The Mess Hall
Swanson Elementary School
October 10, 2022
“A Few Good Men” (1992) dir. Rob Reiner and starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, and Jack Nicholson
Prerunners: (6) Gator, Cheap Seats, Cosmo, Honey Maid, Stella, and Red Ranger
Best of luck to Red Ranger as he gets ready for the Des Moines Marathon!
PAX: (9) Gator, Cheap Seats, Cosmo, Honey Maid, Stella, Honey Stinger, McGavin, Convoy, and Tight Lip
Introduction
F3 Mission Statement
5 Core (Corps?) Principles
Credo (Code?)
FNGs? None.
Today we will celebrate one of my favorite movies, “A Few Good Men” – which turns 30 this year, so even if you do not like this movie, you can no longer HATE it. (pause for laughter… groans from the PAX instead)
Burpee Trivia #1:
Q: In the movie, Dawson and Downey are on trial for murder and other crimes. They are defended by Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, and Kevin Pollack. What actor plays the prosecutor in the movie?
Tight Lip wasn’t tight lipped at all with the correct answer:
A: Kevin Bacon
Bobby Hurleys x 7
Mosey to Church for WoR
WOR
SSH
Tappy Taps
Big Ones
And now it’s time for Public Access, Channel 72’s 5:35 a.m. time slot show:
“Broga with Gator”
Plank / down dog / pigeon / runner’s lunge / warrior pose / manatees
Burpee Trivia #2:
Q: In the movie, Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, and Kevin Pollack leave Washington D.C. to meet Col. Nathan R. Jessup at a military base located where?
Stella had the correct country, but it was Tight Lip again for the win:
A: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Pre-Thang #1: Guantanamo Bay (of course)
“Pax in a circle on their backs heels up. First pax jumps up and pushes the feet down around the circle fighting to keep legs off the ground. Followed by next pax in line then hit the ground legs up when back to your start position until last man finishes the circle.”
We went twice around the circle. Our man McGavin has incredible core strength!
Mosey to wall by the school
Pre-Thang #2: “You want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.”
Wall Pyramid – this was a doozy.
Burpee Trivia #3:
Q: A Few Good Men is known for it’s great and iconic lines. The screenplay was written by this man, known for writing such films as The Social Network, Moneyball, and the TV Show “The West Wing”
Our resident Site Q Cosmo declared no burpees on his watch and hit the correct answer:
A: Aaron Sorkin
Tha Thang: A FEW GOOD MEN
Partner Up. One partner does the AMRAP exercises below, while the other does Bernie Sanders up the hill and then does 5 Burpees.
AMRAP
A – AIR SQUATS
F – FLUTTER KICKS
E – ELBOW TO KNEE
W – WERKINS
G – GAS PUMPERS
O – OVERHAND CLAPS
O – ONE-LEGGED BURPEE
D – DIAMOND MERKINS
M – MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
E – EVEREST *
N – NOLAN RYANS
*(Lunge each leg once, then do a squat)
Team Honey (Honey Maid and Honey Stinger) were moving it like molasses! Great job men!
We made it to one-legged burpees and the Q called Omaha for fear that the PAX would order a Code Red….
Burpee Trivia #4:
Q: Dawson and Downey tell Danny that they can’t plead guilty because of their code, which consists of four words. What is their code?
We missed Unit.
We missed Corps.
We missed God.
But we got Country! (Thanks again to Tight Lip)
A: Unit, Corps, God, Country
Judges?
Correct!
Bobby Hurley’s x 7
6MOM
The Core Steinel
COT: What’s your code?
My code is the concentrica. I am fortunate in that I live under a blanket of freedom provided by the men and women who serve in military. I never served in the military, but it makes sense to me that you would live by “Unit, Corps, God, Country” because to live a life of military service is one of sacrifice. There is no “M” or “2.0s” in this code. It is not just a regular job. It’s service to our nation.
But most of us have regular jobs. But we often find ourselves getting our priorities out of balance, at least I certainly do. This is something I talk about often because it is a constant struggle. I am happy that I’ve made progress, but I still have to keep at it and be held accountable.
Unit sounds like a shieldlock. Corps sounds like F3 Omaha. God or Sky Q. And Country is maybe our community.
Sometimes I get caught up in all that F3 has to offer. Posting 6 or sometimes 7 days a week. Staying at Coffee until you are the last one left. Texting and tweeting, scrolling on slack. First Friday lunch. A 5k Happy Hour. And writing long backblasts that only about 5 people read. Well, more like 4 because I don’t believe Mufasa reads my backblasts even when he says he does.
As much as I love everything there is about F3, I must remind myself:
F3 is not in my concentrica. Although daily workouts are great for my mental and physical health, so is sleeping and getting some rest. So is watching a movie with my family. My code is this:
I try to remember to think about my M first, then my 2.0s, my shieldlock, those guys out there that I might be able to pick up, and, finally, my job. The truth is – and hopefully I can handle the truth – that I don’t always live up to this code. But I’m going to keep trying. And I going to ask to be held accountable by a few good men…
With gratitude,
Gator