Diggin In

Dig In!

No, I am not referring to the joyous activity that followed a Thanksgiving Day prayer for the meal.

I am talking about the other ‘memorable’ activity. The one every Infantryman, Marine, Ranger, and SOF Operator would like to forget.

Now, I recognize not every veteran was a ‘ground pounder’ and some of you may not have a clue of what I am talking about. That painful memory of ‘Diggin In’ every night I suppose is one (of many) things that we alone, we knuckle draggers, have the pleasure of experiencing in our careers. I know every devil dog, 11 bang bang, or operator knows exactly what I am talking about. You guys got up close and personal with dirt at some point. Before I move on I want to say that I am convinced that you all are truly children of God:

“then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7

For the rest of you, ‘Diggin’ In’ is a referral to the process of literally digging a hole in the ground big enough for you and maybe a battle buddy to fit in. Whether you called them defensive or fighting positions the intent was the same….to reduce your chances of being shot and subsequently holding your position. A well established fighting position would offer both cover and concealment thereby giving you an advantage from an approaching enemy. It sounds sexier than it really is. In fact, it is a painfully laborious activity that is typically done without payoff (until it does).

I am pretty sure I hated ‘Diggin’ In’ even when I knew the purpose of the act. But I am here to say that you should embrace the principle and understand the value of it going into civilian life too.

You need to bust your rear end in all arenas of life if you want to be successful and that includes doing the simple tasks right as well as regularly.

I personally chose to go into agriculture after I separated from the Army. It was a good fit for me. I am not saying that it would be a good fit for everyone but for those of you who haven’t considered that route yet, let me give you my quick sales pitch.

There are a lot of things that translate directly over from the military to farming, especially for us ‘ground pounders.’ You don’t make much money, you get to get up really early and bust your back before breakfast, you eat that hardy breakfast and then go straight into planning your next field exercise (then execute). You don’t worry about falling asleep because just like in your fox hole, the sweat on your brow, the calluses on your hands and the dirt under your finger nails will ensure a restful slumber. You’ll probably have to work weekends and holidays too. Bad weather will impact your day. A few people will think what you are doing is cool but most won’t even know who you are or think twice about what you are doing (or what you provide them). So yeah, if that doesn’t sell you on farming I am not sure what will.

Ok, maybe farming is about as dumb as joining the military and requesting combat arms. Then again, I was never the smartest guy. Just a cocky, hard working fool, who believed in what I was doing, and slept well at night. I guess not all that much has changed for me.

In all seriousness though, even if you don’t replace the sickle of death with a sickle of harvest be of the mindset that “Diggin In” is just part of living.

Sure, you can choose to blow off responsible actions to have an easier closure to your day but the man who works harder and longer will be the victor. Choosing not to dig in is the easy thing to do but the day you must defend your position you’ll probably wish that hard and mundane task had been perfected.

So whether you are going to be a plow man, computer man, sales man, news man, or whatever….get out your e-tool and get to work. Spend a few extra moments with your children (where they are actually the center of your attention), put money away into a retirement account, do your best no matter the level of position in a new career, etc. You won’t see immediate value but trust me, they are worth doing. And to top it all off, Life will be similar to your leaders and instructors in that you will often be placed in some rocky or swampy situation. Stay the course.

The author of CBD is giving you some pointers on how to establish, improve, and protect your fighting position. I hope you are able to benefit from them and develop healthy habits that could save your life.

As for me and the author. You may not see us or know us but if you just stop and listen you’ll certainly hear us in the dark. We are the clanging of shovels to your left and right. We are ‘Diggin In’ too.

-CWS