Gentlemen - welcome to the October 2026 Issue of GET ACTION, the newsletter of the UnCommon Man.
We have a lot going on this month, including the celebration of TR's birthday. Why did we choose him as the archetype of an UnCommon Man anyway?
Well…
TR is the archetype of an uncommon man not because he possessed effortless talent and genius… but because he turned personal adversity into a blueprint for an extraordinary life. He wasn't the best at everything he tried, but he tried a lot of things!
After years of dedicated hustling, he became an accomplished historian, author, polymath, Medal of Honor winner, Nobel Peace Prize winner, hunter, naturalist, and dedicated family man… oh yea and President of the United States! It wasn't due to raw talent, for he was known to be a clumsy guy, but instead it was his willingness to try everything and his absolute refusal to give up.
He was an extraordinary example of grit, proving that an uncommon life is built by those who keep showing up, scaling every obstacle, and refusing to let adversity dictate limits.
We honor TR this month as uncommon men. We have a circuit ruck, fire starting, and an opportunity to eat copious amounts of fried chicken with gravy on his birthday.
Bully!
Appreciate ya.
Let's get into it...
Finding Your Quintessence: The Case for Walter Mitty
(Brian Baskerville)
There aren't many great examples of masculine characters nowadays in film and on TV. But, occasionally we happen upon a piece that hits us in a profound way. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is one of those films a guy could learn a lot from. Even if you in fact learn nothing from the movie (and you'd have to be a dullard not to), it's still a good way to spend a Sunday evening. So give it a shot.
Anyway.
At its core, the film delivers a vital message: a fulfilling life cannot be lived inside the safe, sterile confines of one's mind. For the protagonist, Walter Mitty, escaping his compulsive daydreaming is not just about seeking adventure, it is a mandatory journey to rediscover his manhood, reclaim his agency, and transition from an invisible observer into an active participant in his own life.
When the movie begins, Walter is the epitome of a stagnant man. He works as a negative assets manager at Life magazine, a job that symbolically mirrors his internal state - he processes the vibrant, courageous lives of others while living a remarkably dull one himself. To cope with his crushing monotony and a deep-seated sense of inadequacy, Walter "zones out." In his elaborate daydreams, he is a heroic figure: a fearless mountain climber, a passionate lover, and a man of witty comebacks. These fantasies are a defense mechanism. They protect him from the risk of failure, but they also paralyze him. He is biologically male, but emotionally and spiritually, he has surrendered his manhood to timidity. He cannot even bring himself to send a virtual "wink" to his coworker, Cheryl, without his computer freezing - a stark metaphor for his own emotional paralysis.
The turning point occurs when a missing photo negative forces Walter to leave his comfort zone and embark on a global pursuit of photojournalist Sean O'Connell. This quest requires Walter to stop imagining what a brave man would do and actually do it! As Walter leaps out of a helicopter into the freezing ocean, fights off a shark, and longboards down a volcanic highway in Iceland, a profound psychological shift takes place. The elaborate, cinematic daydreams completely vanish. He no longer needs them. The external world has finally become more thrilling, demanding, and rewarding than the fabrications of his mind.
This shift is central to the film's message regarding manhood. True masculinity, the film argues, is not defined by superficial bravado or the exaggerated machismo of Walter's early daydreams. Instead, it is found in responsibility, grit, and the courage to face reality. By choosing to act, Walter reclaims the masculine traits he had suppressed since the premature death of his father: confidence, decisiveness, and resilience. He stops allowing life to happen to him and begins to shape his own destiny. When he returns from his travels, his physical posture is upright, his voice is grounded, and he speaks with a quiet authority that commands respect from his arrogant "bro" boss.
Ultimately, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty reminds us that comfort is the enemy of growth. The film challenges us to look at our own "daydreams" - the goals we only talk about, the risks we avoid, and the lives we merely fantasize about. It proves that the cure for emptiness is not more thought, but immediate action. Walter Mitty's true triumph is not that he climbed the Himalayas; it is that he finally became the man he used to pretend to be.
Beyond the Comfort Crisis: 29,400 Feet Later
(Bruce Barker)
I recently took on the 29029 Everest event at Mt. Rainier, climbing 29,400 vertical feet over 30 miles in about 29 hours across 12 grueling ascents. Participants have a 36-hour time limit to conquer the feat, and the success rate hovered around 90%. More than just a physical challenge, it was an incredible community of people all pushing past their comfort zones to achieve something deeply difficult.
