A Patriot's Calling

Lt Colonel Dan Rooney

• Editorial: Dey Street Books
• Año: 2020
• ISBN:
  9780062992246
• Categoría: History
• Categoría: Military Biographies

A decorated fighter pilot and PGA professional tells the story of his life and service—to both his nation and others—in this remarkable memoir that is a stirring record of faith, patriotism, family, philanthropy, and golf.

What does it mean to be a patriot? For Oklahoma native Dan Rooney, it is someone who not only puts his life on the line for country, but who opens his heart and mind and seeks to build a life that embodies the purest and most concentrated essence of himself. For many, Rooney is the model of a patriot: as an Air Force pilot who deployed to Iraq, serving three tours of duty; as a professional golfer who established a nonprofit foundation awarding thousands of scholarships to the children of fallen and disabled veterans; as the father of five daughters; as a man of faith, whose copilot, both in the skies and on the ground, has always been God.

A Patriot's Calling is his autobiographical journey through some of the most character-defining moments of his awe-inducing life and career. "On my third tour of duty in Iraq as F -16 fighter pilot, I felt a powerful calling from God to share the miraculous fusion of people and experiences uniquely placed along my journey. During my reflection, I began to understand how the forces of synchronicity had shaped my life. Synchronicity, or, as I like to call it, 'chance with a purpose, ' is all around us. These encounters with God's messengers are the sign-posts along the road of life guiding us toward our essence." A Patriot's Calling illuminates Rooney's true essence—and offers guidance and inspiration for us all.

A Patriot'sCalling includes 40 photos and 3 maps.

Part I

Okie

1.

I Am

Your options are limited only by your fears.

—Unknown

MY MOM AND DAD DEDICATED THEIR LIVES TO SHAPING MY sisters and me into people who paid attention to the forces guiding our lives, preparing us for the pursuit of quintessence, or as I definite it, the ultimate and truest essence of life.

Dad, a professor, spent four decades teaching and mentoring thousands of students. Each semester a new batch of undergraduates would take their seats in dingy old classroom 101 at Oklahoma State University for “The Geography of Sport.” On Rooney standard time, five minutes late, a fiery Irishman wearing Ray-Ban Wayfarers catapulted through the door, and the students quickly began to realize that this would be like no other class they had ever taken.

If GQ magazine had a distinguished-professor edition, Dad would have graced its cover by now. Decked out in his tweed jacket with suede elbow pads and a maroon-and-yellow-striped tie with a Windsor knot, he welcomed the next generation of young leaders to his laboratory. Dad is a passionate teacher and truly cares about his students. In a savant-like fashion he remembers nearly every one of them as well as their hometowns.

My sisters and I were the luckiest students on earth. Though we did not get our degrees from Oklahoma State, we are permanently enrolled in Dr. Rooney’s classroom of life. One of Dad’s core beliefs is that you have to travel in order to fully understand the world. Every June, as we would back out of our dusty gravel driveway bound for places unknown, he would remind us in his raspy voice, “Kids, don’t go to sleep or you’ll miss the most important part. Your experiences write the amazing book titled ‘Your Life.’ ”

When I was ten, my parents took us to Europe. We traveled with a worn-out copy of Europe on $25 a Day. We were humble and hungry students spending two months touring and soaking up European culture and history. But the most impactful part of the trip for me was the opportunity of flying on a Boeing 747 jumbo jet.

I remember gazing out the terminal window and witnessing the most beautiful bird I had ever seen. PAN AM emblazoned on her side, she stood six stories tall. I was awestruck by the sheer might of the machine. As I walked down the jet bridge, my excitement grew. To this day the distinctive smell of a jet bridge triggers an emotional mixture of adventure and possibility. As I boarded the plane, I touched her skin for good luck and was greeted by the luckiest man on earth—the pilot. To a little guy, he had the aura of a superhero. I gave him a firm handshake, a handshake with reverence.

Walking down the aisle, full of inspiration, I knew at age ten that I was going to be a pilot. As I climbed into my psychedelic blue-and-yellow paisley-patterned seat, I passionately announced to a couple of blue-hairs snacking on dried prunes in the seats next to me that someday I would be a pilot. “Sure you will” came their response, along with a very patronizing pat on the head.

That part of life has never changed. I figured out early on that most people will not encourage or understand the passion that burns within your soul, so the key is not to rely on external influences in life for motivation or affirmation. That fire burning in your soul is quintessence. Embrace life and stride bravely toward your passions. The pursuit is what makes us feel alive. You are the only one who understands who “I am.”

I am a runt kid who grew up in the dust bowl of Stillwater, Oklahoma. I was an ordinary boy with an extraordinary calling. Nothing came easy, but Mom and Dad always reminded me that we are all here for a reason. “Son, no one like you has come before, and no one with your gifts will come again. It is up to you to figure out what your calling is in life.”

I internalized my parents’ core belief that life is not a dress rehearsal and committed myself to creating my own reality. As a young man I dreamed of the ultimate job description. I was determined to live a life of faith and not one limited by fear. My childhood dreams would become a reality. I have been blessed to fly faster than the speed of sound and create a foundation to help military families, all while getting to be involved every day with the game I love.

