Every time I spend a few days away from home in a house surrounded by green trees, I get the urge to write. I’m not sure if it’s the clean air, the amazing views or the lack of distractions that prompts my literary desire to share my thoughts with you but here I go.
It could be the fact that I’m staying in a charming AirBnB in Prescott, AZ with my husband Steve and the owners from France have an amazing collection of books. Our bibliophile hosts feel like family to me as I view the many family photos on the white walls. I can feel the love and joy they get from cooking and sharing meals with their children and their friends.
As a recent and neophyte author, I have an immense appreciation for prolific and complex writers like Tom Clancy, Dan Brown and Michael Crichton. The main wall in the master bedroom has a large bookcase filled with pages of an adventure and intrigue. I could feel the emotion emanating from the titles on the spines.
So what is my story to share with you? Why would you be interested in my thoughts and experiences as I type these words from a wooden deck over looking the city of Prescott?
A large hawk just landed on top of a telephone pole about 50 meters from me. He hung our and watched me for a while and then flew off. Sometimes I wish I could be weightless and fly.
The morning air is clean and cool and crisp. My hands are getting cold as I type so I just grabbed my large, white ceramic mug of hot green tea and took a healthy sip. I look up again at the baby blue sky, the green and brown mountain horizon and feel a sense of serenity and gratitude. I feel happy to be able to share my thoughts and photos of this lovely place.
I feel connected with the trees and the birds and it brings me comfort and relief. I feel connected to the warm family that owns this home and as a result my own family in New Jersey is close in my heart and mind. I miss them dearly and look forward to my trip to see them in a few weeks.
The elevation of this property is 5,790 ft and I’m a facing due west at 270 degrees. My mind and senses are open to new input and information and I’m happy to chronicle my journey and share it with you.
I hope you have enjoyed my short and simple story of birds, words and green trees from Arizona.
I served as a Platoon Leader in the 13th Signal Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division during the first Gulf War. We deployed from Ft Hood, TX in October 1990 to Saudi Arabia and then Iraq for the short ground war in February 1991.
At age 23, it was strange and unsettling to spend Christmas away from my family and in the middle of the desert. The night skies were amazingly dark and full of more stars than I had ever seen. The occasional camel sighting did remind we of the three wise men headed to Bethlehem.
The last panel in Doonesbury cartoon below made me laugh. I found this newspaper clipping in my journal from 1990. I didn’t remember having it and probably haven’t seen it in over 30 years.
I was recently interviewed for the Rutgers Oral History Archives about my experience. Below is an excerpt from the transcripts.
KR: At the end of your first interview, we left off talking about Operation Desert Storm. What I would like to ask you about first today is, what are your recollections of Operation Desert Storm and the invasion of Iraq?
BS: I think the biggest memory and impact was in January of 1991. We had been in Saudi Arabia since October, just sitting, waiting for the invasion. We were in northern Saudi Arabia. I just remember when the ground war kicked off. We didn’t have any news. We didn’t have TV or radio like have today, but I do remember seeing and hearing these–they were called MLRS [multiple launch rocket system]–these rockets, and they went off many at a time, and the lights, just watching these rockets take off, knowing they were going north into Iraq as we attacked, and just thinking, “Wow, how much destruction and/or death is occurring at the end of that?” It was really bizarre and surreal, but that was the only thing I remember and I saw at the time. It was scary that first night. We didn’t know if we were going to get attacked with Scud missiles that had chemical or nuclear/biological weapons. We were mostly scared of chemicals at the time, but it could have been biological. [Editor’s Note: On January 17, 1991, U.S. and coalition forces launched Operation Desert Storm with a campaign of air and missile attacks on targets in Iraq and Kuwait.]
I do remember the first night, and that was really the only night that I slept in my mask, my gas mask, and the full protective gear. It wasn’t too hot. It was January, luckily.
KR: Were there any religious services when you were in Saudi Arabia or Iraq? Were there chaplains around to do religious services or counseling?
BS: In Saudi Arabia, we were told to not have any outward displays of religion, Christianity, Judaism. We did, in our tents, have some Christmas [trees], but, again, it wasn’t [extensive]. There were chaplains, but, again, they were told to not put their insignia on their uniform. As I recall, the officers that were chaplains would have their rank on one side and then you would have your unit on the other, but I think they had either a cross [or] Star of David, and they were told to cover those. I don’t recall ever talking to a chaplain, seeing them. I suppose, if it was needed and someone needed counseling, we could have called into the DMAIN, the centralized rear command, and asked for it, but we didn’t need it. The same for doctors and nurses and medical. I’m sure these support units were there if we needed them, but I didn’t interact with them either. We were forward operations.
