As I ’ ve grown older , I ’ ve tried to make a concerted effort to say yes to as many opportunities as possible . Sometimes saying yes can lead to wonderful experiences , and sometimes it can lead to hilarious misadventures . Either way , nothing ventured , nothing gained , as they say .
In the past , I have said yes to attending EMT training , participating in Leadership West Virginia and mentoring a cadet from the Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy . Last September , I said yes to participating in the FBI Citizen Academy in Bridgeport .
After learning about what the FBI does in our communities and getting to see the ins and outs of the FBI ’ s Criminal Justice Information Center in Bridgeport , which houses the world ’ s largest collection of fingerprints , our class and the academy ’ s alumni were presented with the opportunity to participate in an exchange program with Houston ’ s FBI Citizen Academy .
My sister , Brett Hamilton , joined me for this adventure . We began our trip to Texas with a mad dash from the Houston airport to Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco , made famous by Chip and Joanna Gaines , the stars of HDTV ’ s hit show “ Fixer Upper .” We both love the show , and having never been to Waco before and not likely to go back anytime soon , this side trip was a high priority .
We met up with the rest of our class and attended a presentation on the 1993 Branch Davidian stand-off in Waco from Byron Sage , the lead negotiator on the case . During the stand-off with cult leader David Koresh and his followers , Sage did not leave the compound site for the duration of the 51-day standoff . Sage walked us through the negotiation process step-by-step and explained why each step was taken .
That evening , we were invited by the Houston alumni group to join them in the skybox at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo . We got a tour of the facility and learned the Houston rodeo is one of the largest rodeos in the country . The rodeo brings in more than
$ 27 million annually , and since its inception , it has had a huge impact on the city with more than $ 400 million in scholarships to youth education programs . We got to meet Rich Garcia , the agent depicted in the movie “ Blow ,” when he acted as our escort during our ride in the rodeo ’ s grand entry . And since no rodeo is complete without traditional cowboy hats , Brett and I made sure we purchased ours before the event .
On our final day , the all-star treatment continued with a tour of the Lyndon B . Johnson Space Center by Walter Cunningham , the lunar module pilot for the first manned Apollo mission — Apollo 7 . Apollo 1 was scheduled to be the first manned mission , but a fire in the cabin during a test in January 1967 killed the crew . Apollo 7 successfully completed Apollo 1 ’ s mission of an 11-day Earth-orbit test flight . Cunningham ’ s wife , Dot , is a graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy in Texas , and as an active alumna , she arranged this special tour .
That evening , we had a private screening of the film “ In the Line of Duty : The FBI Murders ” with Edmundo Mireles , one of the agents involved in the 1986 FBI Miami shootout along with West Virginia native Jerry Dove , who was killed during the incident . Once the screening was over , we had the opportunity to hear the story from Mireles ’ point of view and ask him questions about his career .
Houston was by no means the end of my adventures . I recently enrolled in Leadership Mon , the leadership initiative of the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce . I look forward to what opportunities will arise from my participation and where it will take me .
Have you adopted the practice of saying yes to unique opportunities ? If so , we ’ d love to hear what you ’ ve been up to ! Send me an email at kmh @ wvexecutive . com or visit our Facebook page . •
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