A Soldier's Farewell
Last year, my good friend Colonel Jim Hawkins retired from the Alabama National Guard after thirty-four years of loyal service to the State of Alabama and the United States of America. Unless you live in Alabama, you have probably never heard of him. But his retirement speech is worth reading, for it offers a glimpse into the character of the men and women who wear the uniform in service to their fellow Americans. I reprint it below with his permission.
The room was packed for Jim’s retirement. People from different races, communities, and socio-economic backgrounds gathered to celebrate a career of distinguished service. Younger soldiers and airmen sat at rapt attention, effusing an evident desire to emulate Jim. Older soldiers and friends made appearances in Jim’s speech (deleted from the excerpt below) as exemplars of courage and public service. Throughout the ceremony, the love and admiration of exceptionally good people for Jim was palpable.
Thank you all for being here today. As on every day of my career, the support of my fellow Guardsmen, co-workers, interagency partners, and friends is invaluable to me. Terrific leaders have said nice things about me. Thank you. I am humbled by your words.
The reality is that I never really did anything great. But I served on some great teams. I worked with fantastic people. Together we met some incredible challenges. Together, we usually prevailed. So, I lay all laurels at their feet.
What I really want to talk about is not me or my career. You can read about me in the program. I want to talk about the job. About succeeding. I have been blessed beyond the wildest dreams of that young Private in 1985. I accomplished every goal I set for myself in this uniform. Soldiers often ask me how. I just told you the answer. It wasn’t me, it was the team.
As the Guard’s leadership changes, so does the prescribed formula for advancement. Get diverse assignments. Go to the National Guard Bureau [the four-star command that coordinates between the Army and Air Force Guards and the national Army and Air Force]. Finish all your professional development schools. Score higher on the physical training test. All these things are good. I only did some of them. But, with all due respect to all the leaders that espouse these goals, allow me to explain the formula that I think leads to success as part of a team.
First, be really good at what you do. That sounds simple. But it isn’t. Being really good is hard work. Everyone thinks they are really good. Many people are not as good as they think they are.
I remember a lesson I learned a long time ago from a respected coworker. I was going off about someone I thought was doing poorly. I was angry about it. My coworker quietly explained to me that that person did not realize they were a weak performer. They thought they were a rock star. I was incredulous. Of course they knew they were terrible. They did it on purpose. No, she assured me. She said you have to help them improve by setting the standard, by coaching, by holding them accountable and helping them to improve.
Realizing that weak performers generally didn’t know they were weak completely changed my leadership style. There is no point in getting angry with someone who doesn’t know. You have to help them.
You may not know how good you are. Here is how you can tell: Does your boss constantly give you the hardest projects? Do your peers come to you for help? Do you regularly get assignments outside your lane? Do people come looking for you when the chips are down? If they do, you are likely really good at what you do. If they don’t, you probably are not as good as you think you are.
Being good is not easy. We have a saying in my Directorate, “Every day is a job interview.” So, work that way! You have to work hard. Put in the hours. Constantly strive to improve. Become the subject matter expert on whatever you do. All the while, do not focus on yourself.
Which brings me to my second point: remember that it isn’t about you. It is about the organization, the mission and everyone else but you.
For the organization, seek the hardest jobs. Find the most challenging missions and get involved in those. Wade into the roughest waters. The organization needs people who will step up.
Never forget your mission. Staying mission-focused keeps you from being self-focused. The mission is always about the people you defend, the people you serve, the people you lead and what they all expect of you.
Be there for everyone else. Be the person that will help any boss, peer or subordinate any time on anything. Always have time for others. Soon you will have a vast pool of people that will always have time for you. That is what a team is.
My final bit of advice is this. Love what you do. Anyone can work a job. To succeed, you have to live your passion. This job is too hard, the sacrifice too great, the personal cost too high for any wage earner. You have to love the Service. If you don’t, move on out or get comfortable where you are. You have to love it to give what it takes to really succeed.
If you do all these things, you will succeed and the organization will succeed. …
The person I owe the most to today is my wife. You saved me. You have been there for me ever since. Next are our beautiful children. You all have spent countless hours without me during deployment, disaster and the innumerable more mundane requirements that keep me from home. While I did my best to focus on my organization, my mission and everyone else. I often failed to focus enough on you. I am sorry. I will do better in the next career. I love you guys and I thank you.
To everyone else, thank you too. Thank you all for being here today. Thanks for what you do. It has been the greatest honor to wear this uniform and serve this country beside you. I will continue to pray for you every night. God bless you. God bless America. Thank you for your kind attention and goodbye.
Colonel (Ret.) James Hawkins’s final active-duty assignment was as the Director of Military Support and J3/5/7 for the Alabama National Guard in Montgomery, Alabama, coordinating and overseeing the Guard’s civil support operations. During his career, Jim provided civil support in over forty disaster response operations including numerous major hurricanes, the Deepwater Horizons Oil Spill, the worst tornado outbreak in U.S. history on April 27, 2011 and other man-made and natural disasters. A nationally recognized authority on defense support of civil authorities and Homeland Security, he is a frequent guest instructor at Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base and at USNORTHCOM. He also served two years as the Chairman of the National J3/7 Functional Advisory Committee to the National Guard Bureau. Jim graduated from Athens State University and completed the Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education Leadership in Homeland Security program. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Army War College where he earned a Master of Strategic Studies. He currently works for Dynamis, Inc. as the Senior Principal for Emergency Management and for Huntsville, Alabama operations.