A Civil War Miracle

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
1828-1914

Today's article is about one of my favorite heroes from history, and a MIRACLE that occurred in the midst of his remarkable life... a miracle that, in fact, saved his life.  

You won't want to miss the story of this remarkable man and the serendipity that saved him from death, so make sure to read on to the very end of this post—even if you have to skip some details in between.  

It is worth noting that this historical article just happens to be published on a very important date in history—for it was 81 years ago today that Japan attacked the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, ushering the United States into World War II and signalling the beginning of the end of the evil imperial aims of Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, and the once-brutal Japanese Empire.

It is essential that we remember these important dates in history. As has often been said in a variety of ways: "those who fail to remember and study the past are doomed to repeat it." Variations of this quote stem from the words of George Santayana, a Spanish-American philosopher, poet, and novelist, who was born the same year the Battle of Gettysburg—featured prominently in this article—was fought. It was Santayana who originally wrote: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.  

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

—George Santayana
             (1863-1952)

This week's post is about Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a Union Army Officer who fought in the American Civil War. Today's article highlights the remarkable Self-Action Leadership of General Chamberlain. But it also illustrates how we need more than just SAL to find safety, happiness, success, and inner peace in our lives. We also need SERENDIPITY, or "the felicitous aid of unseen forces" all along our way. By effectively combining SAL with SERENDIPITY, Chamberlain was able to live an incredible life of service and contribution and leave behind a legacy of greatness that has inspired millions, including Dr. JJ and others at Freedom Focused.  

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was born in Brewer, Maine in 1828. An ambitious and gifted student, he graduated with honors from Bowdoin College (pronounced "bow-dun") in Brunswick, Maine, in 1852 at the age of 24.

An abolitionist, Chamberlain had been a student of Calvin Stowe's at Bowdoin. Stowe was the husband of the famous writer, Harriet Beecher Stowe—author of a wildly popular novel of the time: Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Published in the early 1850s, Uncle Tom's Cabin was influential in precipitating the cascading historical events of the following decade, which climaxed in the American Civil War and subsequent liberation of four million black slaves.

A very religious and studious young man, Chamberlain attended Bangor Theological Seminary after graduating from Bowdoin. He studied a variety of ancient and modern languages during the three years he spent at the Seminary. Then, in 1855, he returned to his alma mater, Bowdoin, this time as a professor.

After the Civil War broke out in 1861, Chamberlain—a fiercely principled and patriotic abolitionist—deeply desired to offer his services to the Union Army, much to the chagrin of his bosses at Bowdoin College, who greatly valued his professorial contributions and would have preferred to have kept him on campus throughout the war. It was unusual for a man of Chamberlain's education and professional station to sign up for the fight. Others in his educational stratification and social milieu tended to avoid voluntary enlistment. Later on, in 1863, when conscription became law for men aged 18-45, persons in positions of prestige like Chamberlain usually found other loopholes to avoid joining the army, such as paying a substitute to take one's place in the draft. 

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a different story altogether, although his station and reputation did enable him to gain an Officer's Commission as Lieutenant Colonel (2nd in Command) of the 20th Maine Infantry Regiment of Volunteers upon his entrance into the Army in 1862. He was originally offered the Colonelship, but humbly turned down the prestigious post because he felt it was his duty to learn the art and science of soldiering himself before assuming command of an entire regiment of other soldiers. Such a move was classically emblematic of Chamberlain's unusually principled character.   

Map of the Battle lines at Fredericksburg, December 1862, where
direct Union assaults upon Confederate forces yielded colossal losses.

In December 1862, the 20th Maine fought in the Battle of Fredericksburg in Northern Virginia—one of the largest and bloodiest conflicts of the entire war. Like many of the early battles of the Civil War, Fredericksburg was a Confederate victory and a veritable disaster for the Union's Army of the Potomac.

Click HERE to watch scenes from the Battle of Fredericksburg as depicted in the 2003 movie, Gods and Generals. 

After a failed charge into the Confederate position atop Marye's Heights in Fredericksburg, Chamberlain and his men spent a miserable, freezing night hunkered down amidst piles of their comrades—both living and dead. With their primary protection being fallen soldiers, the 20th Maine tried to stay alive while Confederate minié balls flew all around them, often sinking deep into the flesh of the dead with a supersonic zip followed by a macabre "thud." (1)    

After surviving the frigid bloodletting at Fredericksburg, and within a year of enlisting in the Army, Chamberlain's outstanding military service and exemplary leadership on the battlefield prefaced his promotion to Colonel and Commander of the 20th Maine Infantry. This rise to regimental commander came just one month before the catalytic Battle of Gettysburg fought in the first three days of July 1863 in Southern Pennsylvania.

