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12-16-2006, 06:26 PM
Finding silver linings in clichés
Police officer doubles as ambassador for NWTC
By Joe Knaapen
Advocate assistant editor
If one cliché is worth a groan, Sturgeon Bay Police Officer Rob Ecke expects a speech full of clichés to yield a rousing cheer.
Ecke, one of Sturgeon Bay’s newest officers, is a May graduate of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. As an NWTC ambassador, he spoke Friday to about 150 midyear graduates and their families at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay.
Focusing on clichés, Ecke said, was a device that evolved as he crafted his first speech for the May graduation ceremony earlier this year. Typically, he explained, graduation speeches come with standard phrases — often clichés — that put graduates to sleep.
Rather than duck the notion, Ecke took the clichés head on and packed his speech with them. His message: Each cliché at one time was fresh and full of wisdom and advice that can help graduates succeed in their careers and lives.
Whether Ecke’s message will strike its mark is up to his audience. But the Green Bay native took his shot with characteristic preparation and enthusiasm.
A year after graduating from Green Bay Southwest High School in 1999, Ecke joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He started with a basic infantry specialty and then added some technical training.
“I got into electrical equipment repair,” he explained, “because I was sick of not having lights in the tent.”
While completing his training, Ecke was assigned to the 5th Marines of the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Ecke and his unit were assigned to security at a military base in Japan.
“After the terrorist attacks, security became very important,” Ecke said. “We handled the outside perimeter of a Marine air wing base. Having us grunts all dressed up and hoping nothing would happen freed up the people with critical training to do their jobs.”
While the United States struggled out of the aftermath of 9/11 and Osama bin Laden became a household word, Ecke was helping train other marines for tactical operations at a base in Arizona. When U.S. forces invaded Iraq, Ecke was along for the initial drive from Kuwait north into Basra.
During the invasion, he added, Marines spent six months in the combat zone before being reassigned to other duties. The rapid rotation, he said, kept morale high and gave the troops time to recuperate.
After his enlistment ran out, Ecke moved to De Pere and started taking classes in criminal justice at NWTC. After graduation, Ecke was among about 15 students accepted into the ambassador program to promote the benefits of the technical college system. As an ambassador, he visits schools and organizations in Door, Brown, Oconto and Marinette counties.
Ecke said he chose the law enforcement program because “I liked the idea of helping people, of doing public service — and I like to talk.”
Since joining the Sturgeon Bay Police Department, Ecke said he found the diversity, challenges and rewards he expected.
“No two days are alike,” he said. “I like the diversity.”
Starting a career in a new facility has been a plus, too, Ecke added. The city this year completed a new facility with a police department, fire station and city hall at 421 Michigan St.
The building, Ecke said, demonstrates “strong city support” for the police department.
For now, Ecke is settling in: “I like the steady work, a reliable future, and I know I can provide a good living for my family.”
If that sounds like a cliché, remember Ecke thinks the grist of clichés are “things that must be experienced before you can truly appreciate their validity.”
Posted December 16, 2006
Door County Advocate
Police officer doubles as ambassador for NWTC
By Joe Knaapen
Advocate assistant editor
If one cliché is worth a groan, Sturgeon Bay Police Officer Rob Ecke expects a speech full of clichés to yield a rousing cheer.
Ecke, one of Sturgeon Bay’s newest officers, is a May graduate of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. As an NWTC ambassador, he spoke Friday to about 150 midyear graduates and their families at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay.
Focusing on clichés, Ecke said, was a device that evolved as he crafted his first speech for the May graduation ceremony earlier this year. Typically, he explained, graduation speeches come with standard phrases — often clichés — that put graduates to sleep.
Rather than duck the notion, Ecke took the clichés head on and packed his speech with them. His message: Each cliché at one time was fresh and full of wisdom and advice that can help graduates succeed in their careers and lives.
Whether Ecke’s message will strike its mark is up to his audience. But the Green Bay native took his shot with characteristic preparation and enthusiasm.
A year after graduating from Green Bay Southwest High School in 1999, Ecke joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He started with a basic infantry specialty and then added some technical training.
“I got into electrical equipment repair,” he explained, “because I was sick of not having lights in the tent.”
While completing his training, Ecke was assigned to the 5th Marines of the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Ecke and his unit were assigned to security at a military base in Japan.
“After the terrorist attacks, security became very important,” Ecke said. “We handled the outside perimeter of a Marine air wing base. Having us grunts all dressed up and hoping nothing would happen freed up the people with critical training to do their jobs.”
While the United States struggled out of the aftermath of 9/11 and Osama bin Laden became a household word, Ecke was helping train other marines for tactical operations at a base in Arizona. When U.S. forces invaded Iraq, Ecke was along for the initial drive from Kuwait north into Basra.
During the invasion, he added, Marines spent six months in the combat zone before being reassigned to other duties. The rapid rotation, he said, kept morale high and gave the troops time to recuperate.
After his enlistment ran out, Ecke moved to De Pere and started taking classes in criminal justice at NWTC. After graduation, Ecke was among about 15 students accepted into the ambassador program to promote the benefits of the technical college system. As an ambassador, he visits schools and organizations in Door, Brown, Oconto and Marinette counties.
Ecke said he chose the law enforcement program because “I liked the idea of helping people, of doing public service — and I like to talk.”
Since joining the Sturgeon Bay Police Department, Ecke said he found the diversity, challenges and rewards he expected.
“No two days are alike,” he said. “I like the diversity.”
Starting a career in a new facility has been a plus, too, Ecke added. The city this year completed a new facility with a police department, fire station and city hall at 421 Michigan St.
The building, Ecke said, demonstrates “strong city support” for the police department.
For now, Ecke is settling in: “I like the steady work, a reliable future, and I know I can provide a good living for my family.”
If that sounds like a cliché, remember Ecke thinks the grist of clichés are “things that must be experienced before you can truly appreciate their validity.”
Posted December 16, 2006
Door County Advocate