[August 10, 2023] As early as I can remember, at least since I was a very young child, I wanted to be a Firefighter, and it was my life’s goal, yet I was young and terribly inexperienced and naïve. Like any kid with potential, I could be anything, but I knew I did not want to work with paper pushers and paperclip men in an office. I hated the idea of a 9 to 5 office job. That limited my choices because all I knew was working either on a Railroad Gang like my dad had done or putting out house fires and saving people in my community as a Firefighter. In traditional Southern families, the eldest son went the way of the father, and eventually, I did so by working summers and holidays on the railroad.
In my last year in High School, at 16 years old, I decided to work on a railroad Tie Gang. I thought these men were real badasses, and to me, that was super cool. These Gangs were typically composed of 12 strong men working around a motorized rail car that was stacked with large wooden ties, spikes, and rail plates (that held the rail in place), and they were always on the move. Such men were the “real men” of the railroad, and they were the ones that made it work. I envied them for what they did, and, of course, they were highly respected and also feared. In the old days, they were called Gandy Dancers, which I liked. I admired these men. It was a dangerous job, not very glamorous, and the crews were full of some of the meanest, most stubborn, most dangerous, and most fascinating people you can imagine.
I learned a great deal about manhood working with these gangs. First, I learned that you had damn well be mentally focused, pay attention to the rules, be a team player, pull your weight, work hard, and show the right attitude. If you did, you might succeed. Second, I learned that these men had to be tough because they ensured the trains stayed on the tracks. Sometimes, railroad management would call upon them to protect other railroad workers against local environmental protesters who picked against the pollution of trains. Tie Gang members were hard-working railroad men (there were no women), harsh and several were scary combat veterans who told stories of Japanese banzai charges during World War II. Third, laziness, sloppiness, and a lousy attitude were a form of betrayal. Too many of these repair gang railroaders were seriously injured or killed when in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a boxcar or caboose ran over them and chopped them in half or cut off a leg. If you were slacking off or mouthing off, one of the good-ole boys might whack you upside your head.
Gang railroading is a tough brutish, and often a thankless job, and the men who work the rails were dangerous SOBs. I was 6’ 2”, 190 pounds, “skinny,” and comparatively small. These were big men, like those you see today on logging reality shows. They saw me as a youngster who needed training and watching out for, and I got some good-natured ribbing for being “little.”. But I was also a quick learner. Pay attention to the older men and watch them closely was my philosophy. I would never be like them, or maybe I would never want to be, but they brought an energetic work ethic to the job that I can still admire. They gave me a nickname; “Stack.” I earned it because I was good at getting the crossties stacked on the motorized gang car. Another newbie was not so lucky. He had no nickname and was never considered a full gang member. That man, several years older than me, lasted only two weeks to eventually not show up one day.
To succeed at the job, I had to adopt the mental attitude of ruthless humility. I had to recognize that I was ignorant of the job, the lowly belly of a snake, wet behind the ears, and would never be as good, fast, or professional as these gandy dancers, and it was not easy admitting that to myself. I was not as disciplined. I was full of flaws. I was often afraid I might die that day. Maybe it was because I was young and ignorant about who I was. I was also humble about who I could be in the future, and there was some reward for my lack of talent as a newbie gandy dancer. I was smart enough to watch closely what these men did on the job and how they communicated with one another. And for them, telling the brutal truth was imperative. When you saw these men, what you saw is what they were, and they hid absolutely nothing about themselves, and this was refreshing and highly interesting. That is what I wanted.
This job is where I learned that I could also be a dangerous person. That is a story for another time.
—————
NOTE: For all Letters to My Granddaughter, go to this link here.
—————
Please read my books:
One of the best “letters to my granddaughter.” Thanks.
What a great grand gesture for your granddaughter. Sir, you are the best of granddads. I’m sure your granddaughter will appreciate greatly what you have written for her, even if she cannot understand it today. Little kids, and I understand your granddaughter is still very young, preteen, may not like to read, like in my time we did. She will surely cherish these letters as she gets older and learns that family is what the world is all about.
Melissa, great comment. Yes, she is one lucky granddaughter. Letters to my granddaughter. A great series from the likes of Gen. Doug Satterfield. Well done!