Click HERE to watch a video clip from the movie Gettysburg where Chamberlain speaks to his men about what they are fighting for.

To learn more about his battle experiences, click HERE
to buy General Chamberlain's Civil War memoirs.

In this historian's view, the video clip above effectively captures the rare singularity of Chamberlain's unique leadership capacity and style. One of Chamberlain's fellow officers in the Union Army, General Horatio G. Sickel, once remarked to Chamberlain that he had "the soul of the lion and the heart of the woman."

"General [Chamberlain], you have the soul of the lion and the heart of the woman." (2)

—General Horatio G. Sickel
To General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

at the Battle of Quaker Road, Virginia

March 29, 1865

Given my study of Chamberlain's life and career, I believe what General Sickel meant by this was that General Chamberlain had the rare ability as a soldier to combine fierce strength and steely resolve with kindness, gentleness, and mercy. When it was time to be resolute or fierce; there was none more determined and strong. But when it was time to be gentle and forgiving, Chamberlain was equally up to that task as well.

These are the kind of leaders that Freedom Focused seeks to train, coach, and develop. This is also the kind of leader that I have, however imperfectly, always strived to become as a man, husband, father, friend, neighbor, and business builder. And being a stay-at-home Dad for the past seven years has done wonders in helping me in this desired development!

At Gettysburg, the 20th Maine, under Chamberlain's command, was stationed at the famous "Little Round Top" during the second day of the battle (July 2nd). Positioned at the critical end of the Union line, the 20th Maine served as the Union's far left flank on the battlefield that vital day of the American Civil War's most important battle. Chamberlain's superior officer, General Strong Vincent, ordered him and his regiment to hold the line, come what may. Said Vincent to Chamberlain: "I place you here!  This is the left of the Union line.  You understand.  You are to hold this ground at all costs!" (3) 

Jeff Daniels—Hollywood actor and veritable Chamberlain doppelgänger
—portraying the Colonel with his 20th Maine at Little Round Top at the
Battle of Gettysburg in the 1993 movie, Gettysburg.

Chamberlain understood.

And at great cost, he and his comrades held the line!  

The soldiers of the 20th Maine exhausted all their ammunition repelling repeated advances from the attacking Confederates, at which point Chamberlain ordered a dangerous and audacious bayonet charge in a last-ditch effort to curtail the Rebel advance.

It worked. 

The 20th Maine and their supporting regiments stopped the Rebel advance.

The day was saved!

     And the legendary "Hero of Little Round Top" was born. (4)  

The undaunted courage of Chamberlain and his men at Little Round Top prevented the Union line from being flanked on that vital second day of fighting. This victory set up a third day of battle in which the Rebels were eventually routed in a famous frontal assault known as "Pickett's Charge," where Robert E. Lee ordered 15,000 Rebel soldiers to storm the Union's main position. The assault failed miserably and served as a mirror-image of the ill-fated Union attacks on Fredericksburg the previous December. Thus, as Pickett's men marched audaciously (but foolishly) into Union cannon, musket, and pistol fire, some of the Yankee soldiers shouted: "Remember Fredericksburg!" Just as the failed Union assaults upon Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg, Pickett's Charge was a colossal failure at Gettysburg. Few Rebels made it to the Union lines before being killed, wounded, taken prisoner, or backed into retreat, making the Union's revenge of Fredericksburg complete and decisive, thereby securing a Union victory in what proved to be a vital turning point in the war.   

Click HERE to watch Chamberlain and the 20th Maine defend Little Round Top on June 2, 1863, as depicted in the movie, Gettysburg.  

Click HERE to watch Chamberlain and the 20th Maine fix bayonets and charge the Rebels after exhausting their ammunition on July 2, 1863, as depicted in the movie, Gettysburg.  

Click HERE to watch Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863, as depicted in the movie, Gettysburg.  

Major General (2-star)
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

Despite the Union victory at Gettysburg, and the retreat of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia back into the South following the bloodiest battle in American History, the Civil War would rage on for two more bloody years. And despite being wounded numerous times—and nearly fatally on a couple of occasions—Chamberlain remained in the thick of the action up until the very end of the war.

