The Coins

On Wednesday we recorded a remote presentation that the Commanding General needed to give at a dinner in the States.  (General Austin). 

His entourage showed up first to make sure everything was set up appropriately, so that it would run smoothly when he arrived.  Everyone seemed a little nervous and anxious to please him.  I had no idea what he looked like, but when he showed up you understood why people listened to him.  He had a very commanding presence and he felt like a leader.  Of course I wasn't intimidated because, well, I directed Morgan Freeman...once. (j/k)

I introduced myself to him and started to mic him up.  He asked me where I was from and I told him, "Michigan."  He asked if I was a wolverines fan and I replied that I was.  He thought I should meet someone in his office to talk football and I told him that we would only enjoy that conversation for the first 5 or 6 games until they started a slow decline for the rest of the season.  He got a big kick out of that.  Then I told him my other team (the red sox) had imploded that morning and we had more good conversation about that. 

I thought he was really kind and impressive, and I made him laugh a few times and during the rest of the shoot when there was a break he would ask me questions like, "So who does Michigan play this week?" 

After the shoot, he took some photos with the soldiers there and chatted about how many tours they had been on.  When he finished he reached his hand out to shake mine and I said, "One tour."  He smiled and said, "We need a picture with this young lady too."  So, I was honored to get my picture with him as well.  You can see we are about the same size.  Give or take.

What really surprised me was a few minutes after he left, the Sergeants and I were chatting in the studio about how the shoot went and General Austin suddenly came back in.  He held his hand out to me and gave me one of his coins. 

For those of you who don't know, the military guys here have coins.  They give them out to soldiers when they do a commendable job, or as a reward.  I got a coin from General Helmick last week after filming (he gave one to the other guys there and one to me) and he told me, "The deal with the coins is that you always have to carry it with you.  If I see you and ask for the coin and you don't have it - you have to buy me a drink.  If you do have it, I have to buy you a drink."  Mostly it is an honor for the soldiers to get coins, and it's a sign of recognition for a job well done.

I was so surprised and flattered that he would come all the way back to give me a coin, and after he left for the second time, I was even more honored when his aide commented that he has never given one to a civilian before.

So this is my moment of pride.  I got a coin from General Austin.   And whether you get it or not, that is pretty cool.