Adventures of the Cutter Family

It is a cold and gray May morning in Belgium. As we quietly celebrate Mother’s Day, a looming apparition hangs like the fog blanketing the morning. We have to get ready for the move. It is my 14th move in 23 years, so we are getting pretty good at packing up the proverbial gypsy wagon. However, this one, traveling from Belgium to Hawaii is complex in many ways. Logistically, we have to get six humans, two automobiles and about 15,000 pounds of stuff halfway around the world.

It is also the beginning of Jordan’s transition to the University of Washington.

To that end, we spent the better part of Friday morning at the personal property office filling out forms, forms and more forms. A week from Monday, our first small shipment of stuff will be packed up. This “express” shipment is scheduled to take 60 days to arrive in Hawaii. The “express” shipment is a running joke in the Cutter family as our “express” shipment from Washington to Belgium arrived after the main shipment, despite being packed up a whole month earlier.

The remainder of our household is scheduled to take 90 days to arrive in Kaneohe Bay. With that great news, Jillian and I found solace in very nice lunch at the SHAPE Club Blue Moon Pub. It was the least I could do on Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Tangentially, Jillian has a good run this week; Wednesday birthday, Friday MSA Day and Sunday Mother’s Day.

Thursday, Jillian joined me at the photo shop as it was time to update official pictures. ”Too stern, You blinked, Don’t stare, Your head is tilted, Your nose is crooked.” Had to photo eight different combinations. Pretty much torture.

Sitting for photos, brought to the forefront another aspect of this transition. Returning to the US Navy after NATO duty has me very excited. I have learned much in this posting, and do regret that I am going to have to trade the NATO way of communication and relationship-building for my service’s way.

But, that is a minor sacrifice and a level of leadership complexity that is difficult to put my finger on. I depart in a week for another stint at Command Leadership School in Newport, RI. Reading the homework assignments, makes me eager for the week in Newport to reflect on the past and set a course for the future. I sincerely miss Sailors, Officers and the smell of JP-5, but mostly, I miss this aspect of leadership, so cogently defined by a great man.

The relation between officers and men should in no sense be that of superior and inferior nor that of master and servant, but rather that of teacher and scholar. In fact, it should partake of the nature of relation between father and son, to the extent that officers, especially commanding officers, are responsible for the physical, mental, and moral welfare, as well as the discipline and military training of the young men under their command.

John A. Lejeune: Marine Corps Manual, 1920