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Tried and Tested

I checked in with the State Patrol officer – showing him my learner’s permit as my friend showed him his valid driver’s license.  With a quick nod, he handed me my permit and told me to go sit in the first chair along the wall and to keep my permit in my hand.  He then addressed my friend.  “Bring the car in which he is to take the driver’s part of the test around to the side of the building and park it at the line labeled ‘Start.’  Then bring me the keys.”

Before I could sit down, another officer motioned for me to come sit in the chair next to his desk.  I sat down as my nerves began to cause every muscle in my body to tighten. Again, he looked at my learner’s permit, filled out some paperwork, and then provided instructions without a hint of emotion.  “I will be asking you question that every driver should know. These questions will assure me that you are ready to follow the laws of our state every time you get behind the wheel of a car.  Do you understand?”

I tried to answer in the most-manly voice I could muster – it still came out like I was experiencing the wonders of puberty all over again.  I cleared my throat and he started. He fired the questions a quickly as possible.  I answered each question and he would write something on the sheet of paper in front of him.  He kept asking question and writing until he finally heard the words he was looking for – “I don’t know.”

“That’s okay,” as his voice became softer.  “You passed seven questions ago.  I just wanted to see how far you could go before I stumped you – but look the answer up in your driver’s manual when you get home.”  He then got up and retrieved the keys to my dad’s 1962 Cadillac from the other officer, walked to the side door and said, “Let’s go.”

Outside, he looked at the car and looked at me.  “You sure you want to take your test in this big thing?  You know what you have to do to pass, right?”

“Yes?”  I don’t mean it to be a question but that was how it came out.  He shook his head and got in the passenger side.  I slide into the driver’s seat.  I carefully checked my mirrors – putting on a show so that he was aware I had done so.  I started the car, put it in drive, turned on my signal, checked for ‘traffic’, and pulled onto the course.  He made me go to the third stall for the three-point turn since the car was so big.  I executed the maneuver perfectly with only one back up – two were allowed.  I came to a stop sign and stopped looking both ways before starting on the serpentine course.  My hands moved quickly as I carefully navigated between the two white lines painted on the pavement.  I finally hit the straight-away and came to another stop sign.

“Now the hard part – parallel park between the cones at the curb in front of the door that we came out of.  Remember, you can only try twice and can’t hit the cones.”

I took a deep breath and moved the car into position.  Turn signal on – checked for traffic – and slowly glided this beautiful machine between the cones.  I placed the car in park, set the emergency brake, and shut the car off.  The officer opened the door and looked at the distance between the curb and the car.  Finally, he smiled.

Once the paperwork was completed, he stamped my permit.  He told me that my permanent license would be in the mail in about two weeks.  Then with a wink, he said, “Now you can tell your friends that you have been tried and tested and earned the privilege to drive in the State of Pennsylvania.”

Len Bernat
Len Bernat
LEN is a leader groomed by 20 years of molding and shaping by some of the finest leaders in the United States Marine Corps. Their guidance helped Len realize his full potential as he moved from an enlisted Marine to becoming an Officer of Marines. Len became known for being the leader who could turn any lackluster organization into a strong, functional unit. Upon his retirement, Len worked in several positions before finally starting a second career in governmental procurement. His experience and leadership skills enabled him to be recognized as the 2011 Governmental Procurement Officer of the Year for the Governmental Procurement Association of Georgia and opened doors for him to teach at many of the association’s conferences. Len was also called to the ministry and was ordained at Ashford Memorial Methodist Church in November of 1999. Today, Len is the Pastor of Maxeys Christian Church in Maxeys, Georgia. Len has been married to his wife, Hazel, for 36 years and they have three daughters, three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Grab your copy of Len's new Book – Leadership Matters | Advice From A Career USMC Officer. Using his life experiences as examples, Len takes the eleven principles of leadership and the fourteen traits every leader should possess—which he learned during twenty years in the Marine Corps—and teaches the reader how he was molded and shaped by some of the best leaders the Corps had to offer.

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4 CONVERSATIONS

    • Thanks, Ken. Some events from our youth will always stand out to us – the driver’s test is one such event so it is a universal story to which that all can relate.

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