Bradley Harper Episode 6: Staff Call
When I commanded the US Army Health Clinic at Ft Lee, Virginia, the Commanding General had a weekly staff meeting in his headquarters. As the clinic commander my attendance was mandatory and I was forced to occupy a large conference room while various staff elements of his Logistics Command droned on recounting the various ways they were adapting to new Army doctrine.
The post chaplain and I were stuck in the furthest corner of the room and we did our best to feign interest for up to three hours. We were always the last two called upon, and invariably we responded with, “Sir, nothing to report.”
One day while doing my best not to yawn I penned the following poem. I’m pleased to say that years later I won an honorable mention at a Poe Birthday Bash at the Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia, and got to read it on their Facebook Live stream. The day I wrote it I passed it over to the chaplain, and nearly got him in trouble.
Probably the best use of an army staff meeting I’ve ever had.
You can click on the link below to hear the podcast or you can visit my Podbean page, where all the podcast episodes will be posted. My podcast can also be found on Spotify.
Enjoy!