For women, we were in the frontlines with our communication vans. In fact, there were Iraqi soldiers surrendering to some of the units that were in my platoon, and it was a woman that they surrendered to. She was the sergeant of this little remote radio tower. It was her and three other soldiers who were men, but Iraqi soliders surrendered to them. For me, I was like, “Wow, a Muslim man from Iraq just surrendered to a woman, an American woman.” That was kind of interesting.
KR: My next question you have touched upon a little bit in some other questions that we have asked you. Once Operation Desert Storm was being launched and the invasion of Iraq, what were your experiences like and the experiences of your unit?
BS: Once the big launch in January occurred, we left our base, where we had been for many months in northern Saudi, and we convoyed north into southern Iraq. We left in the middle of the night. I just remember driving in this huge–it was a deuce and a half–a two-and-a-half-ton truck, very, very uncomfortable, for hours just driving north (20+ hours), but it was pretty exciting, because we knew this was the big thing we’d been waiting for. We’re traveling, and it’s exciting because we’re seeing other tanks and units from Britain and other countries alongside us traveling in the same direction. Then, we got to a location, and we stopped. This was where we were going to set up our communications. I only have one picture from the whole war. There was a burned-out military–it looked like a tank and it was an Iraqi tank and there were dead Iraqi soldiers on the ground. It was taken out by a U.S. missile or an Apache. My soldiers had to call and get body bags and put them in. I made a decision that I didn’t want to see the bodies, the corpses, because I didn’t want it to stick in my mind. I didn’t go near it, but we set up camp maybe a hundred meters away from that. It was kind of creepy to be there. We were there thirty, forty days. We stayed there, and it wasn’t long before we won the war decisively. We were all told, “Okay, time to go home now.”
More stories and memories to come in my next blog.
I am excited to announce that in October 2022, I will be inducted into the Rutgers Oral History Archives- ROHA (https://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/) in New Brunswick, NJ. This is a great honor as my story will be documented and included with the accounts from hundreds of fellow veterans from the conflicts of WWII, Korea, Persian Gulf War, Cold War and Afghanistan.
In April 2022, two strong and articulate women from the Department of History at my alma mater, Rutgers University, interviewed me about my family history, campus ROTC life, and military experience in the Gulf War.
Me in Southern Iraq, February 1991
A bit about ROHA from their website:
Since 1994, the Rutgers Oral History Archives (ROHA) has been recording the life narratives of:
Alumni and/or New Jersey residents who served during times of conflict
People with a story to tell about New Jersey’s rich social and cultural history
Men and women who helped shape the history of Rutgers University
ROHA’s digital archive features 1,202 life course oral history interviews and over 32,000 pages of fully text-searchable transcripts.
Here’s the cover page of the first interview transcript.
RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
NEW BRUNSWICK
AN INTERVIEW WITH BRENDA SMULL
FOR THE
RUTGERS ORAL HISTORY ARCHIVES
INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY
KATHRYN TRACY RIZZI
and
GWEN ALLEN
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
APRIL 12, 2022
Below is an excerpt of my response to a question about my experience during Operation Desert Storm:
“I was there for about ten months. Saudi Arabia and Iraq, in those months, there were seasons where there were monsoon rains and winds. I’ll never forget, one time, I’m in my tent, and a huge windstorm came. It literally blew the tent off me, and it’s just me on a cot in the middle of the desert. That was quite interesting. Everything you owned was in two duffel bags, so you didn’t have a whole lot of clothing. We did have services that occasionally helped launder our clothes, but, oftentimes, we would wear the same pants for days, and I did not take a shower every day. Then, when we went into Iraq, water was limited. I remember, I went thirty days without a shower. As a woman, that wasn’t as ideal. We had birdbaths, but for anybody who’s been camping, birdbaths are good for like two or three days. Thirty days is a whole other experience. Again, I was young. I survived. It wasn’t that bad, but it was just very uncomfortable. Your body doesn’t stop doing what it does, even though you’re at war in the middle of a desert. That was that experience. That’s why I was always envious [that] the Air Force people were in buildings, at least most of them were, and I didn’t get to be in any buildings.
