Justin Dehmer 1-Pitch Warrior – Stories of a Streak: Lessons in Leadership
1-Pitch Warrior, LLC
Justin Dehmer – Peak Performance Coach
214 Balfour Drive Norwalk, Iowa 50211
Cell (515) 371-3059 Email:
“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.” – Babe Ruth
Captain Charlie Plumb
Charlie Plumb graduated from Annapolis and served in Vietnam in the 1960’s. He flew seventy-five missions from the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk. The ability to have planes successfully take off and land on an aircraft carrier requires the combined teamwork of many dedicated professionals. The number of technical specialists required to service, arm, launch, track, support and land a single plane is staggering. But even with the efforts of the best-trained men and women in the world, Captain Plumb and his F-4 Phantom jet were shot down during his seventy-fifth mission on May 19, 1967. He was held in a prisoner of war camp for six difficult years. He and the other prisoners survived starvation, torture, and humiliation because in his words – “our unity based upon faith in God and love for our country were the strengths that kept us going.”
He was released from prison on February 18, 1973 and went back to work for the navy. There was an incident years after his return to the U.S. that impacted his life deeply. One day Charlie and his wife were eating at a restaurant when a man came up to their table and said, “You are Plumb. You flew jet fighters in Vietnam.” Plumb responded, “Yes. I did.” The man continued, “You flew fighter squadron 114 on the Kitty Hawk and you were shot down and parachuted out of the plane, into enemy hands, and spent six years as a prisoner of war.” Plumb was surprised by the man’s knowledge of his experience and looked hard at the man to see if he could recognize him. When he couldn’t, he asked the man, “How in the world do you know all of that?”
“I packed your parachute.” Responded the man. Plumb was overwhelmed and struggled to his feet to shake the man’s hand. “I must tell you,” Plumb said, “I’ve said a lot of prayers of thanks for your skilled hands, but I didn’t realize I’d have an opportunity to say thank you in person.”
Understand your role is vital to your team. It may mean that you come off the bench late in a game to get a
Sacrifice bunt down. Effectively pulling the parachute for your team to coast in safely for a chance to win the game. No role is too small. All serve a purpose and have value.
What your role is at the beginning of the season may not be what it is at the end. In any event know you are apart of something bigger than yourself. Your team needs you to be complete. One raindrop never considered itself responsible for the flood but without each individual raindrop the force and impact of a flood would not be so powerful.