Trading in Precious Mettle

Our financial planner is a West Point graduate, and I shared with him a treasure I purchased several years ago, a copy of the 1922 "Howitzer", the United States Military Academy yearbook. In turn, he lent me his. We looked through the books, each one full of moments in time and separated by decades of peace and war. He commented how he was surprised how little some of the buildings and grounds had changed. Nonetheless we both realized the institution's steadfastness of fulfilling its mission: Preparing students to serve, lead, be victorious. In the course of our discussion, he told me of a tradition which literally forges bonds between alumni and soon-to-be graduates.

Started in 2000 in what became to be known as the "Ring Melt" tradition, class rings from donors are melted down and the gold contained therein is blended with the gold normally used in current day ring making and then used to produce new class rings. With such a trans-formative link to heritage, the precious metal worn by tested warriors of old becomes precious mettle in the hands of young new warriors.

That's a nice send off.

Does your organization have a means to sustain, and pass on, its institutional mettle? Are the elements of what makes it successful, what represents the collection of all that is good, the product of refinement by fire, the adaption for new challenges tangible in some way?

On a personal note, what do you draw on to achieve mission success? Do you have the means to make your mettle known?

Do you have plans to pass it forward?

Tim Cummings is a Sergeant Major with the Texas Military Department.