Dear Jim,
It seems apropos when General Gonzales called me this morning of your passing I was staring across Monterey Bay at Fort Ord (or what remains of it). The shock of your loss brought an immediate gush of memories of our time there. The good, the bad, the ugly all marched its way through my mind in an almost effective blocking action against the pain of losing someone close.
It was a time of challenges and new beginnings when 1SG Jim Mercer greeted his new commander at the door of the orderly room. You, the veteran leader--okay, so you had been there only 30 days more than me (so zip it and listen, First Sergeant. These are my memories.)--welcoming the brash new commander who was wondering what in the hell he had gotten himself into. Much to the surprise of many we clicked as a command team rather quickly, which I credit to you as the consensus builder and common sense overlay for all we did and accomplished.
Through deployments to Central America and the first Gulf War we took our Soldiers and brought them all home--a great feat in my book. Throughout this time you were always a crucial source of inspiration, experience, and fun. I just can't imagine history being written any other way. More importantly, you were there through some very troubling and dangerous times--and I'll leave it there. Nuff said about that.
Jim, its unfortunate the spectrum of time is an unsympathetic delusion of what is and is not. Although the memories it provides feel like events and meetings were only yesterday; yet, the reality is that time has passed us quickly by since the last good bye. Now you have stepped off the Green Ramp for a heavenly deployment. So I will not say farewell, but wish you good-bye as the advance party for the deployment that awaits us all.
In keeping with the mission protocol we shared too long ago: "First Sergeant, I'll see you on the other side." Good-bye, my friend.
Michael
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