Along the way, his indomitable personal courage and patriotic passion for his country did not falter, flag, nor fail. As a leader, he continued to be promoted. By 1865, he had attained the full rank of Brigadier General (one star), a promotion he received from Ulysses S. Grant, commanding General of all Union forces. Soon thereafter, he received the brevet rank of Major General (two stars) from President Abraham Lincoln himself.  

By war's end, Chamberlain had become one of the most famous and venerated officers in the entire Union Army. His star had risen so high, in fact, that he was chosen by General Grant to receive the flag of the surrendering Confederate Army at Appomattox Courthouse on April 12, 1865—three days after Lee and Grant's famous meeting that officially ended the war. The grace and respect that Chamberlain demonstrated towards his defeated enemies that day would earn him further honor and respect from all corners of the newly reunited nation. This honored and revered reputation—thoroughly earned through his noble actions and consistent character demonstrated over long periods of time—would become increasingly burnished throughout his illustrious post-war life and career.

Simply stated, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a sterling example of Self-Action Leadership long before the term SAL had ever been coined.  

After the war, Chamberlain entered politics and was elected to four 1-year terms as Governor of Maine. He later became President of his alma mater, Bowdoin College, where he served throughout the 1870s and early 1880s. After stepping down as college president, he moved to New York to practice law. After that he was appointed Surveyor of the Port of Portland in his home state of Maine.  

An aged Chamberlain in full dress uniform

Despite living a long and active life into his early 80s, Chamberlain never fully recovered from wounds he received during his service in the Civil War. In fact, his death in 1914 was the result of symptoms stemming from one of his lingering war wounds. 

Although he suffered a great deal throughout his later life because of these wounds, they did not slow him down much. He continued to travel and speak and attend reunions with his old comrades (and enemies). He played an active and visible role in the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal veteran's organization consisting of soldiers who had fought for the Union in the Civil War. In 1893, the "Hero of Little Round Top" was awarded the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Click HERE to see General Chamberlain's Medal of Honor page online.  

Chamberlain's fame grew to be universal and widespread, including among many of his old enemies in the Confederacy. The Confederate Officer (Colonel William C. Oates, commander of the 15th Alabama Regiment) who opposed him that fateful day in early July, 1863, credited Chamberlain and his regiment with saving the Union Army at Gettysburg. According to Oates, if the Alabamians had had just one more regiment, they could have flanked the Union line, which would have theoretically led to a Confederate victory rather than a Union win in that all-important battle. Oates credited Chamberlain's leadership for making the difference in the outcome of the battle. (5)

When the Spanish American War broke out in 1898, Chamberlain—ever the patriot and forever the soldier—offered his services to his Country once again—at age 70! His offer, however, was turned down due to his advancing years and ongoing health issues from previous combat wounds. Ironically, his old foe, Colonel Oates, seven years his junior and in better physical condition, received a Brigadier General's commission in the U.S. Army from President William McKinley and did serve in that later conflict.  

Dead soldiers litter the field at Gettysburg.
Character and Serendipity aided Chamberlain's escape from joining them.

The Civil War MIRACLE of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is that he lived to see the end of the Civil War. 

Between 1862 and 1865, Chamberlain fought in 20 battles and many additional skirmishes. He had six (6) horses shot out from under him, and was wounded on six (6) different occasions, two of which nearly took his life. Despite these repeated "close calls" with death, Chamberlain managed to survive the war and live for another half century. 

When you study the life and career of this unusual and singular man, it is hard not to believe in the reality of serendipity that seemingly surrounded him throughout his service in the Civil War and beyond. Some, including myself, would even chalk his miraculous survival up to direct intervention of divine Providence (the Hand of God).

Perhaps the most significant episode of this ongoing series of serendipitous events occurred at Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg during the second day of that famous battle. Chamberlain himself would not learn how close he came to dying that day until years after the war when he received a letter from a soldier who had fought in the 15th Alabama—the Rebel regiment that had opposed his 20th Maine that hot, humid, and bloody afternoon of July 2nd.