At the end, when we were leaving the country in April 1991, we went to Khobar Towers, which is actually famous because later, a few years after I was there, there was a big bombing there. Khobar Towers were in Saudi Arabia, there was a big bombing, and I believe some were killed and injured. I was only there for a week or two before they flew us back home. That’s the story about that. [Editor’s Note: On June 25, 1996, a truck bomb detonated near the Khobar Tower housing complex in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing nineteen members of the U.S. Air Force and injuring over four hundred American and coalition military personnel. The Khobar Towers housed coalition forces engaged in Operation Southern Watch, the no-fly zone operation in Southern Iraq after the Gulf War of 1990-1991.]”
One of the things I love about Toastmaster meetings is the opportunity to hear diverse perspectives and stories from club members with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and political affiliations. For some, Toastmasters may be the only place where members are exposed to viewpoints that differ from their own.
In July 2022, I witnessed two very different presentations while attending two community Toastmaster clubs in Phoenix, Arizona. The speeches also had many similarities, as both were well presented, dynamic and passionate. The speakers were intelligent, successful and respected baby boomers whom I know and admire.
The topics of the speeches were socially charged ideas given from the presenters’ point of view and frame of reference. Based on the size and diversity of the audience, it was probable that not everyone agreed with the premise and points of talk.
What impressed me most about these specific Toastmaster meetings was the high quality and neutrality of the formal speech evaluations. Providing verbal feedback on a topic that you may not agree with is not easy and the club members accomplished this should be praised and respected. The Speech Evaluators did an outstanding job of providing quality input on the delivery and structure of the speech while avoiding judgmental statements on the content of the presentation. They took the high road and made me very proud to be a Toastmaster.
I felt strongly about this topic in October 2016 and published a blog entitled “Objective Evaluations in a Polarized World”. In this article, I emphasized that “the ability to give objective and neutral feedback on another person’s speech is hard enough without the many external and internal factors influencing us. Pesky things like human nature, emotions, personal biases, insecurities, extreme political views, polarization of opinions and what I call the “siloed, echo chambers” of social media”.
Now more than ever, my advice from six years ago on giving objective evaluation is important and relevant.
Below were my key recommendations:
Remember that as a speech evaluator, you are there to observe and provide neutral and constructive feedback, recommendations and suggestions on the basic tenants and techniques of effective communication and public speaking.
Focus on the Delivery and Structure of the presentation with specific examples.
When commenting on the Impact of a speech (especially if you disagree with the content), try to set aside your personal emotions and biases and look at and assess the overall audience response to the speech.
Honestly ask yourself if the topic/point of the speech is clouding your ability to provide positive and objective feedback on the Delivery and Impact. If it is, then:
Try to put yourself in the shoes of someone who supports the topic and reflect on how they would respond to the speech.
Run a “What if” scenario in your mind by replacing the content of the speech with something that you agree with and see how you would view and analyze it.
Open your mind, take off your biased filters and focus on how the speaker is connecting, delivering and making their point.
Ask yourself: Was the speaker able to motivate, educate, influence or inspire?
The purpose of your evaluation is to encourage and help club member improve and develop strong communication skills, not to impose your views, values and opinions about the subject matter.
It’s so good to be sitting on the porch of a cute, cozy cabin and reflect on what is important in life. Health, family and friends top the list of most valued gifts.
Spending time in the greenery of nature is soothing to my soul and my morning walk did me good. This fun sign below caught my eye and got me thinking. What do I want and how do I plan to get it? Where should I go and why? So many questions are swirling in my mind.
The cabin I’m staying in is small and quaint. There is no Wi-Fi or Internet and uploading the photo above took over 5 minutes. During the time I waited, I thought more about what I wanted to share here with you. It slowed me down even more to reflect and creatively choose my words.
Here are some of my answers to the questions:
Who: Me
What: Calm my mind and heal my shoulder
When: Now
Where: In the woods of Arizona
Why: Life is short and I want to alleviate the pain
How: Appreciating the beauty of the verdant trees and the sounds of the birds.
Getting away from the day-to-day grind of work and chores is a wonderful treat. Strong and simple – just the way I like it!
So many of us are hurting right now, physically and emotionally, and my wish is that you can take a moment for yourself and ask- Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.
The honest answers may be your best sign post to get you moving in the right direction.
I have chosen Independence Day 2022 to write about Stranger Things Season 4 for a number of reasons.
First, the finale was big and bold, colorful and dark, intense and touching- much like our 4th of July fireworks.
Second, the themes of standing up and fighting back against bullies, tyrants and evil forces resonated with me.
Third, it reminded me of the kick-ass American spirit, strength and courage of the 1980s.
Lastly, brave heroes are important and should be recognized and respected.
