I left my house at 7:15 this morning to drive across the vast and open desert to Yuma, Arizona. It was a trip to pay respects and say goodbye to this really amazing human being who left this earth too soon, William Brooks. This four hour drive across some pretty rural areas of the state...it just felt like the right thing to do to say goodbye. We were making the pilgrimage, the effort, the intentional journey because Will mattered a lot, and this was a small step to paying the debt for having known someone so worthy. It was the least we could do, and still it wasn't enough. What is, really? What is enough to honor someone? I guess that's something we all answer in our own way.
I rode with another friend of Will's, Bruce Bracker, and along the way, in the midst of talking about life and work and mutual friends and the goings on in our county, we would talk about Will and what an amazing person he was. It can't be said enough. He was humble and kind and so, so smart. He was a true leader in that he cared for the people who worked for him and helped them be the best versions of themselves. You could see it in how they respected Will. He was welcoming and funny and always had a smile. He was innovative, and I'm not exaggerating when I say he changed the world and how Customs and Border Protection operates at our ports of entry. He changed the world, and that was just one small part of his big, big legacy.
The room was full of all these blue uniforms of people he worked with at CBP. It was also full of all these people that weren't related to Customs at all. They were Will's civilian friends and family, if you will. I knew Uniform Will having gotten to know him through his leadership at CBP. These other people knew the kicked back, flip flop, hunting and fishing Will. The friend and father and brother and husband. It was interesting to see both of these worlds coming together, and each and everyone there described Will in many of the same ways: humble, smart, funny, honorable, innovative. He walked the walk no matter if he was at work or spending time with his loved ones.
I was speaking with a close friend at the service, and I asked how everyone was doing in the Field Office after Will's passing. She said all they can do is live up to his example, and it was such a good example to follow. Our "What Would Will Do" moments are perhaps a small tribute to his legacy. So, in moments of struggle or in trying to decide how to handle certain situations, I'll try to ask myself how Will would handle it. How do you honor and value the people around you, how do you solve problems, make people feel noticed, lead, innovate, and have the utmost integrity while doing all of that? I'm sure I won't be close to Will's example, but if I head at least in that general direction, I don't see how I could go wrong.
Safe travels, Will. Thank you for being someone to look up to. I'm glad that Bruce and I could make the journey today to say goodbye and honor your legacy.
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