After receiving and opening up the letter, Chamberlain read its contents, as follows:  

Dear Sir:

I want to tell you of a little passage in the battle of Round Top, Gettysburg, concerning you and me, which I am now glad of.  Twice in that fight I had your life in my hands.  I got a safe place between two rocks, and drew bead fair and square on you.  You were standing in the open behind the center of your line, full exposed.  I knew your rank by your uniform and your actions, and I thought it a mighty good thing to put you out of the way.  I rested my gun on the rock and took steady aim.  I started to pull the trigger but some queer notion stopped me. Then I got ashamed of my weakness and went though the same motions again.  I had you, perfectly certain.  But that same queer something shut right down on me.  I couldn't pull the trigger, and, gave it up—that is, your life.  I am glad of it now, and hope you are.

Yours Truly,  

—A member of the Fifteenth Alabama (6)

...............

Call it what you want: Divine intervention, Providence, the grace & mercy of the Hand of God, serendipity, coincidence, caprice, luck, good fortune... whatever; but there it no doubt these kind of occurrences are real—and happen to all of us at various junctures over the course of our lives. 

And for what purpose? 

SAL's aim—today, tomorrow, and forever
is focused on your personal & professional GROWTH

The answer always relates to our long-term advantage, and by "advantage" I mean our long term happiness and GROWTH. I employ the phrase "long-term" because sometimes serendipity doesn't appear or seem to be very advantageous in the present moment. In fact, sometimes serendipity can be downright ruthless and painful in the moment; which is why Garth Brooks so ironically croons: "Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers!"

Thus, in the end, self-action leaders are usually able to identify serendipitous events in their lives and careers because of the catalytic impact they ultimately have on producing positive, productive, and growth-inducing end results. 

And that is why we at Freedom Focused are so passionate about and grateful for SERENDIPITY, whatever its actual ontology may be—and self-action leaders are always free to decide for themselves the answers to that question.

Nevertheless, the fact remains: self-action leaders need more than just self-action leadership to be happy, successful, and experience inner peace in their lives. We also need the mysterious magic of Serendipity.

After reading this post, are you better understanding why I have always taken such a keen interest in history?

Second only to reading and writing, Freedom Focused holds that studying the past ranks among the most important secular subjects we can study as human beings. There are few better ways to successfully prepare for the future than to carefully study the past. As such, Freedom Focused advocates the teaching of history in schools and beyond, and calls for effective and engaging instructional methods that are consistently objective, balanced, fair, and non-partisan.  

Few things will better inform your present and future
than a careful study of your (and the) PAST.

After reading today's posts, it will not surprise you that one of my favorite periods of American history is the Civil War era. In fact, my interest in Civil War history led, in part, to my deep fascination with the American South—a curiosity that eventually influenced a cross-country move from Utah to Georgia, where I would seek my fortunes and meet my future wife.

Click HERE to read more about Dr. JJ's love of the South.

I hope that reading this article will inspire you to learn more about history, both your own personal (and family) history, and history in a more general sense, for knowledge of the past is a great gift that we are always free to open up and learn more about, if only we will.  

Will You?  

-Dr. JJ

December 7, 2022
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 295th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 124th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 292 FF Blog Articles.  

.........................

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

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Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks

Notes:

1. Chamberlain, J.L. (1994). "Bayonet! Forward": My Civil War Reminiscences. Stan Clark, Jr. (Ed.). Gettysburg, PA: Stan Clark Military Books. See Chapter 1: My Story of Fredericksburg, Page 9.   

2. Ibid. Page after the title page. 

3. Ibid. Page 29.  

4. Ibid. Page 268.

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Oates

6. Chamberlain, J.L. (1994)... . page 31.   

The BEAUTY of EXCELLENCE

The beauty and excellence of a beach. 

 

 

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever."* 

—John Keats

I love EXCELLENCE.

Just as there is beauty in nature, there is beauty in excellence... and human excellence is always beautiful.

For more than four hours Monday night, I had the privilege of watching a uniquely American brand of excellence on display at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana... and it was a beautiful thing.

The occasion was the College Football Playoff National Championship featuring the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs in the biggest game of the year, and arguably one of the biggest games of all time. 

Now I know what some of my readers are thinking right now. An article about College Football? Yeah! Sign me up! And I know what some others of my readers are thinking right now. Football? beautiful?? Are you kidding me???

I don't have to ask my football lovers to stay tuned for the rest of this article. As for the latter milieu, I merely ask you to give it a chance with the promise that this article will touch on more than just football.  