I’ve written about the prior three seasons of Netflix’s popular series Stranger Things in my blog and book and I continue to enjoy the fond memories of my childhood. Being a class of 1985 graduate made me connect even more with the story and the characters of Hawkins High School class of 86. I was taken back to Friday nights spent with my girlfriends at Skateway 9 near my hometown in New Jersey. The lights, music and action of the roller rink were perfectly captured in the show and it brought back vivid memories of being bullied by the mean-girls at school who didn’t like me for some reason or another. I still had great fun with my good friends and loved the energy of disco music.
Being a fan of the band Metallica, I was especially delighted by the scene with Eddie Munson (my new favorite character) playing “Master of Puppets” on top of the trailer in the Upside Down. This character was also the Dungeon Master in the D&D games played with Dustin, Will, Lucas and Mike. In the end it was a brilliant and masterful performance by the misfit teenager who partly reminded me of Eddie Van Halen and some of the guitar-playing boys I went to high school with ( Joe Argese, Scott Janis, Craig Boschetti, John Horvath and Mike Gardner).
Speaking of music in the 1980s, I have great memories of being in the Spotswood High School Marching Band/ Color Guard. Just like in Stranger Things, we had dorky, hot and uncomfortable polyester uniforms and it didn’t stop us from having fun at the football games, local parades and other events. We even took cool bus trips to exotic places like Montreal thanks to our amazing music teachers Mr. Cohen and Mr. Milstein. I’m still in touch with many of my friends from band on Facebook and during trips back home including Ed Dougherty, Charles Kolbasowski, Steve and Carol Varga, Rose Fairchild Neliden, Stacy Remantas, and Janet Warley.
The amazing cast of strong female characters on Stranger Things continued to inspire and impress me. These women didn’t give up and gave it their all in the face of extreme pain and malevolence. I especially liked the intense powers of Eleven, the courage of Max, the ferociousness of Nancy, and the witty intelligence of Erica. These strengths and personal attributes are sorely needed in 2022. Watching Nancy expertly handle the shotgun to fight off the monsters reminded me of Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2.
Pure, unadulterated, bad-ass courage and skill by nerves of steel women- that’s what I’m talking about!
And so, these are my random, strange and independent thoughts on July 4th about Season 4 of the sci-fi hit Stranger Things.
Here are the strong and simple messages I was left with:
It’s 102 degrees today in Phoenix, Arizona and my left shoulder is still frozen. It all started six months ago when I noticed that it hurt to move or lift my left arm.
In the last two months I’ve made some progress toward healing my arm and shoulder and am happy to report that the stabbing pains are mostly gone and I can put on my shirt with relative ease. My range of motion, however, is not much better than it was four weeks ago.
I am not a patient person by nature and it’s been very hard for me to slow down and accept the fact that my left arm can’t move or function like it used to.
Five years ago this summer, I wrote an article titled Mighty Gumby and the Importance of Flexible Strength where I reiterated some great advice I received in my Austin yoga class : “Flexibility needs to be supported by strength and stability”.
As I look back on the 2017 photo of my back, shoulder and arms, I can’t help but feel a bit sad and dejected at my current state in 2022. At this point, I can barely raise my left arm to be parallel to the ground much less flex my bicep.
Me in June 2022Me in July 2017
My friend and Yoga Therapist, Nancy Martch recently asked me, “What is your arm injury telling you?”. In my mind I rephrased the question to – What have I learned from this painful and physically limiting condition?
Here are my thoughts about recovering from an illness or injury:
Be patient with your body.
Slow down and appreciate the small, micro-improvements you see or feel.
Be flexible and adaptable with what you can and cannot do.
Be accepting of the situation and have gratitude for the strong and healthy parts of your body. (I have new respect and appreciation for my legs and back).
Do not compare the injured area or side of your body to its healthy counterpart (in my case my left arm to my right arm).
Do not compare yourself to anyone else.
Let go of any expectations.
Continually observe, analysis, research and explore new possibilities for healing and recovery.
Listen closely to your body for it will tell you what it needs.
Be kind to yourself.
These past six months have been a humbling experience for me as I come to accept that my recovery could take over a year. I am doing all that I can to keep moving and positively support my body’s immune system. The systems, habits and actions I employ include:
Yoga therapy
Physical therapy and weight lifting
Swimming
Massage
Anti-Inflammatory diet
A slow healing process is never easy but I’m optimistic that I will be able to lift my left over my head some day. I have put the Mighty Gumby back on my desk so I can be reminded of the importance of flexibility and a positive attitude.
