Posted by Marty O'Neill on Thu, Oct 08, 2009 @ 01:57 PM
In his 1996 book "
Only The Paranoid Survive", former Intel Chairman
Andy Grove introduces us to his concept of "strategic inflection points." The inflection points are major shifts in your market or your environment that change everything. Once your business experiences a strategic inflection point, nothing will ever be the same.
Today is an inflection point for my family. On October 8
th, 2004, my nephew Sgt. Andy Brown died as a result of injuries suffered when leading his squad on a patrol in Baghdad. From that point on, everything changed. Nothing would ever be the same.
If you're old enough, you've had an inflection point in your life. Families that have lost fallen heroes like Andy, and others that have lost family members, don't really want to forget. In fact, they would really like it if we remembered.
So if you get the chance between now and Veteran's Day (November 11th), regardless of your position on either war, remember a fallen vet. Say hello to the young soldier you see in the airport, contribute to one of a thousand great vet causes, reach out to family members of the fallen and offer to help in some way.
Things will never be the same, but remembering those we've lost gives great comfort to those who were closest to them.