Philippine National Police Academy
Camp General Mariano N. Castaneda, Silang, Cavite
44 Days of Faith and Valor
Based on the cover of the book, I expect that this book may contain some stories that may be related to our cadetship training, but after a few moments of examining the outer book, I decided to read one page at a time. Soon, I learned that PLTGEN CESAR HAWTHRONE R. BINAG (Ret) started as ordinary folk who lived a life of being a listener. His attitude towards listening in a story of another relates to me as some would say that I am an excellent listener where I am just a man of few words in reality. His life story started simple, being a 'balut' vendor in terminals and being exposed to the bible at a young age. What I love about the overview of the book is that the author made a mixture of both religion and military life, where some would say it is contradicting in some aspects, but he ensured that the two concepts are one with the book.
If you look deep into the book, away from the stories of war and the concepts of SAF, the book is about finding God. The book is a guide, but not any guide towards righteousness, a guide on how to embrace challenges that God puts in front of us. The book refers to all of us as warriors where we need our daily devotion to keep on fighting, to keep on carrying on.
One of my favorite parts of the book was chapter 36, titled "TOTO MAOY," where one of his men discharged a rifle to put his dog out of misery because the puppy was run over by a vehicle. I consider myself a dog lover, and it was a heartbreaking chapter, to say the least, though what followed was a humorous reason for discharging the firearm multiple times for a salute to the dog. The chapter does not want the readers to focus on the whole scene but on the deeper concept of it. Toto's father was shot in front of him, causing him psychological problems. Sometimes one misses the story's point because we are focused on the fragments of ideas we have, and we forget to look into the bigger picture.
The book got me questioning the idea of how to strengthen others as well as myself in a spiritual way. Through the movie title, one can already identify the straightforward concept of God and war. By digging deeper into the literature, one can find God and one's faith in the self. The book idealizes the importance of believing in yourself and in your abilities in order for you to succeed in everything you do.
The book was beautiful, nothing more, nothing less. As a Cadet, I could imagine myself on the lines of Mindoro as PLTGEN CESAR HAWTHORNE R. BINAG (Ret) did when facing insurgencies. Now I understand how the book is titled "44 Days of Faith and Valor". 'Valor' symbolizes courage, while 'Faith' supplements boldness with the word of God. I highly recommend this book because of its rich stories and the person behind it. Not all those who go into war live to tell tales from within. The book sheds light on war and how many lives were lost. But amidst the gunfire and explosions, God can be found. In everything we see and hear, God can be found.
Reference: Raga, A. A., & Binag, C. H. (n.d.). 44 Days of Valor. PNP. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://pnpfeo.net/news/81-about-us/150-pcsupt-cesar-hawthorne-rivera-binag/
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The Pale Blue Eye
Louis Bayard's 2003 novel inspired the mystery-thriller film, The Pale Blue Eye, which Scott Cooper directed. The movie's story, set in 1830, centers on the murder of the United States Military Academy Cadets. The task of looking into the killings is given to Augustus Landor. Edgar Allan Poe, who is then a young Cadet in the Academy, offers Augustus assistance with this research.
Cadet Leroy Fry was the first victim mentioned in the film. Cadet Fry's heart was cut out of his body after he was hanged. As Landor investigated Fry's body, he discovered a little note fragment that had been tightly gripped. Cadet Ballinger, another cadet, goes missing and is subsequently found hanging with his heart and genitalia taken. Augustus assumes that a third Cadet, Stoddard, a co-worker of the two fatalities, had reason to believe he was the next in line to be assassinated. Augustus starts to think that devil worship and witchcraft are involved as the hearts of the victim's bodies have been removed. Since Edgar had a link to both victims, Augustus' superiors at the United States Military Academy argued that he should be treated as a suspect.
The two are particularly interested in Daniel Marquis, the Academy's doctor, and his family. Later in the film, it was revealed that Daniel Marquis' family had been behind the cadet's internal organ disappearance to use them as a sacrifice to treat her daughter's illness. Lea is in the middle of the ceremony when Augustus Landor learns where they are after interrogating Daniel Marquis.
The structure was set on fire during the rescue operation, and a piece of falling debris killed Lea and his brother. The US Military Academy believed the problem was resolved after the incident and thanked Augustus for his assistance. Still, Edgar Poe later discovered that the letters in Fry's hand were identical to those of Augustus. Edgar confronted Augustus about his findings. After forming a father-son bond and sympathizing with Landor over Mattie, Poe burns the two notes, the only evidence that Landor is guilty. Feeling somewhat at peace, Landor returns to the cliff where Mattie died and released her hair ribbon, saying, "Rest, my love."
Pale Blue Eyes provides a unique perspective on two approaches driven by the same goal. They desire to sacrifice anything for their kids. Lea's illness had been treated medically to the fullest extent possible by Dr. Daniel Marquis. Lea's devil worship, meanwhile, appeared to be having an effect, so Daniel decided to keep up the ceremonies because he wanted his daughter to live. A passion for vengeance for his daughter, Mattie's rape, and subsequent suicide possessed Augustus Landor, who had already lost his daughter two years before the events in The Pale Blue Eyes.
The moral lesson I learned from this movie is that we all have loved ones in our lives, and let us not use this as a justification for getting revenge. Let justice do it's work rather than trying to fix the problem ourselves, which will only worsen other innocent people's lives. Last but not least, this movie taught me that love is a powerful feeling that can drive someone to act against their better judgment to protect their loved ones.
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DISCOVER YOUR TRUE NORTH
Everything has low origins and little beginnings. The finish line is different from where races begin. Without work, no one would succeed and accomplish anything. It takes a lot of blood, suffering, and sweat to achieve. No one would ever reach the top or ascend to the zenith of success and glory without going through hardships, struggles, and challenging obstacles to conquer. Everyone has distinctive qualities and attributes that set them apart from the competition and make them stand out.
Instead of attempting to be the perfect "leader" for an organization, the author emphasized the idea of embodying authentic leadership throughout the book. A leader must outline his versions of how to handle his followers rather than typically following the flow of the prevalent norms. Excellent leaders initially had self-doubt, skepticism, and confusion before establishing themselves among their teammates. Most leaders experience challenging times; it's just part of the job. A few topics that leaders consider include decision-making, accountability, and responsibility.
If a leader doesn't have a reason for upholding the call to service, how can they expect to complete a particular task? A leader must have a purpose, a cause, for doing so. Leadership has always been centered on values, and virtues and character are the essences of persuading, uplifting and inspiring others to follow your example. Being a natural leader requires having a good heart. It alludes to a leader's drive to give his all to whatever he does. Additionally, this requires guts to retain fearless composure in the face of atrocities.
A leader is always shaped by self-control to share his experiences with his team. Overcoming personal challenges enables one to express their purpose, live out their fundamental beliefs, be compassionate, and form committed relationships with others to guide them toward a vision—the pinnacle of effective leadership.
The morale lesson is if you adopt the normative style of an organization or attempt to imitate someone else's style, your lack of authenticity will become apparent in unexpected situations. Because of this, you must develop your authentic leadership style and keep improving it. The result will reflect your legacy, which the next generations will continue to uphold.
BOOK REVIEW: “True north: Discover your authentic leadership” by bill George (2007). (2013, September 23). GlobalEd. https://globaleduc.wordpress.com/2013/09/23/book-review-true-north-discover-your-authentic-leadership-by-bill-george-2007/
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