Here’s to Letting Go and healing my frozen shoulder!
Bill donated a gold nugget and came home with a treasure named Chester.
On Saturday, April 30, 2022, five members of Ahwatukee Post 64 volunteered at a local event called Coffee and Rigs in the parking lot of C2 Tactical in Tempe, AZ. Their mission was to increase awareness of the benefits of joining the American Legion and recruit new members.
Post 64 Members (l to r) Al Hunter, Brenda Smull, Pete Meier, Bill Musik and Jack Armstrong
The Coffee and Rigs event was the first of its kind and featured eight vendors/organizations including: Off Road Warehouse, Turtleback Trailers, Buff City Soap, the American Legion Post 64, Rubicon Rescue, Precision Sports Accessories, and Circle R Farm Food truck.
The Post 64 table of brochures, flyers, flags, candy and historical Legion caps also included tickets for two raffle prizes- a one year family package membership at C2 Tactical and a 2.2 gram gold nugget.
Bill Musik, a Vietnam veteran, donated the gold nugget and discovered a wonderful treasure in return and adopted an adorable dog named Chester from the Rubicon Rescue team two tables down. Chester was perfectly suited to Bill because of their compatible stages in life. Bill had wanted a more senior pet that he could care for through the rest of the dog’s life.
Bill and Chester relax at home. Photo by Steve Smull
C2 Tactical provided Post 64 with the generous one-year membership and has been extremely supportive of Phoenix area First Responders, Veterans and animal rescue organizations. C2 Tactical is generous with donations of membership packages, classes, and range time when asked and this April event was the third time to they have had Rubicon Rescue host a table at their community functions.
Rubicon Rescue dogs. Photo by Steve Smull
Rubicon Rescue, a local non-profit organization, brought eight dogs and a litter of tiny kittens to the event. It was great news to hear that four dogs, including Chester, were adopted that day. Rubicon Rescue’s Mission it to save abandoned, abused and injured shelter animals and they certainly made a positive impact toward this goal.
This event is part of a new PR and membership campaign at the Post 64 and was spearheaded and attended by Al Hunter, Jack Armstrong, Bill Musik and Brenda Smull. Our Post Commander Pete Meier also supported our efforts at the table.
It was a positive and supportive showing at the Post’s table and the happy, spirited, and appreciative rescue dogs warmed everyone’s hearts.
A precious face waiting to be adopted. Photo by Steve Smull
I’ve begun working on a keynote speech and thought I’d share with you my idea and the process I’m using to craft it.
The working title is of my presentation is The Power of Small: Sys-bits for Big Results. The initial speech will be 20 minutes in length and is the main deliverable for a Toastmasters Pathway project (Level 5 in the Presentation Mastery path).
The concept for this keynote has been swirling around in my mind for many months and features ideas and tales about systems, habits and methodologies that I have used in the past 40 years to accomplish my goals. My personal experiences as a unicycle rider, a Toastmaster, and a published author will be highlighted as I weave together the stories and points in support of my Power of Small approach.
My first story will describe my experience of learning to ride a unicycle when I was ten years old and how I, without knowledge or formal training, employed the principles of Agile and experimentation to achieve my lofty goal.
The second story of my keynote speech will chronicle the techniques and visualize tools I used to compile and publish my first book in five months. Leveraging my Project Manager and Scrum Master skills allowed me to know which systems and habits to use to get the job done on time and under budget. I also think that my “Power of Small” method of book writing improved my creativity and increased my quality.
The final story of my big speech about small steps will feature an analysis of the Toastmaster educational program called Pathways. This proven system is an incremental learning experience designed to help members build the skills they need to be better communicator and leaders.
Another big step I’ve taken in my speech creation in hiring a professional Coach to assist me in refining, shaping and optimizing my words and my delivery. More to come on this endeavor.
So that’s what I have to share with you thus far.
The small steps of my journey to an amazing Keynote have begun and I’m excited to report my progress along the way to you.
On November 4, 2021, I hosted a book launch party for Strong Words and Simple Truths in Phoenix, Arizona. The venue was a fun, independent coffee shop called The Buzzed Goat and Ernie the hedgehog fit right in.
Our spirited gathering included over 30 friends, coworkers, toastmasters and veterans. The energy in the room was electric and I was thrilled to be able to speak in front of a live audience.
Below is a video of my short presentation and tribute to military veterans.
Ernie and me at the book signing table
For more information on my book Strong Words and Simple Truths click here.
Strong Words & Simple Truths 