I am first and foremost a husband and the grateful father of four girls. I was a slightly above-average student at the University of Kansas, where I earned a bachelor’s in geography and a master’s in sports psychology.

My life’s greatest honor is fighting for freedom alongside a heroic band of brothers. While flying an F-16 fighter jet as a major in the Oklahoma Air National Guard, I have logged three tours of duty in Iraq. I have slipped from beneath life’s narrow and limiting canopy of safety.

As a PGA golf professional I have toured the country and witnessed acts of skill and dedication performed by a most professional and extraordinarily philanthropic group of people.

In a traditional sense I am not qualified to provide counsel on the pursuit of your quintessence. I doubt that many spiritual gurus or self-help experts have been profoundly influenced by movies such as Caddyshack, Top Gun, Dead Poets Society, and Field of Dreams. You may want to stop reading here when I tell you these movies have significantly altered my life.

My office.

The most important lesson I have learned is that I am capable of change. Armed with this power, our lives have no limits. We are evolving with each breath. We are capable of becoming or doing anything. I have learned over time to harness the infinite energy of each moment in pursuit of my essence. To love each day. Faith has given me the courage to relinquish control and the gift of freedom that comes from letting go. I have grown to understand and accept that my greatest blessing is also my greatest curse. I connect with people in a spiritual way. I internalize my emotions and those of other people, good and bad, at the deepest levels.

We all have a calling in life. The universe uses synchronicity—chance with purpose—to point us toward our intended path. Along our travels, people and experiences are placed in our lives to test us. To transform us. To guide us. To shed light on what really matters. You will meet many of the people responsible for pointing me in the right direction in the pages to come. These spirit warriors, as I call them, have helped me develop a set of maxims that I try to live by each day.

I begin each morning with a quick prayer for an open heart and an open mind. I pray that I will have the courage to pursue the world’s infinite gifts. The courage to embrace the people and circumstances that will test me along my path. The courage to recognize and learn from the moments of synchronicity in life.

Today is the greatest day of my life. Whether it brings success or setback, pleasure or pain, I continue to learn from the experiences and spirit warriors on my journey. It’s through their confluence that my essence is illuminated and my life has been altered in unimaginable ways.

In the end it is pretty simple: We want to be happy. To find happiness in life, we need more faith and less fear. When we trust in God, we will be rewarded. Faith is a prerequisite to overcome the fears that stand between us and quintessence. While some of my days are better than others, my commitment never wavers.

This is my path . . .

2.

Okie

Act boldly and unseen forces will come to your aid.

—Dorothea Brande

MY PARENTS, JOHN AND SANDY, ARE FROM KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS, A manufacturing town about fifty miles south of Chicago. They began their courtship in high school and continued dating as they went off to separate colleges. Dad attended the University of Illinois, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He then transferred to Illinois State, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geography. Mom followed in my granddad’s footsteps by going to Purdue University in Indiana. My parents married and headed for Worcester, Massachusetts, where Dad got a Ph.D. in geography from Clark University. He was what we in the military call a fast burner, finishing his doctorate by his twenty-fifth birthday.

After brief stints at Wyoming, UCLA, and Southern Illinois, and a year at the University of Exeter in Devon, England, Dad accepted a position as head of the new geography department at Oklahoma State University in 1969. He was the youngest person to hold the position at a major state institution. Driving a classic Porsche 912 at that time, Dad was dubbed by his father “the Joe Namath of geography.”

With a plan to eventually move back to the upper Midwest, my parents expected to stay in Stillwater for about five years. They are still there forty years later.

Daniel J. Rooney was born on a brilliant, clear day in December 1972. It’s safe to say that Dad was excited; he had finally gotten a boy. I have two amazing older sisters, and we’re all four years apart. Beth and Kate are wonderful people whom I admire. They were instrumental influences in my formative years growing up. I love them both very much despite the incessant harassment I received from them as their little brother—although I probably deserved most of it.

I will be forever thankful to my parents for raising me in a stable and loving home. They led by example. Both were physically, emotionally, and spiritually balanced. They instilled in me a set of guiding maxims that have endured throughout my life. This impenetrable foundation has given me the faith, courage, and persistence to pursue my dreams through life’s inevitable obstacles.

My parents allowed me to believe in myself and always made me feel safe despite the innumerable risks and challenges that come with life. They were never overprotective and did not hesitate to let me fail. They did not intervene. Though it was hard for them to watch me experience failure, they understood its inherent value. I knew that when I fell, they would be there to help me get back up. Courage is instilled in children through an unquestionable belief that their parents will always be there if they fail.

3.

Mom

Pray as though everything depended on God.
Work as though everything depended on you.

—Saint Augustine

MOM WAS A COMMITTED HOMEMAKER. WHILE SHE WAS GENEROUS with her time, regularly volunteering at the church and hospice, family always came first for her. Mom was quick to make me feel special when I walked in from school. The drawling creak of the screen door signaling my arrival, I was often met with the aromatic pleasure of baking bread and a smile from Mom equally as warm. My dad, my sisters, and I never doubted for a se...