This journey actually started a couple of years ago when a friend sent me the book The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter. That same friend truly tested his limits at the event, finishing with just 30 minutes left on the clock! My buddy Greg (known by most UMers as U-G), joined us too and was absolutely crushing it until he unfortunately tweaked his knee on his 9th ascent and had to withdraw. (Greg is no stranger to the challenge, having completed the 29029 event in Jackson Hole a year or two ago).
Next up: My wife, Heidi, and I are heading to Verbier, Switzerland next September to tackle 29029 together!
100 Skills Every Man Should Know
(From the Art of Manliness)
It's been fodder for many a heated debate among men for centuries. What skills should every man know? Find out here…
Scents by Tre
(Support a Local Dad and St. Peter's Parishioner)
For less than what you pay at a big box retailer, Tre will set you up with small refillable bottles that you can keep multiples of (briefcase, gym bag, or in the car) and you can change the scents monthly, based on the time year. I just refilled my summer scents the other night. And if you're not sure what you want, he'll let you sample whatever you like.
To set up a time, text him at: (402) 610-0900.
How Are Our 2026 Goals Coming Midyear?
A complete gentleman, as Brad Miner reminds us, is made from the fusion of the mind, body, and spirit (the warrior, the monk, and the poet). Only by cultivating all three pieces can a man avoid becoming a weak nerd, a sappy poet, or a mindless brute. It's the combination that's greater than the sum of the parts. It's to this, fellas, that we aspire.
This year take up a new challenge and push yourself in new ways. And in the process, earn a Compleat Gentleman morale patch.
You have to publish your goals in GET ACTION to initiate your challenge. If you haven't passed them on, you still have time.
The Challenge
Set and publish your 2025 goals in GET ACTION
Complete 500 Ruck Miles (the distance in miles X weight factor --> 20lbs = 2, 30lbs = 3, and so on. So, a 2-mile ruck with 20lbs = 2X2=4 ruck miles)
Running counts as a ruck factor of 2
Get your buddies together twice this year (you do the inviting!)
Account for your progress in the fall via GET ACTION
You have to publish your goals in GET ACTION to initiate your challenge.
9/11 Ruck
Tyler, Simon, and Brian did a one-mile ruck followed by heavy sandbag carries up and down the dam at Holmes Lake, followed by another one-mile ruck. And they did it in the rain.
Knot Tying
Brian went to Wilderness Park and used the morning quiet of the woods to practice tying an assortment of knots used in the world of bush crafting.
October Heroes Ruck
(Farmers, Ranchers, and First Responders)
When: Saturday, October 3rd @ 7:30am
Where: UM HQ (3130 Shelley St.)
What You Need: we'll depart from UM HQ and do the circuit ruck at Tierra Briar Hurst Park. Bring a ruck sack and some good shoes. We'll have the coffee!
Fire-starting
When: Saturday, October 24th @ 7:30am
Where: Aaron Hird's residence
What You Need: suck down some coffee with the fellas while we start fire with our bare hands. Nuff said. Check out our YouTube Video here.
TR's Birthday
When: Tuesday, October 27th
Where: Wherever you like.
What You Need: No formal event... just an opportunity to celebrate the life of the quintessential American, Theodore Roosevelt. To live it up TR style, we recommend some strenuous physical exertion, followed by copious amounts of food (we do fried chicken, his favorite), followed by a good book. His life is the enduring reminder that you don't have to be perfect to be great. All you need to do is GET ACTION!
On October 25th, 1854, at the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War, a confused British commander accidentally ordered 670 cavalry to charge a heavily fortified Russian position. It was a doomed effort from the start… but they went anyway, sustaining 40% casualties in a manner of minutes.
The poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson, captures the sentiment of that charge in his work, below.
Though their deaths may have been in vain, perhaps we can still celebrate their absolute duty, courage, and sacrifice - "Theirs not to reason why… theirs but to do and die."
We honor those "Hell Riders" here.
Charge of the Light Brigade
(Alfred, Lord Tennyson)
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!" he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
Well fellas... what's your quintessence?
That's it from us,
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