KESHEL: America Bids Farewell to a Hero Who Fought for Faith and Freedom

By Capt. Seth Keshel | Commentary, Substack

I spent a lot of my childhood believing I simply wasn’t able to keep up with my peers. A loser mentality, once it sets it, requires substantial effort to permanently discard; the trouble is that the wins needed to find proper self-esteem are so few and far between, the mind becomes conditioned to accept negative outcomes.

Picked last again in gym class. Again.

Struck out against the slowest pitcher. Again.

The girl I like rejected me. Again.

It wasn’t until high school that I shook off many of my self-esteem issues, stopped stressing about grades, and started taking part in extracurricular activities. Even then, much of the can’t do mentality stuck with me. I’d have to peg my military career as the point in time in which I feel I fully felt I could hang with anyone. That came from being forced to run miles requiring completion, engage in hand-to-hand combatives training, spend a year in a combat zone in which 100% focus was required, and provide the most accurate intelligence product possible.

The seriousness of my world sculpted me. Hard work paid off. All along, voices in my head pointed the way, like the one from Venice Beach, California, telling me to train, say my prayers, and take my vitamins.

It may sound silly to you, because pro wrestling has pre-determined outcomes and isn’t the same as “real” fighting, but they also say the best characters are those playing someone as true to their real personality as possible. Hulk Hogan believed the things the character espoused, and that is what made his character so great.

Too many of today’s kids are taught entitlement and the easiest, least rewarding ways to do things, especially when allowed limitless access to the devices and internet. Kids in the 1980s landing on World Wrestling Federation programming would be told by the promotion’s champion they could succeed if they put in the work in the gym, prayed to God, and took care of their bodies. There were no guarantees of success made outside of practicing the diligence prescribed by the Hulk.

I never met Hulk Hogan. I always wanted to take a picture with him, share a few memories, and maybe even talk politics since he waded into that walk of life; still, he’s one of those people you just feel like you know. This is because authenticity matters.

Many people measure against perfection when gauging the greatness of a man. “They can’t be great, because they did this,” they’ll say. I say they put the only perfect person on a cross two thousand years ago, and the rest of us are doing our best to pull others out of a downward spiral with the stories of our lives. When I think of childhood memories and the admonition to get busy living life to the fullest, I think about Hulk’s message. No other pro wrestling character, even some of the greats, had the virtue of prime Hulk Hogan, who conquered every obstacle and stared down every foe.

I am confident many millions in my age range mourn him with great fondness.

A society that remembers its positive icons and what they stood for is one that will pass down legacies to strive by. I echo Hogan’s message to each person reading this post.

Training makes you strong and builds discipline. It keeps you young and makes sure you don’t develop the habit of taking lazy shortcuts in life.

Prayers connect you to the source of your strength and place your problems in His hands, which are strong enough to win your battles.

Vitamins represent the care your mind, body, and soul need to fight the fight and stay in the game.

The Hulk must be remembered for challenging people to pursue greatness rather than expecting it to fall in their laps, for standing up for your friends, and for facing the challenges many people would run away from. He displayed these

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