Good afternoon Ham Sandwich eaters. This won't be long. I want to get a post up between "You Can't Avoid Boyd" posts. Marcus' new post will be up tomorrow morning. I just have something I'd like to say. I was inspired today at work by my boss and would like to sum up his story real quick.
I won't use his name for whatever reason you wouldn't use someone's name in a post. Let's just call him Ricky, which is kinda funny because he is Vietnamese. And I know what you're thinking but just read on and check out what this guy went through.
Ricky was born in Vietnam to a very wealthy family. His grandfather was from France and owned a significant amount of land in Southern Vietnam. Ricky had a nanny and chauffeur growing up, so it wasn't the typical Vietnamese upbringing you're thinking of. However, curiosity took over and as a young teenager he moved away from the cushy life and began to live the life of a peasant. This lasted a few years until young Ricky was old enough to move to the U.S.A. and try to make something of himself.
The move was successful and it wasn't long before little Ricky was a member of the United States Air Force. While a member of the Air Force, Ricky decided to become a pilot. His philosophy was; if you're going to do it, do it big! Well, I made that up but it fits. Either way, as a pilot during the Vietnam War, Ricky was sent back to his home country armed with bombs and missiles. Because he came over to the U.S. to make something of himself, the thought of bombing his home country was a necessary stepping stone. He knew how bad the communists were up North and was obligated to complete his mission. He did so with success until he was shot down near Hanoi. Hanoi was the most popular city in North Vietnam as was home to the notorious Hanoi Hilton. The Hanoi Hilton was a POW camp not known for customer service, if you get my drift. In case you don't get my drift. They treated those guys like shit, then they beat them, then they treated them worse.
It was a typical move by anyone with captured enemies. You promise all kinds of cool stuff and maybe even give them some privileges in exchange for information. What you might not know is what they did after they got the information they wanted. They killed them. Straight up. If you didn't give in they would just continue to beat you and do other weird stuff. You were still useful if you had info. Once you gave it up there was no reason to have you anymore so they just killed you. Sounds like Boyd's philosophy with women. Anyway, Ricky dealt with the abuse for over 3 years until a POW release was agreed upon and he was able to return home.
After that he got out of the service and used his incredible knowledge and work ethic to continue down the right path. Ricky became an Electronic Engineer and went on to work for the U.N. (United Nations) and the Pentagon. What he did with them is irrelevant, but as an electronics technician I'll tell you, it was very impressive. After continuing to better himself he sponsored his entire family so they could enjoy the freedoms of the United States. With his family here and a career on the right track maybe it was time to shut it down and cruise to retirement?
No, Ricky wasn't satisfied with his role as an engineer and went to the management side. While a manager he brought an entire operation to his new company and continues to expand. Thanks to Ricky's success I was able to land a job with him. I have learned a lot already and I continue to learn every day. He actually just told me last week that he has his own business and is two years away from putting out a product. That's crazy to me and there are a few reasons why.
First of all. This guy is a very small Vietnamese man. It was his incredible drive and willingness to do what he had to that allowed his to succeed. Growing up in Vietnam, coming to the U.S.A., going back to Vietnam as an Air Force Bomber, getting shot down and captured, spending over 3 years in a prison camp, coming back to the U.S., starting a new career and a family, bringing his whole Vietnamese family over here (legally) and continuing to better himself is just an incredible story. Second of all, I want you to look around at all the people out there that have everything handed to them. How are they doing? They lack the drive and will power to really make something of themselves. I'm not saying that I'm doing everything I need to do. I can do better and I know that. What bothers me are all the people that grow up in the greatest country in the world and just throw it away. They coast through life with no purpose or goals. Maybe a prison camp isn't the answer but it's a start.
I am lucky man to have landed a job with a manager like this. He inspires me to apply myself a little more. I mean if this little Asian can do what he did then why can't I? I wanted to share this with you in hopes you'd get a little inspiration from it. If not, then you're probably just coasting towards the middle. Good luck with that, I'm setting my goals a little higher. Another important point of this story, because I enjoy the better things in life even though I can't always afford them, is this; he owns a Porsche, a Corvette, a really nice truck, a gorgeous watch and a lot of other really cool stuff around the house. When he told me about that, he simply said, "I worked very hard to get where I am and now I'm enjoying the better things in life." Speaking of that, I'm going to step it up. I'm going to take my Ham Sandwich around my neighborhood and get a Hand-job from someone that can close their door behind them. (they have a house)
No comments:
Post a Comment