Beneath the Spin*Eric L. Wattree
EXCELLENCE IS THE KEY TO BLACK EQUALITY
BLACK LIVES MATTER
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"DADDY, MOMMIE SAID YOU BEAT UP THE BOGEYMAN.
DID YOU REALLY BEAT HIM UP?"
.
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"YEAH, TWICE. THAT'S WHY HE'S SCARED TO COME
INTO YOUR ROOM."
HOWLING WINDS
.
.
As I watched my son, dapper as they come,
walk down our walkway and into manhood,
what I remember most was the howling winds.
I'd seen such winds before, but never like this,
my old foe was pulling up trees by the roots.
.
So I watched, but I watched alone.
.
As the winds raged on and the mighty palms bowed,
a single leaf from our Winter-bare Ficus tree
held tough against the ferocious storm.
It fought valiantly against the angry gale,
as though hanging tough just to witness the changing of the guard.
.
So I stood, but I stood alone.
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Like that solitary leaf, all my life I've fought the ferocious winds,
and now they’ve returned, this mighty foe,
poised to seize the hopes and dreams of my only son.
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So I cringed, but I cringed alone.
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Then, posterity glanced back, squared its shoulders,
and beat back hopelessness as it
trudged through fields of ivy.
Then it spread its wings and rode those howling winds
over yonder mountaintop,
.
So I wept, but I wept with a crowd.
*
*
MEMORANDUM FOR OFFICER TRAINING SCHOOL SELECTION COMMITTEE
FROM: 92 SFS/SFO
2 E. ARNOLD STREET
FAIRCHILD AFB, WA 99011
SUBJECT: Recommendation for Staff Sergeant Eric L. Wattree
1. I wholeheartedly concur with Staff Sergeant Wattree’s request to attend Officer Training School. He represents the enlisted ranks with the highest standard and will bring that dedication and professionalism to the officer corps.
2. Eric continues to lead a stellar military career; his enlisted performance reports speak for themselves. His leadership and experience, especially in contingency environments, remains a vital asset to our unit and wing. As one of my primary Phoenix Raven team leaders, he’s propelled to the forefront of all major deployments throughout the world. He’s repeatedly secured aircraft and crews, supporting a wide variety of missions, in the most austere and terrorist-ridden environments where security is severely inadequate. The diversity of these missions never limited SSgt Wattree’s capacity to adapt to each situation. For this reason, Eric was selected as our 2000 Outstanding Phoenix Raven Member of the Year and the 2001 Air Force Reserve Component Airman of the Year for the 92d Security Forces Squadron.
3. Whether operating under peacetime or contingency operations, Eric easily assumes control and tackles every situation with meticulous tenacity, a quality highly desired in our Air Force officers. Requested by name, Sergeant Wattree, provided security for presidential Banner missions throughout Greece, Peru and Viet Nam. While deployed to Afghanistan, he flew numerous combat missions in our nation’s pursuit to eradicate terrorism through Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Additionally, he provided round-the-clock force protection for aircraft in other high-threat environments including Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Oman.
4. Sergeant Wattree motivated his personnel during the worst conditions and raised the level of esprit de corps to integrate personnel from other Air Force specialties into a cohesive team. His leadership, integrity and devotion to our Air Force play an integral part in our future leadership. Eric has what it takes to become a commissioned officer and earns my full support to attend Officer Training School.
FRANK HELLSTERN, JR., Captain, USAF
Operations Officer
*
THE APU HALL OF FAME
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.
"In a tense, high stakes, pressure situation, where only two options exist and just one that is favorable, there is no man better the moment and no one better to protect your interests than Eric Wattree. And that's not just in sports but in real life too.
"Wattree, the burly 6-foot-6 former college basketball standout, is cool, calm, and collected. He always has been and probably always will be. It's just the way he is.
"Thus, when he takes the stage Oct. 26 for induction into Azusa Pacific's Athletics Hall of Fame, the former DEA agent and Air Force officer will do so with little fanfare or personal reaction. It's the Wattree way … cool at all times.
"Wattree, the burly 6-foot-6 former college basketball standout, is cool, calm, and collected. He always has been and probably always will be. It's just the way he is.
"Thus, when he takes the stage Oct. 26 for induction into Azusa Pacific's Athletics Hall of Fame, the former DEA agent and Air Force officer will do so with little fanfare or personal reaction. It's the Wattree way … cool at all times.
"Protecting teammates in 1996 was just the beginning of a career of security. Following graduation from Azusa Pacific in May of that year, Wattree entered the Air Force where he served for ten years, most notably as a certified Phoenix Raven Anti-Terrorism Specialist. He was tasked with ensuring the safety of government officials and high-ranking military personnel while providing support on highly classified special operation missions in Afghanistan and other places throughout the world.
"While still with the Air Force, he joined the Drug Enforcement Administration out of the Seattle area, working on complex conspiracy and international investigations. He stayed with the DEA for 15 years until last year, when he accepted a new position as senior investigator and security specialist with the Arizona Department of Economic Security."
.
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“Sailor of the Quarter” is an honor voted on by the personnel at the station and recognizes the contributions of individual service members for outstanding performance and support of the Coast Guard and its missions at the station level. The first “Sailor of the Quarter” for fiscal year 2019 is Fireman Elijah L. Wattree — high praise for a newly arrived station member with just over a year in the Coast Guard. A native of Bremerton, Washington, Fireman Wattree is the first in his family to join the Coast Guard and he’s finding it a good fit.
.
