“I Sleep When the Wind Blows”

After being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, I was immediately placed on active duty. My first assignment was at Fort Hood, Texas.

That experience? Intense.

But this story isn’t about Fort Hood.
It’s about what came next.

One afternoon, after a long, demanding week of training, two fellow lieutenants and I started thinking about the weekend. One of them—Lt. Frank —suggested we go horseback riding at a nearby ranch.

Sounded like a plan. We were in!

Saturday morning, around 9:00 AM, we pulled up to the ranch. An older, weathered rancher greeted us. His eyes were sharp… measuring… suspicious.

He asked what we wanted.

Lt. JWW, responded, “We’re here to go horseback riding.”

The rancher nodded and pointed us toward the stables. But he kept looking at us—especially at me.

Now let’s be real.

A Black Lieutenant in the early ’70s? That wasn’t common.

We walked over and greeted the attendent!  We saddled up and rode out. The attendant told us, “If you get lost, just let the horse go—it’ll bring you back.”

We rode for a couple hours. Beautiful land. Quiet. But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t shake the way that rancher looked at me.

When we returned, he came over and started talking. After a few minutes, he told us he was a retired U.S. Army Colonel.

That made sense.

He had that presence.

Then he turned to me and said, “Lieutenant, can I speak with you privately?”

Now I’m thinking—Here it comes, woo the woo!

But it wasn’t what I expected.

He told me a story.

Not long ago, he was hiring a ranch hand. Three applicants showed up.  Two exprienced ranch hands and one farmer hand.

After interviewing the first two ranch hands, he had already made up his mind—the second guy was his pick.

But out of respect for the third applicant, the farm hand, he decided to speak with him even though his mind was already made up!  

He told him straight up:
“I’ve already found my man. But I’ll give you a shot. Tell me in ten words or less why I should hire you, a farm hand.”

The man paused for a moment… then said: 

“Because I sleep when the wind blows.”

The rancher didn’t understand it. But something about what he said stuck with him.  He asked the applicant to repeat what he had said.  “Because I sleep when the wind blows.” 

The rancher was even more intriged!  So he hired him.

Over the next few weeks, he noticed something odd. The farmer stayed busy—always moving—but not doing what the other ranch hands were doing.

Then one night, a serious storm hit. Thunder. Lighting. Wind. Rain. The kind that tears things apart.

The rancher got up, went outside to the bunk house… and found the farmer asleep.

He was furious.

“What the H... are you doing in bed?!”

The man calmly said,
“Sir… I told you. I sleep when the wind blows.”

The rancher snapped back,
“You should be out protecting my ranch!”

The man replied, “I already did.”

The rancher owner returned to his house.  The next morning, they both walked the property.

Every gate secured.
Every animal safe.
Everything tied down, reinforced, prepared.

No damage.

The rancher looked at him—this time with understanding.

The man said:

“I do everything in advance. I don’t wait until it’s too late. That’s why… I sleep when the wind blows.”

The Colonel finished the story… then just looked at me.

Didn’t say another word.

Didn’t need to.

I understood exactly what he was telling me.

As a Black officer in that time … I didn’t have the luxury of being average.  Average would not be good enough.

I had to be prepared.
Squared away.
Ahead of the problem—every time.

No excuses. No gaps.

Because when the wind blows—and it always does—you don’t rise to the occasion…

You fall back on your preparation.

Bottom line

Most people wait for the storm… then panic.

Winners?
They prepare so well that when the storm hits…

They sleep.

Stories!