A look in the mirror...

"Seems 'the talk' was missing with some of the Olympic athletes. Like how to obey curfew. How not to vandalize. How to tell the truth." 

I have told this story before. A command I was stationed at while in the Navy had a full length mirror right by the main entrance. Before you left the command, you were to look in the mirror to ensure you were "squared away". Over the mirror was a sign which said, "You are not in the Navy, you are the Navy". I have never forgotten that. Even today, when I am out in public with a veteran or retired Navy hat on, I never want my attitude nor my behavior to discredit the Armed Forces in which I served.

Even when I worked in business, we would often get "the talk" before visiting a customer or another company. We represented not only ourselves, but also our company. We were not to bring shame nor discredit on either. When I did international travel, "the talk" changed a bit. When people from a foreign country would see us, they would not see our company as much as they would see us as Americans. Thus, our behavior was never to bring discredit to our country, our company, or ourselves. 

Seems "the talk" was missing with some of the Olympic athletes. Like how to obey curfew. How not to vandalize. How to tell the truth. For example, all of a sudden this young man named Ryan Lochte came out of nowhere and won a gold medal. The only odd or quirky thing about Ryan was the water turned his bleached hair green. Everyone seemed to just have fun with that one. 

But then things turned ugly. Once their events were over, Ryan and some of his swimming buddies decided to taste the night life of Rio. Early in the morning as they were heading back to the Olympic village, they stopped at a gas station to go to the bathroom. For reasons known only to them (and the alcohol they consumed), they semi-trashed the bathroom. They were caught by station employees and then the wheels came off the bus. 

We all know the rest of the story, so I don't need to go into it. Suffice it to say this much - Ryan's brand went from pretty darn good, to don't ever come back to Brazil. Yes, rather than looking in that full length mirror and asking how they could represent America in the proper manner, Ryan and his crew came across as spoiled little rich brats. In other words, "Ugly Americans".

My advice to Mr. Lochte is simply this. If you are looking for someone to emulate, try Usain Bolt. Not only is Mr. Bolt a credit to Jamaica and well as the Olympic games themselves, he once again showed the world that he is a class act. A true role model for all young people to follow. 

I think the only way out for Ryan Lochte and the other swimmers to just to tell the truth. Tell the world that they all did something very stupid and then lied about it. And then give the country of Brazil, the city of Rio de Janeiro, the Olympic Committee, and the people of the United States a heartfelt apology. Then maybe, just maybe, they might be invited back again to compete for the HONOR of representing this country in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.