Learfield COO Roger Gardner, in the danger zone

It’s quite a thrill to watch an F-18 do a tailhook landing 15 yards in front of you, and to feel the chest-pounding roar of the same plane taking off into the midnight darkness at the end of the flight deck. But also thrilling was watching as 3,500 souls who work tirelessly aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, then some 75 miles off the coast of North Carolina. I was honored to spend the night on the carrier and meet many of men and women of the Navy serving on ship, including the Commander, Capt. Joe Carkson. Tom Maxwell, himself a retired Navy Captain (and father of our own Mike Maxwell), arranged the trip for me, as he had for Clyde a few years ago.

It was one of those “Bucket List” kinds of experiences. As breath taking was the size of the ship and her impressive technology, was the dedication of the men and women serving on her. It was awe-inspiring and convicting…there is so much I take for granted! Equally humbling is the recognition that all about us there are people, some of them in our own company, diligently serving in one capacity or another, doing the work most of us don’t want to do, doing it honorably and professionally, for the benefit of us all. That also takes my breath away…without the noise.

-- Roger