CSM Michael H. Sweeney, U.S. Army (1969-1999)

Well, the Britannica Dictionary defines habit as: a usual way of behaving: something that a person often does in a regular and repeated way. With that in mind, the first thing that comes to mind, really the only thing, is waking up very early every morning. Sort of a given, isn t it? You know, We do more before 0900 than the rest of the world does all day , right? Well, this morning, like every morning, I woke up before 0500, and I have been retired from the uniform for 26 years and completely retired for over two years. That defines a habit that I have had now for over 55 years.

Before the army, I saw the sunrise after nights of partying. So, it was in basic training that the cycle flipped, and we slept at night and got up before dawn. It didn t take long to adapt to sleeping a few hours and getting up before sunrise. Even after basic and advanced training, waking up early became the norm. Especially since I had enlisted to be a cook, with most days waking up and on shift before 0400.

After twelve years of food service hours, I became a basic training Drill Sergent. Was your Drill Sergent there to wake you every morning? Well, I was one that had no problem at that time in my career. I woke them up, ran them all day, and tucked them in at night. After Drill Sergeant duty, it was back to food service. Even though I was a Food Service Supervisor at the Division headquarters, with bankers hours in comparison, I was still up before 0400 most mornings, even on my days off, or while on leave. Later, as a First Sergeant, then the Sergeants Major Academy, the forward support CSM of the largest Battalion in the army, a Support Group CSM, the Camp Humphreys Post CSM in Korea, then the Commandant of the NCO Academy and Garrison CSM of Fort Polk, Louisiana, I hardly ever slept past 0600.

In 1650, English Theologian, Thomas Fuller coined the phrase the darkest hour is just before the dawn . Or in other words, even in the worst of circumstances, there is hope . I believe in both interpretations. Thomas Fuller s hope, and the rest of the world, thinking it is literally about the period of time before the sun comes up. Being an old Mess Sergeant and Senior NCO, I still have my first cup of coffee at 0500 every morning and watch the sun come up.

That is just my habit.

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