Football, and athletics in general, provide us
with endless opportunities to learn about life and SAL.

For me, the beauty of Monday night's game was not who was playing in it. As a FLORIDA Gator fan who married a GEORGIA TECH Yellow Jacket, I'm about as far away from being a Georgia fan as you can get. In fact, I once accompanied my beautiful Ramblin Wreck inside Bobby Dodd Stadium in downtown Atlanta where we both cheered enthusiastically against Georgia. 

As for the Alabama Crimson Tide, let's just say that I fully support the recently trending social media topic #NeverBama.

Nevertheless, I was able to transcend my typical aversion to both teams for this particular occasion for one very simple reason: In virtually every aspect of their respective programs, the 2021 Alabama and Georgia college football teams personify EXCELLENCE and everything that creates it (i.e. vision, focus, dedication, discipline, hard work, consistence, persistence, determination, etc.). And the stark reality—evinced by both team's convincing wins in their respective Playoff Semifinal Bowl Games—is that no other team currently comes even close.

Because of the veritable goldmine of knowledge and insight available therein, this Self-Action Leader guy has little choice but to pay attention to organizations like Alabama and Georgia Football, regardless of my personal affiliations or inclinations as a fan.  

What creates the kind and degree of EXCELLENCE presently on display in Athens and Tuscaloosa?    

Jeff Allen is the Head Athletic Trainer for Alabama Football. He has been with the Crimson Tide since the early days of legendary coach Nick Saban's tenure at Alabama, dating back to 2007. Allen says people often ask him what it is about COACH SABAN that has made Alabama so great, as if there was somehow ONE special ingredient to his mystical personality and magical formula that led him to be so much more successful than everybody else. But according to Allen, "It's not [just] one thing. It's a thousand little things. [Coach Saban's] in tune with the little things, not just the big things, and that's imbedded in our entire program."**

"It's not one thing.

It's a thousand little things."

—Jeff Allen

Head Athletic Trainer

Alabama Football

Those thousand little things are all part and parcel of what Saban refers to as "The Process"—an intentional and methodical formula that has steadily brought about his team's extended dominance over the past decade-and-a-half. That dominance has brought the Tide an unparalleled string of success that includes SIX (6) National Championships and three National Championship runners-up. That means in the past fifteen (15) years, there were only six years in which Alabama was not playing in the National Championship game. Such a string of success has never occurred in the sport, and few other sports can boast of an analogue.

Overcoming the daunting legacy of this unparalleled Goliath would prove no small feat for the Georgia Bulldogs, who had lost seven straight games to Alabama dating back 15 years to Nick Saban's first season (2007) in Tuscaloosa. But Georgia is no David. Nay, a Goliath in its own right, the Bulldogs program had been meticulously built by Kirby Smart—one of Coach Saban's former Assistant Coaches—after the Alabama model he himself had been a part of for eight years from 2007-2016.

After many years of painstaking planning and
unrelenting effort, Georgia finally hit the bullseye.

Despite having achieved this lofty status, which paralleled Alabama in many aspects, Saban had outdueled his protégé in all four previous attempts, including a last-second win in overtime in the 2018 National Championship Game. The pain of these losses increasingly smarted for Smart, who could not seem to get over that one, last, elusive hurdle preventing him from summiting the mountaintop. 

But Monday night, led by the most unlikely of heroes—walk-on quarterback and small-town journeyman Stetson Bennett—Georgia finally exorcised its demons against the Tide to win their first National Championship since 1980.

The game itself was not particularly beautiful, although it was highlighted at key moments by some very pretty plays on offense. For me, the BEAUTY of the game was ironically found in its defensive ugliness (effectiveness). 

Here were two teams who had mostly cake-walked their way through their respective schedules, dominating almost everyone they faced throughout the regular season—and even their semifinal games in the playoffs. Both teams averaged over 40 points per game throughout the season. Alabama's quarterback, Bryce Young, won the Heisman Trophy and set single season passing records as a freshman. Georgia's defense was touted as one of the best of all-time.

The Tide's only loss was a narrow slip-up on the road to SEC West rival, Texas A&M (Kyle Field is a hostile environment where victory does not come easily to visitors). Georgia's only loss was to none other than Alabama in the SEC Championship game—a poignant experience and wake-up call for the 12-0 Bulldogs that seemed to significantly influence their reversal of fortunes when it mattered most five weeks later in the Natty. With such sparkling offensive resumes, only the sky (and clock) had limited their ability to score against everyone else. But against each other, their otherwise prolific offenses were largely stymied by equally excellent defenses, leading to an astonishing single-digit score (9-6) nearly three-quarters through the game.

