Kevin Gardner, Attorney at Law

Hi guys, this story just popped into my head and I had to write it down, I know it's not complete and I promise that I'll have the next part posted soon, but for now I'd love to hear what you think. Here it is:

There are two kinds of people in this world who know the law, civil servants and lawyers; me, I'm the kind that pays better. So who am I? The name's Gardner, Kevin Gardner to be exact, I'm a partner at the firm, Genske Cromwell and Gardner, one of the most prestigious law firms in the state of Illinois and numero uno in the Windy City. I'm not the kind of lawyer who sits around all day trying to think of how to get my client off the hook for murder one, no way man, you couldn't pay me enough to get my hands dirty in criminal defense. I'm the kind of attorney who works with civil and divorce suits, and I know that side of the law like the back of my hand; I can twist the law around with the drop of a hat to make it point in my clients direction no problem, that's what you get with a J.D. from the University of Chicago. Anyways, two days ago I was approached by one of the most effluent men in Chicago, William Lockhart…

Continuous Effort

I woke up this morning not wanting to get up out of my soft comfy bed to go to school; as the day dragged on, I dragged with it. I didn’t really wake up until resource when I was overwhelmed by my friends congratulating me on winning the election, at that moment I started to think about how what we do today can greatly impact what we do and who we are tomorrow. We all have the potential and the ability to succeed; who we are may be predetermined, but at the end of the day what it all comes down to is where we are and how we got there, as Winston Churchill once said, " Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential."

Career Days

Career Days, two days away from the stress of school, away from all the tedious work, away from life. Two days to take a look into your future, and to see what career field suits you. For some it was more exciting than others, but none the less we all had our favorites. For me it was the Milwaukee Marriott West; they're sense of elegance is unique as you walk into the lobby and see the oak paneled front desk and the clocks from all the different cities, it gives you a sense of the high standards of this magnificent hotel. The general manager was interesting and entertaining as he promptly offered us soda and handed out candy as soon as we had arrived at the lovely hotel. It was an entertaining two days and a great brake from stress of everyday life.

A Scene From The Battle of Hampton Roads

It was the morning of March 9, 1862, a day that would forever change naval warfare as it was known to mankind; I was lying in my bunk as I thought about the events that had lead up to what was about to happen. Just the day before the ironclad ship, CSS Merrimac, had engaged in two Union ships, the USS Congress and USS Cumberland; the result was devastating, both Union ships were blown apart while the Confederate ironclad had taken no damage. But now it was our turn, as we sailed around the bend into Hampton Roads on board the USS Monitor, the Union’s first ironclad, we were going to show the impeccable rednecks what the United Stated Navy was capable of.

You Gotta Love the Arizona Sun

As we drove into my grandma’s drive way and stepped out of the car I thought to myself, you gotta love the Arizona sun; whenever you are touched by its golden rays, you feel the stress run from your body and you are in a sense of peace where nothing bad can happen. And that was just the case for the rest of my vacation as the sun shined down on us every day. It made spring break that much better, as I swam in the crisp blue water of the pool, and walked down the lush green fairways of the golf course with the sun warming the state.

Welcome To Arizona

Spring Break…arguably one of the best parts of second semester; no matter where you went, you had some time away from the stress of everyday life. For me the destination was Arizona. It all started on Friday, April 10th, it was 6:30am and I found myself in General Mitchell International Airport waiting at gate 33 for my 7:00 flight to Phoenix. The fun soon began after we touched down at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and I stepped out of the jet and was immediately over taken by the warmth and Arizona sun.

Navy SEAL

My first day of SEAL training had gone great, I ran 8 miles, swam two miles, and pulled off a few hundred 9mm rounds at the range. It wasn’t until later that night, or morning rather, that the hell that SEAL training is known best for started.

I was sound asleep when all the lights were turned on and Commander Taylor’s booming voice came out of nowhere. “Everybody up, it’s time to learn how to be a Navy SEAL,” he ordered.

“Are you crazy? It’s four o’clock in the morning!” I moaned.

“Are you crazy? It’s four o’clock in the morning!, Sir. Ensign I am your superior officer and you will address me with military courtesy. Clear?” he replied.

“Yes sir.”

“Now get your men assembled in full gear on the beach,” Commander Taylor ordered.

“Aye, aye sir,” I stately replied.

Five minutes later we were assembled on the beach and the commander started his speech. “Over the next month I am going to undo what God has so horrible messed up, I am going to turn you miserable sailors into the best damn warriors that this country has ever seen. And I will not rest until I have succeeded. Clear?”

“Explicitly sir,” we all shouted in reply.

Talk about an honest officer, it’s two days until graduation and Commander Taylor has brought us to hell and back. But boy is he a fine officer, he has turned a group of boys just out of colleges into the best of the best, Navy SEALs. Tomorrow is the last test, a live fire operation where we have to rescue a hostage. Commander Taylor says we’re ready and if he says it, I believe it.

April 29th, 3am: the operation has started and everything is running smooth; however I somehow doubt that it will stay that way. Suddenly a burst of machine gun fire has us pinned down. But we were ready, our training promptly took over and we took out the machine gun got the hostage and got out of there.

As soon as we got back to base Commander Taylor was standing there with a grin on his face, we all were going to graduate and not one of us had rang the bell. The next morning we had our graduation and Commander Taylor gave one last lecture.

“ Today you are all Navy SEALs, you are the best of the best and I do not hesitate to say that when all else fail, you will succeed. I’m damn proud of all of you and I will say that I am a better person for having the honor to lead you into battle for the first time. Give ‘em hell, boys.”