2014’s
BikeMS is just two days away; everything is coming together for Team Amulet! 33 team riders are preparing. Out of town teammates have started to arrive
while locals are putting final touches on their bikes, gear, and packing lists. Tomorrow, we will begin to assemble down in
Monmouth, OR to join with the MS Society staff and hundreds of other
riders. From that point until Sunday
afternoon our only focus will be to ride, rest, and celebrate our collective
efforts to make multiple sclerosis a distant memory!
My 32 teammates
were feverishly preparing while I spent the early morning reading.
My source of
intrigue was an academic paper, written in 1990 by John C. Bahnsen and Robert
W. Cone, titled “Defining the American Warrior Leader” (Parameters, Fall 1990). What
does a paper written for the U.S. Army War College have to do with BikeMS? Everything.
My feverish
preparation was a reminder of why I ride.
Let me
explain.
25 years ago
I was a plebe at West Point. During the
summer of 1989, my classmates and I were new cadets attending “Beast
Barracks”. Beast was Army basic
training, total West Point immersion, and college freshman orientation all
rolled up together. Overwhelmed is an
understatement to describe how I felt! I
was one of over 1,300 plebes just trying to keep our heads above water. Our greatest strength often came in the form
of Old Grads, our alumni. These grads
survived Beast, went on to graduate, and served as officers in our
military. They often led our nation’s
soldiers in combat, some fighting the toughest battles under the most demanding
conditions. It was lessons they learned
at West Point that helped shape them into the leaders our nation needed them to
be. Upon calling, they returned to West
Point for the purpose of passing forward those lessons and their wisdom, just
as they were taught years prior.
One of my
teachers in July of that year was John C. Bahnsen.
Brigadier
General John C. Bahnsen (Retired), West Point Class of 1956, shared with us his
ethos of “Want To”. It is his summary of
the mental readiness needed to generate inspiring leadership. In a fight, you don’t have time to develop
“Want To”, nor is there time to instill it in others. “Want To” has to be part of your moral
character. You must be willing to maintain
complete perseverance, endure challenging setbacks, and bypass more glamorous qualities. Only then can you “compose the total makeup
of the American warrior leader” that General Bahnsen and Captain Robert W. Cone
(General, Retired), Class of 1979, helped define in their paper. 16 years have passed since I first read this
paper, an assignment during my own Army training. “Want To” and the American Warrior Leader are
interchangeable echoes of the same message.
I only offer
a taste of what General Bahnsen’s description of “Want To” was. I would never even consider trying to
replicate that message. General Bahnsen
and Captain Cone offer more clarity in their paper, but the message still escapes
direct translation. When General Bahnsen
spoke to our class about the spirit, character and obligations that an officer
has in our Army his intention was never for us to memorize a definition of “Want
To”. He wanted us to learn and develop our
own “traits of the ideal American warrior”.
I’m 14-years
separated from the US Army, medically retired after my diagnosis with Multiple
Sclerosis. What remains clear, more than
the ribbons, awards, and collected memorabilia I have I storage, are the
lessons I learned from thousands of soldiers I served with throughout my
career. “Want To” may be the greatest
lesson of them all.
Today, after
a most difficult winter, the mental readiness and inspiring leadership aspects
in General Bahnsen and Captain Cone’s definition of a “warrior leader'” reign
true more than ever for me. The message
was never about winning… that’s the end objective. The message is about having the “Want To”
needed to do absolutely everything that’s required before we win; to endure and
persevere in the face of unyielding opposition.
The message is about truly living my mantra of Never Stop… Never Quit…
I sat in the
hospital yesterday, undergoing several examinations for my latest round MS
issues and reminiscing on General Bahnsen’s “Want To” speech during plebe
summer. I reached out and chatted online
with several of my classmates, hoping their memories would spark more clarity
and detail on the event. None of us
seemed to memorize the definition of “Want To”, but I've known these men and
women for 25 years now. I have seen them
demonstrate their own unique traits of that ideal American warrior. Just like
in their examples, I realize that “Want To” remains ingrained in my spirit.
I've
experienced many challenging setbacks in my fight with MS, and I will assuredly
endure more. My willingness to maintain complete
perseverance in this fight is the reason I will ride with Team Amulet again
this weekend. I’ll ride Saturday and
Sunday, celebrating our collective efforts to make multiple sclerosis a distant
memory. Monday morning I’ll be back at the
hospital for more testing to try and gain clarity of my new issues, hoping to halt
or lessen the damage.
Riding will
be my leadership and motivation, strengthening my own body and encouraging others
to join us. My stories will allow me to
advocate for all of us fighting this disease, spreading awareness and putting a
face on the fight with MS. My fundraising
efforts will help support the research needed to defeat MS and to help treat those
like me, who are suffering from the debilitating effects.
Winning is the
end objective. My “Want To” is for the
fight.
It will never stop….nor will we
It will never quit….nor will we
This is why we ride
Kevin Byrne - Portland, OR
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