EXCELLENCE  is  BEAUTIFUL

"The Process" of the game was so incredibly ugly that it was, in fact, astonishingly beautiful. And the beauty arose in the remarkable determination and absolutely unrelenting effort, passion, and energy that every athlete insisted on investing up through the last seconds of the game. That kind of complete investment of one's heart, mind, and soul into a cause worth driving for is indeed a beautiful thing. I will never forget watching it. 

EXCELLENCE is and always will be BEAUTIFUL. 

That is why my wife Lina, who has always been physically stunning in my eyes, became far more beautiful to me as I learned about her incredible intellectual capacity, formidable academic achievements, emotional resiliency, social deftness, professional potential, and spiritual strength and faith.

That is why I get chills when I hear a polished musician create aural magic with her instrument or behold an experienced artist in the throes of his best performance. It is why we—like Stetson Bennet Monday night—tear up when an especially difficult obstacle is surmounted or an unusually monumental accomplishment is finally realized.

It is why we are inspired by that vigor of mind and vim of heart and soul that fuels greatness in every aspect of the human experience. And it is why we feel reverent when we are in the presence of those who have honestly achieved authentic greatness.    

That is why things like TRUTH, virtue, kindness, eloquence, polish, refinement, maturity, respect, honest achievement, and anything thereunto... are so incredibly BEAUTIFUL. Because EXCELLENCE is BEAUTY, and authentic beauty is always a form of excellence.  

This beautiful and precious little nugget makes me
want to be a better husband, father, and man.

It is also why my heart melts into joy as I gaze upon the adorably innocent perfection of my little boy as he slumbers peacefully in his bed... and then muse upon his limitless potential in life, a potential made possible through Grace (Serendipity) and the principles and practices of Self-Action Leadership.

In the words of Emerson: If eyes were meant for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being.

"If eyes were meant for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being."

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thus it is that EXCELLENCE—in all of the beautiful forms that it takes—is beautiful indeed, and why authentic BEAUTY will always qualify as a form of excellence.  

As self-action leaders, we have the opportunity to strive after and towards EXCELLENCE in all that we do. We aren't perfect people, nor are we expected to be, at least not right away. But we are—and always will be—seekers after the BEST, and more importantly, after our BEST. Along the pathways of this ever-noble quest, may we continually draw and derive much inspiration from others who so majestically portray and personify it—like the 2021 Alabama and Georgia football teams. 

Congratulations to the Bulldog Nation!

And Go Gators... we (and everyone else in the SEC East) certainly have our work cut out for us in 2022 and beyond! 

—Dr. JJ

January 12, 2022

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 247th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 246 FF Blog Articles.  

.........................

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

And if you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to sign up to receive future articles for FREE every Wednesday.

To sign up, please email freedomfocused@gmail.com and say SUBSCRIBE, or just YES, and we will ensure you receive a link to each new blog article every Wednesday.  

Click HERE to learn more about Freedom Focused

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan Jensen

Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks

Notes:

* The opening line of John Keats' famous extended poem, Endymion.

** Lowe, C. 9 January 2022. ESPN Online. How Jeff Allen Became Invaluable to Nick Saban and Alabama Football. URL: https://www.espn.com.au/college-football/story/_/id/33019887/how-jeff-allen-became-invaluable-nick-saban-alabama-football

Getting "Lucky": Auburn and Ohio State

Last Saturday in College Football, the #3 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and the #4 ranked Auburn Tigers got lucky.  At least that is what some fans and pundits will tell you. 

The Buckeyes narrowly escaped defeat when Michigan’s two-point conversion pass was intercepted in the final seconds of the game.  Even more telling, the fall of Alabama increased the possibility that an Urban Meyer team would luck their way into another BCS National Championship game for the second time in a decade (their 2006 invite came as a result of UCLA's upset of then undefeated USC).

And the Tigers, well, let’s just say that it isn’t common for the Crimson Tide (the two-time defending National Champions) to miss four field goals and allow a 107 yard touchdown run with one second remaining on the clock.  And then there was the instant replay that put one crucial second back on the clock.  Uncanny!