We re-started the process of having a "Member Minute" at the start of each meeting - the purpose being a way for all of us to get to know more about each other - especially helpful while our meetings continue to be virtual.  Mike Spellman kicked this off today, by speaking briefly about the lessons he learned early in his career while working at Control Data.  As he noted, these lessons were more about what not to do versus a recipe for success.  The company famously downplayed the advent of the personal computer and we all know how that ended!
 
Our speaker today was Nathan Stuhlmacher, who joined us thanks to Ken Hola.  Nathan and Ken's son are good friends, having met at an elite training camp for triathletes.  Nathan was and still is a U.S. Navy Seal.  He is now in an upper management staff role, having come through their famed, extremely difficult training regimen and having been deployed to challenging situations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa and Europe multiple times.  One has to be made of unusual stuff to survive Seal training, which includes "Hell Week", "Hydro Hell Week", Dive Phase, and Land Warfare Training.  As Nathan noted:  "Seal training means you are ALWAYS wet, sandy, cold and sleep deprived.  Following this first year of training, he then spent another 6 months of Seal Qualification Training in Alaska.  The current focus of deployments are on anti-terrorism activities.  Nathan's father had been in the Air Force and encouraged him to become a pilot.  But in high school, Nathan excelled in X-Country running, track and swimming and was more drawn to the Navy and the idea of becoming a Seal.  He enrolled in a Naval Academy summer session following graduation and did well enough there to be accepted to join the Academy.  He noted that he is still in close contract with his Naval Academy roommates and spoke of the special bond they formed.