10-4 Magazine / January 2026 47 said goodbye to my mother, and boarded an airplane. From that point forward, for the next four years, I was transformed from a simple country farm kid into a person I never knew I could be. My first stop was boot camp at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), which is often referred to as the San Diego war college. Most officers attended elite Ivy League institutions like West Point, Quantico, or possibly Annapolis, whereas the enlisted personnel were sent to boot camp. As a marine corps recruit I was shipped off to San Diego, CA, for basic training. If you are unaware, marines are not born, they are made. They are also not called “Marines” until after they successfully complete the regiment of training, discipline and regulations we adhere to. The marine corps motto is three simple words: Honor, Courage, Commitment. To some, these are just words, but to us, they are the bedrock we live the rest of our lives on. It is the basic understanding of our purpose, and it is drilled into us before we wear the title of United States Marine. All branches of the military have boot camps, and at these places, we (military personnel) learned the art of warfare – in some, it’s how to wage it, and in others, it’s how to survive it. It was the responsibility of our officer grade leaders to develop a strategy to reach the mission objectives. It has always been the task of the non-commissioned officers or enlisted personnel to ensure the safety of those officers and the troops under their command. Someone once said, “The most dangerous opponent in the field is a boot lieutenant who has read a book!” Information without experience is just words of encouragement – too much and you become your own worst enemy, and too little, well, you are defeated before you even get started. How we react and respond to any adverse condition is the mark of a good leader, regardless of their rank or status in the organization. It has been my experience that there isn’t much space between “stupid” and “strategists” in the dictionary. However, if the words are left in that order, there are far more words available to describe a potential outcome than when you invert the two. Words like success, opportunities and learning are a fine place to start. You may wonder how I got on this subject at this time of the year. FYI... any article submitted to this magazine is done so with four weeks of lead time so the process of organizing, editing, and printing can be done, before that entire distribution thing even starts. That means for a January publication, I need to write and submit my contribution by about the end of November. Why is that important? Because here in the upper Midwest, that’s deer season – the time when many of us park our trucks, pack our breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with a camp stool, then head to the woods. Regardless of our success with the four legged quarry, we still go through “The Hunt” ritual. For me, that is the time I go through all the steps I learned years ago in boot camp. Along with preparation, I also pack in a generous helping of patience, and a good pair of field glasses. Okay, where am I going with this? First, it’s the new year – a time when this industry tends to move around or stretch the limits of what we used to do. In other words, when the new license and permits arrive, some of us will have a new name on the door, as well... or will we? Now comes the hard part. First I mentioned the military, then hunting, and now trucks – so what gives? As I have mentioned many times before, the pipeline from military service to truck driver is a four-lane highway that is mostly going one direction. And given the amount of camouflage clothing and hats I see on the road, hunting must have a connection, too. So, let’s get back to my motivation for this article. Normally, I spend every available minute in the deer stand or combing my area for signs of activity and movement. Ask yourself: what constitutes activity? In the natural world, that is the routine and repetitive actions that occur during the cycle of life. Learning to read those signs is the mark of experience, and your ability to interpret these signs will greatly affect your rate of success. In a normal year, I hunt the same little patch of river ground. I know the game patterns and route of travel in and out of the area. I have hunted there long enough to have the timetable for them (whitetail deer) narrowed down to a fairly accurate schedule. I know the pinch points or natural barriers that move them through a given path, right in front of my observation place, or my field of fire. It’s close to the house, so I can walk there quickly, and if need be, my wife can walk out some hot coffee or my lunch in just a minute or two. I mention this
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