Sunday, September 18, 2011

Warrior Hall of Fame -- Mike Monroe

Mike Monroe is hereby inducted into the No Excuses Warrior Hall of Fame and designated as one of an Elite Group of Leaders.

 
Mike Monroe
Former Marine officer and warrior Mike Monroe knows a good deal about service to others. Warrior Monroe's honed leadership style is rare and awe inspiring. His latest quest is to serve the people during One Long Day.

Warrior Monroe is hard-as-nails yet he is also the master of his emotions. Despite his iron man physique and fierce warrior face, he has repeatedly stunned me by his love for humanity. He is always kind, courteous, and alert to assist others but even more so his often spontaneous and heartwarming bear hugs to strangers and new acquaintances alike blow me away. His warrior style greatly inspires me.

Warrior Monroe never stops testing his limits. On November 19th, 2011 he is embarking on One Long Day which will last, at a minimum, 17 hours. It will consist of running the JFK 50 miler followed by a 95 mile bike ride and ending at Iwo Jima. Warrior Monroe created One Long Day to support returning veterans who are no longer able to serve on active duty. The program he is supporting is The Mission Continues. Warrior Monroe's goal is to raise enough money to support 3 such veterans to integrate back into society as citizen leaders.

Semper Fi brother and may the Big Warrior above bless your courageous path.

UPDATE--Mission Accomplished


On November 20, 2011 around 9:00 am Warrior Monroe completed One Long Day. He logged 24.5 hours (with a few short breaks) on a most demanding challenge. In a email released on November 21, 2011 by The Mission Continues, we hear of Warrior Monroe's mental adjustment to his grueling challenge:

"The first two miles felt pretty solid but then my right Achilles started to speak up a bit.  Having done a lot of things to my body I was not super-concerned at the time.  Usually when something niggling pops up you end up in one of three categories:  1.  Keep working and it goes away.  2.  Keep working and it doesn't go away but you can manage the pain and drive on.  3. The injury becomes too severe and you are forced to stop."

As leaders, we have all been caught in a similar dilemma. Warrior Monroe describes his frustration and questioned himself over an injury which could come at any moment. "I wrestled these mental demons for quite awhile." Yet, he drove on.  

With the morning sunshine sparkling off the dewy grass, at the Iwo Jima monument a new victory was set. Warrior Monroe exceeded his goal and collected $34,491.32 to assist in the leadership development of three war veterans. In a time when veterans are struggling to reintegrate back into civilian life, actions like this leader warrior's provide hope. Thank you Warrior Monroe for your strength and leading the way.

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