Beneath the Spin*Eric L. Wattree
EXCELLENCE
IS THE KEY TO BLACK EQUALITY
DADDY’S
BABY BOY
ERIC
L. WATTREE, JR
"DADDY, MOMMIE SAID YOU BEAT UP THE BOGEYMAN.
DID
YOU REALLY BEAT HIM UP?"
.
"YEAH,
TWICE. THAT'S WHY HE'S SCARED TO COME
IN
OUR HOUSE."
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.
.
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,
.
So
I cringed, but I cringed alone.
.
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 . . .
AZUSA, Calif. –
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.
Bill Odell, an APU Hall of Famer himself after a 16-year coaching career for
the Cougars, knows firsthand how composed Wattree can be. He handed
Wattree nearly every must-come-through situation during Eric's 57-game at Azusa
Pacific, and Wattree delivered repeatedly.
"Eric was one of the most respected players I ever coached," said
Odell who served as a head coach for 36 years on the college and high school
levels. "He was a humble, quiet leader who led with his work ethic
and personal demand for excellence."
A former standout at nearby Northview High School in Covina, Calif., Wattree
played for former Odell pupil Ron Rice before transferring to Fremont High in
Los Angeles. He opened his college career at the University of Wyoming,
playing two years for the Cowboys before Rice alerted Odell that Eric was
returning home to Southern California. In the summer of 1994, he
transferred to Azusa Pacific. Wattree's demand for excellence led him to averaging 13.9 points and 8.6
rebounds during his two seasons at Azusa Pacific, leading the Cougars to
back-to-back Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) championships and a pair
of NAIA Tournament appearances. As a 1996 senior, he averaged 15.4 points
and 7.7 rebounds while shooting at an impressive .634 (201-for-317) clip from
the floor. Justifiably, he was named the GSAC Player of the Year.
The Cougars entered the final week of Wattree's 1996 senior season with just a
one-game lead in the GSAC race over rival Westmont College. Wins were a
must for Azusa Pacific, and adding to the tension of the situation was the fact
that the Cougars opened that final week with a visit to Westmont in Santa
Barbara. The Warriors needed the win to pull even with APU with one game
left. The Cougars, on the other hand, needed the victory to put away the
pesky Warriors and collect yet another conference title.
In a raucous Murchison Gym, with the score tied at 64-64 and less than 30
seconds to play and the ball in the hands of the Cougars, Odell called a
timeout, and designed a play to go to Tim Sebek for the final shot.
However, the Warriors smothered Sebek, and his attempt at a game-winning shot
was off the mark, wide right. Wattree saw the trajectory of the shot and
realizing it was not going in, charged the hoop, jumped up, gathered the air
ball, and laid it back in for the game winner with just 2 seconds to play.
"A Westmont player turned to me and said 'you think the game is over?'
Wattree recalled, "and I answered, 'it's definitely over!'"
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.
"I am so proud of Eric and how he has served our country with honor and
protected some of our most important people." Said Odell. "He
has been in some extremely dangerous situations, and just as he had proven to
us on the basketball court, he was trustworthy in all situations. Simply
put, he is unflappable."
Wattree's Cougar career will be enshrined forever at Azusa Pacific when he joins nine other former Cougar athletes for induction into the Azusa Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 10 a.m. in the Felix Event Center. The ceremony is open to the public at $25/person .
23 April 2002
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
AND
THE BEAT GOES ON WITH YOUR SONS
ELIJAH
WATTREE
SAILOR
OF THE QUARTER
UNITED
STATES COAST GUARD
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!
YOU'VE DONE WELL, BABY BOY.
YOU AND MY GRANDSONS HAVE BROUGHT THIS
OLE HOOD RAT GREAT PRIDE.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
AUGUST 19, 1974
Eric L. Wattree, Sr.
Ewattree@Gmail.com
BLACK WRITERS, INTELLECTUALS, AND
INDEPENDENT THINKERS
.
Religion: 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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