My friend excellent article for your granddaughter. Your life lessons to her will help her understand hard work and determination pay off. You needs team work and older wise people in your life. We can avoid many pitfalls in our life by listening to wise people and honor the elderly. It’s okay to ask for help and don’t understand what needed to get task done ask person to repeat what they said for clarification.
Very enjoyable article, Gen. Satterfield. ❤
Great series, thanks. I sent this to my husband. I hate giving him too many ideas at once but I think this one is worth it.
Nancy, welcome. Very funny! These letters to Gen. S’s granddaughter is really telling us about Gen. S himself and what it was that made him who he is and why he was so successful in the US Army. His experiences and how he thought about those are what I’m most interested in. Read the entire series and you will learn a lot about him and about how to be a better person.
Thank you, Ron. Good to have others respond to me.
Welcome Nancy. Good to have you on board Gen. Satterfield’s leadership forums.
Another great letter. Your granddaughter should be thrilled (esp. as an older young lady) to read about her “poppy” (her grandfather). Many readers may not care but look carefully inside these letters and you will find that they contain experiences and lessons of adulthood that are rarely taught any more.
God Bless General Satterfield.
Best para:
I learned a great deal about manhood working with these gangs. First, I learned that you had damn well be mentally focused, pay attention to the rules, be a team player, pull your weight, work hard, and show the right attitude. If you did, you might succeed. Second, I learned that these men had to be tough because they ensured the trains stayed on the tracks. Sometimes, railroad management would call upon them to protect other railroad workers against local environmental protesters who picked against the pollution of trains. Tie Gang members were hard-working railroad men (there were no women), harsh and several were scary combat veterans who told stories of Japanese banzai charges during World War II. Third, laziness, sloppiness, and a lousy attitude were a form of betrayal. Too many of these repair gang railroaders were seriously injured or killed when in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a boxcar or caboose ran over them and chopped them in half or cut off a leg. If you were slacking off or mouthing off, one of the good-ole boys might whack you upside your head.
Learning lessons, one at a time, and often the hard way.
At least Gen. Satterfield survived the ‘test’ of these gandy dancers. Wow, what an experience. I’ve know friends who worked on the oil wells and they worked under extreme, very dangerous conditions too. Similar?
I just love this series.
“Gang railroading is a tough brutish, and often a thankless job, and the men who work the rails were dangerous SOBs.” Laughed when I read this. Thanks for the series. You wrote, or someone wrote recently that you are considering putting this into book form. Are you looking at making this an autobiography or about your letters to your granddaughter? I’m curious. Maybe there is no decision yet. Let us know when you decide. Thanks for listening to us.
Yes, when Gen. Satterfield decides, he will let us know and he is always looking for feedback. ❤
good words for your kids’ kids
Gen. Satterfield, I know this is off topic but this leadership forum is the only real place to discuss, openly, importnat issue. A couple of weeks ago, you wrote about censorship of the American people by social media companies. It was, of course seen as illegal. But it continues. From your friends at PowerLineBlog today, they wrote, “THE CENSORSHIP CONTINUES We now know that the federal government, led by the FBI, has engaged in a prolonged program of censorship that focused on social media. It began, as far as we know, during the Trump administration, and at that time was directed largely against the President. It has flourished during the Biden administration, in which the FBI and other agencies have acted as enforcers, suppressing dissent from the Biden administration’s line, whatever that might be at the moment. While this program of censorship has now been exposed, as far as we know, it continues.”
Big Al, you are correct and like the US Supreme Court decision that colleges cannot discriminate based on race, they are still doing it. The rule of law is meaningless in America. Sad.
Biden wants it that way, because that is the only way he can remain in power and keep the millions of corrupt dollars flowing into his bank accounts. The Biden Crime Family does what they want and the rest of us eat cake.
Great comment, and I agree Pres Biden is a fullblown nut and out and out corrupt.
We need a Republican Party with some balls and we don’t have it. The corruption continues, everyone sees it, Democrats love the corruption and the Repubs just whine about it.
👍👍👍👍 Thanks all, spot on comments. And I love Gen. Satterfield’s website here and his books. Get a copy of “55 rules for a good life” and have a good life (just avoid the craziness in government).
Be brave, never ignore corruption. Say something.
Great one, Gen. Satterfield. This series is great and giving me lots of ideas about how to communicate with the children of my children and their children. Talk to the future. This is certainly one way to do it.