of Colonel Thomas L. and Laura (nee Ivey) Sims of McKinney, Texas and El Paso. He is the grandson of a major leader in the history of El Paso, Ben L. Ivey, deceased, and Leone O. (nee Drugan) Ivey of the Lower Valley. His paternal grandfather, Walter K. Sims, is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army and was a long time resident of El Paso where he spent many years working for the Texas Employment Commission.


Source: Obituary Notice


Citation to Accompany the Award of the Silver Star:


FOR VALOROUS ACTIONS AS THE COMMANDER OF COMPANY A, TASK FORCE 2-2 INFANTRY, WHILE ATTACKING TO DEFEAT AN ENTRENCHED FORCE OF SEVERAL HUNDRED ANTI-IRAQI AND FOREIGN FIGHTERS IN THE CITY OF FALLUJAH. ACTING AS THE MAIN EFFORT COMPANY COMMANDER FOR THE ATTACK INTO FALLUJAH ON 9 NOVEMBER 2004 DURING OPERATION PHANTOM FURY, A/2-2 INFANTRY UNDER CAPTAIN SIMS COMMAND EXECUTED A DYNAMIC BREACH AND CONDUCTED OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS FOR 45 STRAIGHT HOURS TO DESTROY THE AIF DEFENSES AND TO OPEN THE CITY FOR FOLLOW-ON FORCES. CAPTAIN SIMSS PERSONAL BRAVERY, COURAGE UNDER FIRE AND FEARLESS LEADERSHIP WAS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEFEAT OF THE HEART OF THE ANTI-IRAQI FORCES AND THE RAPID COLLAPSE OF THEIR DEFENSIVE POSITIONS. CAPTAIN SIMSS DEDICATION TO HIS FELLOW SOLDIERS ON THE BATTLEFIELD UPHOLDS THE FINEST TRADITIONS OF MILITARY SERVICE AND REFLECTS GREAT CREDIT UPON HIMSELF, TASK FORCE DANGER AND THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

First hand account of Fallujah link here

Identity Politics of a Sort

I am not a runner but I try to run. For those of you following along at home, I finally made it to the mile marker in October. I have been running a mile pretty faithfully ever since - usually in the mornings. But I am not a runner. A runner can run 3 miles in under half an hour. I jog at best through my mile. I run because I have to - cardio is the only way to get these blasted pounds off. Sure, I get a little blip of a high as I turn the corner on the last bit of my mile. It lasts until I hit the shower. So not a runner's high.

I have been exercising twice a day now for almost a month. I try to vary my exercises though running is the fastest/easiest way to get it over with. As the days get winter shorter, I have had to do more traditional exercises. I dislike the gym for the most part. Driving and finding parking just smacks of effort. I am one lazy exerciser. I have been doing the Exercise TV classes available for free on Cox On Demand's Free Zone. Last night I worked out with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and this morning I did Jillian Michael's Shred. I am by no means physically fit, but that is one identity I hope to achieve.

Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day. As an Army brat, I have strong ties to our military, but none stronger than the memory of those lost. In two days it will be the 5th anniversary of Sean Sims's death in Fallujah. My greatest memory of Sean is of him trying very patiently to teach me to two-step. We were on the Yongsan Army base and I had gone out with a friend who was dating Sean's friend. The two of us were not together but were both the buddy along for the ride. We'd grown up together - both spending our high school years in the tight knot community that was Yongsan. Sean was gracious enough to partner me multiple times. I was a really bad dancer. Really bad. He made me smile and not feel awkward. I will always be thankful for that. I still cannot two-step, but I think about him whenever I hear country music. We both grew up and went on with our lives. His was tragically cut short, and I think the world is a bit sadder for it. His infectious smile and good attitude made the world a better place. He is missed.
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=25573

Won't Someone Please Think of the Trees?!

I must apologize to my readers in advance for an unforgivable lack of subtlety. Every fall millions of little life forms... baby trees already germinated and ready to grow into oxygen producing, shady oak trees are crushed before they have a chance to generate a tap root. It is bad enough that they are often victims of vicious predators like squirrels and birds, but what is most horrifying are the millions heartlessly squashed by passing vehicles and crunched under the murderous feet of pedestrians.This holocaust must end. Pray for the lives of these innocent acorns.

An Immodest Proposal

As our institution of higher learning faces unprecedented 60% cuts to funding, I propose a solution which will not only revolutionize the college learning experience, but will save tons of money too. Oh, and will put me and my spouse on the unemployment lines. So you know it must be a really great idea. Sure, I got it from those clever student reporters... but I drove it erratically to its next logical conclusion. We should let go all of the staff on the college campus. Faculty can stay since they have tenure and do important PhD-required research. Everyone else is out the door - including the chancellor. SG president can handle the chancellor's gig. It is all about the student experience after all. Students can simply handle all of the university's day to day work as part of a semester long class assignment. Faculty payroll can be handled by our accounting students; computer programs by our computing students, philosophy and general studies majors can do the general clerical and janitorial work since they really should practice for life after college anyway. Engineering students can take care of our facilities and infrastructure. Ag and Landscaping kids can handle the plants across campus. Art and theater students can work the cafeterias. Music and social work students can handle the student life experience. Marketing and business majors can take care of the recruiting; mass comm and English students can work on all the public affairs stuff. Education majors can teach the actual intro level courses, and kinesiology students can coach our major sports. The state can then take the savings to open more chicken farms and processing plants... creating useful jobs for the now unemployed knowledge workers. But hey, we preserved the academic core, and provided our students with hands-on, real world experiences that will make our degree that much more valuable.

Death of a Dream

One of my favorite television reality shows of all time is Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders - Make the Team. Hundreds of young women compete to be a DCC and for the last 4 seasons - it's been on television. I fell in love with the DCCs back in the 1970s and as a child, I adored Jane Seymour's 1979 made for TV movie Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. I had the blue and white pom poms. As I matured, I found other interests and they did not include cheerleading. I know you are shocked. I was never very good at memorizing choreography. I have trouble with the basic routines that are done in aerobics. I have gotten much better however than I was as an awkward teenager. I can now manage the electric slide for example. That said, one of the first round candidates for this season's DCC squad was a 32 year old veteran. She had been a DCC back in the 1990s. My first thought? You are too old. That's right. I went straight to it. She is too old to be a DCC. As I am even older than she is - I too am too old to be a DCC. Then it hit me - even if I worked my butt off and magically learned to dance, I am now too old to be a DCC. The dream is over.

Illogical

Dear Sir:
I just don't understand you. For a scientist, you show a remarkable lack of logic and insight into your own life. It boggles my mind. You have a job that you hate and that seems to hate you. This was your dream job not three months ago. The honeymoon lasted all of two weeks. You immediately begin the search for another position. You get offered a part-time position that you reject out of hand as beneath you. The job is a stepping stone - an opportunity to work for a multimillionaire with labs. It is a job in your field that has unbelievable networking potential. But you don't want to have to take a pay cut and build a lab. That would be all fine and good except that a breath later you state that you are willing to wait tables if you have to. WTF?! Really? You would rather wait tables then work this job that your friend lined you up for? If you fear failure and letting your friend down, then be honest about it at least with yourself.