"The “Sailor of the Quarter” citation reads in summation, “Your compassion, hard work, and extreme commitment to the U. S. Coast Guard and Station Boothbay Harbor is evident and exemplifies the Coast Guard’s Core Values of Honor, Respect, Devotion to Duty. I greatly appreciate your dedication to duty and continued fine performance.” Signed: Adam P. Smart, Officer in Charge, Coast Guard Station Boothbay Harbor."
,
ELI IS NOW INVOLVED IN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE
"While still with the Air Force, he joined the Drug Enforcement Administration out of the Seattle area, working on complex conspiracy and international investigations. He stayed with the DEA for 15 years until last year, when he accepted a new position as senior investigator and security specialist with the Arizona Department of Economic Security."
.
AND THE BEAT GOES ON
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ERIC L. WATTREE III
ERIC L. WATTREE III
TAYLOR WATTREE-JACKSON
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ERIC L. WATTREE III
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"I recently graduated from Oklahoma City University with a BBA - Economics (Minor in Marketing).
"While at OCU I obtained many certifications. An example being the Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) Certification. I've also been a member of the Investment Club where we managed a portfolio of actual securities initially worth $100,000 - profits going towards OCU scholarships. Throughout my 4 years, my ability to establish and maintain relationships has been my biggest asset. Being able to think critically, analyze data and relay information effectively have been critical to my success.
"I also had the pleasure of being a 4-year student-athlete, spending two years as Team Captain. As a captain, the importance of taking necessary sacrifices for overall team success as well as effective time management as it relates to workload efficiencies are vital. I served 4 years as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) in which we created a vehicle for student-athlete representation, organized community service efforts and promoted a positive student-athlete image on campus. I was selected on numerous occasions to speak publicly at various high schools, as well as at OCU's Sports Spectacular, the end-of-year sports banquet.
"I love to learn, build relationships and WIN!"
Eric L. Wattree III
"While at OCU I obtained many certifications. An example being the Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) Certification. I've also been a member of the Investment Club where we managed a portfolio of actual securities initially worth $100,000 - profits going towards OCU scholarships. Throughout my 4 years, my ability to establish and maintain relationships has been my biggest asset. Being able to think critically, analyze data and relay information effectively have been critical to my success.
"I also had the pleasure of being a 4-year student-athlete, spending two years as Team Captain. As a captain, the importance of taking necessary sacrifices for overall team success as well as effective time management as it relates to workload efficiencies are vital. I served 4 years as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) in which we created a vehicle for student-athlete representation, organized community service efforts and promoted a positive student-athlete image on campus. I was selected on numerous occasions to speak publicly at various high schools, as well as at OCU's Sports Spectacular, the end-of-year sports banquet.
"I love to learn, build relationships and WIN!"
Eric L. Wattree III
*
ELIJAH WATTREE
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD
.
“Sailor of the Quarter” is an honor voted on by the personnel at the station and recognizes the contributions of individual service members for outstanding performance and support of the Coast Guard and its missions at the station level. The first “Sailor of the Quarter” for fiscal year 2019 is Fireman Elijah L. Wattree — high praise for a newly arrived station member with just over a year in the Coast Guard. A native of Bremerton, Washington, Fireman Wattree is the first in his family to join the Coast Guard and he’s finding it a good fit.
.
"The “Sailor of the Quarter” citation reads in summation, “Your compassion, hard work, and extreme commitment to the U. S. Coast Guard and Station Boothbay Harbor is evident and exemplifies the Coast Guard’s Core Values of Honor, Respect, Devotion to Duty. I greatly appreciate your dedication to duty and continued fine performance.” Signed: Adam P. Smart, Officer in Charge, Coast Guard Station Boothbay Harbor."
,
ELI IS NOW INVOLVED IN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE
*
I NOW STAND FIRM
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I now stand firm. My conviction of the power of knowledge is the platform upon which my podium rests. I stand firm, strong, and now free. Free of anger. Free of self-delusion. Free of the folly of empty vanity, and free of the pernicious bane of meaningless pride without substance.
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I stand free to look upon the eyes of other men, reflecting dignity over sorrow, and accomplishment over pain. I stand with a burning passion, fueled by the very flame that forged ancestral shackles, with a deep sense of pride and a pride that flows deep.
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I now stand erect. The steel that once degraded my father, that chained him in bondage to this bitter Earth, now reinforce my character, making me more, rather than less; and the blood and sweat that once drenched his brow, now rage with resolve and a sense of purpose within my burning breast.
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I now stand as a new being - neither simply African, nor simply American, but a hybrid forced to transcend the sum of my parts; no longer simply African, since being torn away from the African motherland to suffer and toil in the fields of America, and more than simply American, after being forced to be more than simply American just to survive within the bowels of this bitter land.
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Thus, I stand now armed - armed with the wisdom of deprivation, the courage of my conviction, and a deep conviction of my courage; and fortified - with the confidence of a survivor, the empowerment of knowledge, and a ravishing hunger for greatness.
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I now stand the product of love, struggle, and sacrifice; a witness to man's inhumanity to man, and a monument to the hopes and dreams of a million slaves.
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I now stand embraced by my creator, as God now smiles upon my people.
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Yes, I Now Stand Firm.
FIRM, BLACK, AND FREE!
*
Rita,
My very dear friend.
Val would have loved you, and I'm sure she's smiling
down upon you now.
Thank you for all the beauty and happiness
Thank you for all the beauty and happiness
you've brought into my life.
And I thank you with all my heart for this song.
The struggle to survive in this bitter land
The struggle to survive in this bitter land
has made us more rather than less.
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Black Lives Matter!
Eric L. Wattree
Http://wattree.blogspot.com
Ewattree@Gmail.com
Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)
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Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.
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