June 6, 2023
Gerald Eady
Preface by Steve Messenger
In the military, when you pin on the next rank, the newly promoted soldier is expected to give an eloquent speech. No pressure, right?
But I love these promotion speeches. What that person says in the moment wearing their new rank insignia tells us everything about them as a leader. It speaks to their values, purpose, and reason for serving. Most of all, if done right, it helps us understand how they got here and where they’re going.
My good friend Gerald Eady was promoted this year, and he gave what I consider is the example of promotion speeches clearly articulating four things:
1. The most important aspect of their lives (thesis statement)
2. The history of how they got there.
3. Thankfulness.
4. Inspiring message on the backside.
Enjoy!
Promotion Speech by Gerald Eady
Philippians 4:13 I can do all thing through Christ that strengthens me. The quote I live by.
Thank you to everyone that came out today to share this experience with my family and me. I must say it is an honor stand here and share huge achievement from a kid from the Westside of Jacksonville, Florida. A place where you either fall victim to circumstance or rise above it. In my lifetime I’ve had extraordinary experiences, but this experience I share with you all today serves as another astonishing example of what hard work, dedication, and commitment can lead to.
I come from a sports background so please excuse the sports analogies. I come from humble beginnings. Born on the on-deck circle of life. Where I come from transformational leadership is what I lived by. I decided I wanted to work my way to the batter’s box and prepare to swing at that 100 mile per hour fastball (life); and do something meaningful that will impact my place in the world.
I had two other choices. The first was autocratic leadership where some wanted me to stand in the batter’s box and watch pitch by pitch (opportunities) go by until someone told me to swing. That type of leadership limits ceilings, strikes us out, and has us fall victim to circumstance. The second type was the laissez-faire approach (also common where I’m from) where others would have me take every pitch and simply exist in society without care.
Faith and exposure allowed me to see more, want more, and be a success story.
I was fortunate enough to be blessed with the ability to play sports at a high level. Through sports, opportunities presented itself which allowed me to see another side of life. Opportunities such as meeting and playing ball with people that I idolized as a child, going places that I read about or saw on TV, and experience things that didn’t happen to people where I come from.
Of all those things I mentioned, I’ve always felt there was something missing. Something else was calling me, and that something still involved a uniform.
I’ve been a leader all my life. In every school function and sports team, I was always the person that was called to lead. Being a leader was something I never took for granted. I never raised my hand and volunteered to be the front man. It was something that others saw in me, and something that I was blessed with.
When I was a kid, I wore a uniform to make my coaches and teammates proud. When I was in high school, I wore a uniform to make my school proud. When I was in college, I wore a uniform to make my mother proud. When I played professionally, I wore a uniform to make my city proud. And now I wear a uniform to make my country proud.
The Army filled the void that in my life when I could no longer perform at a professional level. It gave me a sense of belonging and an opportunity to use everything learned in sports such as the benefits of a positive attitude, hard work, belief, and work ethic. I have come a long way in 23 years as a Soldier, from a Private to Specialist to Second Lieutenant – to now a newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel. It’s been quite a ride thus far, and I look forward to many more.
There were times on this journey when it got tough, my confidence dwindled, and I wanted to give up. I no longer wanted to be a leader and thought about getting out of the Army to do something else. It was my faith, family and friends that encouraged me to see it through. I’m forever grateful for those who believed in me because I would not be standing in front of you today without them.
Being an officer in the military is something that I do not take lightly. It has allowed me to meet people from all walks of life, it has allotted me the opportunity to see different parts of the world, follow some of the most respected people with remarkable leadership abilities, and lead some of America’s best and brightest soldiers and civilians.
I worked hard to get to where I am in life, and I’m proud of how far I’ve come. When the promotion list came out and my name was on it, I was overwhelmed with joy. I was the kid that wasn’t supposed to make it out.
But instead, I was the kid that had dreams, set goals and chased them, and wanted to make a difference in life. That drive has reached a level that a select few make. My script is still being written, and I strive to juice it up each page of this next chapter.
In closing, I leave you with this: Believe in yourself! The goals you set is your end state, and the journey to achieve those goals should be cherished. It’s not always easy to sacrifice short term pleasure for long term gain.
If you do what you have to do now in the present, you won’t have to do what you have to do later.
Today I’d like to leave you with one of my favorite inspirational messages by the great Langston Hughes…. Titled “Dreams!!”
Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird, That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams, For when dreams go
Life is a barren field, Frozen with snow.
I would dedicate this promotion to a dear friend of mine and fraternity brother who recently lost his battle with cancer. SFC (R) Alonzo Davis. I love you my man and I will see you again.
Thank you!!
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This is his second article. Click here for his first one: Lead Outside the Circle.
This article expressly represents the opinions and views of the author and not necessarily the United States Army.
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