Bill Moreau, D.C., is the newly
appointed Vice Chancellor for
Institutional Advancement. |
Dawn. A young man has been
on the move for several hours.
His body moves efficiently and
with urgency. He stoops slightly
forward from the waist, with
his head up and his eyes moving.
He moves quietly across
barren and rocky soil, looking
for the correct extraction point.
The morning is cool, but he
steadily sweats with trickles
now running down the sides
of his dusty face.
His soft footsteps make a light
crunching noise as the rubber edges of his boots dig for a sure
foothold in the gravelly soil. He climbs across and up the desolate
side slope of a mountain, making sure he keeps his position
with the rest of his twelve-man team. His shoulders are sore
from the weight of his gear.
He was once a young athlete who loved to play football in a
small Midwestern town. Intelligent, with black hair, blue eyes
and a mischievous grin—he is always quick to smile. He last
presented not as a happy go lucky high school running back,
but as a chiseled man with a clear goal for his life. He has been
intensely training for months because he wants to serve his
country in the Special Forces.
Soon he will be entering the Special Forces selection process.
His message to me is clearly delivered; his eyes look directly into
mine, as he tells me how much a Special Forces appointment
means to him. I not only hear him, I can actually feel his
urgency. His intelligence, agility and resourcefulness will all be
tested to the limits. He desperately wants to make it to the
Special Forces Qualification Course. But there is a problem….
His back and his feet are hurting so badly that his running times
are not fast enough. These structural problems are holding him
back. I was thankful for my training at Palmer College, because this
training allowed me to play a role in helping him achieve such a
worthy goal. His aspiration was well beyond anything I would ever
imagine doing. Because he was returning to camp in just a few
short days, this was a now-or-never moment. The chiropractic
adjustive procedures I performed were what all Palmer chiropractors
have been trained to do. When we finished, he was thankful
for the newfound hope I provided. I was humbled.
Fellow Palmer alumni, this issue of Insights focuses on chiropractic
as it relates to the men and women who serve in the military.
I hope you find inspiration from the stories and efforts of the
Palmer chiropractors who care for these special individuals. To
finish the story, my patient did make it into the Special Forces
and his family tells me that he is a Special Forces communications
sergeant somewhere in Afghanistan. I think of him daily. I
do not know his exact location, but I am with him. I ask you to
also please be with him, and all his team.