USA Swimming "Twenty Question Tuesday" featured Ben Michaelson a long-time Connecticut athlete and coach.  Ben was CSI Swimmer of the Year for 4 consecutive years (2001-2004). Among many of his accomplishments, Ben finished 3rd in the 2004 Olympic Trials in the 100M Butterfly.

From USA Swimming

Ben Michaelson was for a long time one of the great American swimmers. Now, U.S. Army Pfc. Michaelson  talks about his life in swimming, his life away from the pool, and why he decided to put his life on the line for his country in this week's 20 Question Tuesday with special correspondent Bob Schaller.

1 How, and when, did you end up in the Army? What’s your rank and your job?
Ben:  I enlisted this past spring after several weeks of discussions with my local recruiting station, and left for Basic Combat Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, on June 4.  I'm an enlisted soldier with the rank of Private First Class, and am currently training to be a combat medic.

2 How did this process come about -- when did you make the decision, what were the circumstances?
Ben:  Since retiring from swimming at the end of 2005, I haven't been able to find a new passion, something to replace the sense of fulfillment that I got from swimming. I went to school and held a few jobs, but nothing seemed to work out.  I needed a change in my life and a renewed sense of purpose.

3 It's a scary world out there -- why the Army, and why now?
Ben:  The world can seem like a scary place, but it’s the one we've got.  War and conflict are a part of it, for better or worse.  The fact is, we live in an imperfect, fallen world.  Some people have to answer the call to duty and protect what we often take for granted as Americans.  My younger brother, Andrew, is a West Point graduate and is currently deployed to Iraq where he serves as a medical services officer.  In a lot of respects, he's one of my heroes and I wanted to follow in his footsteps in the Army.

4 Do you know if and when you'll be headed to Iraq and Afghanistan -- how do you feel about that, and what would you do in your ole?
Ben:  We are a nation at war.  I don't know when and where I'll be deployed to, but I would suspect that I will be deployed sometime in 2009. When I signed up, I was fully aware that deployment was highly likely. That’s what soldiers train for.  I don't fully know what to expect, other than that I will definitely face some very challenging circumstances.  I do, however, know that I have received the very best training in the world and will fight as a member of the greatest Army to ever walk the earth.  Even when you're in a scary situation, you know that your battle buddy always has your back. As a combat medic, roles can vary from working in a hospital setting to being the medic attached to an infantry unit.  More than likely, I would be doing the latter, going on patrols with an infantry unit and treating battlefield injuries and facilitating the evacuation of wounded soldiers.

5 Do you still swim anymore -- I imagine part of your job involves working out a lot?
Ben:  I am not swimming right now, mostly for a lack of time.  Every morning, we do PT (Physical Training) “dark and early” for an hour or so.  That usually consists of running, pushups, and sit-ups.  I would say I'm in decent shape, but everyone knows you can only get a swimmer's body from, well, swimming!  I definitely miss that.

6 How hard was it to leave the pool?
Ben:  It was really hard. I had certainly been demoralized quite a bit by not making the Olympic team in 2004 and having to accept the fact that I was going to be No. 3 for a long time.  When that happened, my sponsorship quickly dwindled, and I no longer had the means to swim. I miss the National Team trips and World Cup meets the most, but a part of me will always miss the feeling of diving into a cold pool at 6 a.m., and the feeling you get when you drop an absolute bomb on the last swim of a hard set.  I was very fortunate to get to see the world and race the best in the world.  I suppose having to retire was a disappointment, but dealing with disappointment and moving on is a part of life, even though it’s a hard lesson to learn.

7 What did your coaches and teammates say when you told them you were going into the Army?
Ben:  For the most part, they were very supportive and felt that it would be a good move for me.  My coach, Tim Quill, has always been one of my biggest supporters and has truly been a friend in my post-swimming life.  We still talk all the time, and he has continued to support me on my new path.

8 What did your family say?
Ben:  Having already seen the benefits my brother has reaped from military service, my parents were 100-percent supportive.  It was actually at my father Chris's initial suggestion that I looked into joining.  I'm sure they worry about my brother and I all the time, but I also know that they are very proud of both of us.

9 How long do you plan to stay in, and what will you do once you get out?
Ben:  My initial enlistment is for five years.  I plan to take advantage of the educational opportunities that are available to service members and continue my military and civilian education as much as possible while I am in the Army.  As my career progresses, I aim to further my medical education and my goal is to become a Physician Assistant.  Even though serving in the military has its costs, I can't think of any other way to get such an advanced medical certification for free.

10 What did you think of the Olympics in China?
Ben:  I was actually in the last week of Basic Training when swimming was going on.  You're totally cut off from the world there, so I was getting results mailed to me from home.  Once I graduated, I was able to get on my computer and watch all of the races.  It was an unbelievable meet, probably the best swim meet ever.

11 What was your favorite race, and why?
Ben:  Absolutely the 4 x 100 free relay – Jason Lezak is a good friend, and that guy is an absolute beast!  I can't even fathom how fast 46.0 is – I think that would be a decent pace if you were running!

12 Who impressed you from Beijing from the women's team and why?
Ben:  Allison Schmitt.  When I was on Club Wolverine she was this little kid swimming for Ann Arbor Swim Club. They would come to the U of M pool to train after we were done, and she was actually sort of a little CW fangirl (laughs).  I thought it was awesome, albeit slightly ironic, that she became an Olympian – I was really proud of her.

13 So many of your teammates were there -- and you put in so many years -- what was the feeling like to see them on TV, seeing them at the Olympics -- you must've been so proud of them?
Ben:  I was so proud to see my friends put on a show the way that they did.  I was especially proud to have trained with Peter Vanderkaay, Klete Keller, and Michael Phelps.  The National Team is a close-knit group, just like any other swim team, and I am thankful to have those guys as friends and proud to see them excel.

14 Who will be the stars in 2012, and how does the sport grow now with our best stars retiring?
Ben:  Everyone's run comes to an end at some point, but everyone's replacement is training to take that spot in some 6-lane, 25-yard pool right now.  Just as USA Swimming's current stars retire and fade away, new ones will inevitably rise up and continue to push the bar higher.  Plus, Phelps isn't retiring anytime soon, and he swims all of the events anyway, so I think we're good. It’s hard for me to say who will be a star in 2012, although the men's sprint team is very young and ought to continue to improve.  I think that the sport of swimming has a tremendous opportunity for growth considering the negative perceptions of many athletes in traditional professional sports.  America's swimming stars are perceived as, and truly are, outstanding men and women and are great role models for kids.  When I was a kid, there was a catch phrase "I wanna be like Mike" (Michael Jordan); today's kids have the same incentive to "Be like Mike" (Phelps)!

 

15 What has Army life been like so far in terms of what you did not expect?
Ben:  Being a soldier has its ups and downs.  Some days are really fun, and some days just drag on forever and you wonder why you are there in the first place.  For the most part, it has been what I expected.  It’s challenging on a lot of levels, but I think that anything worthwhile requires a great deal of sacrifice and hard work.  I was fortunate to have gotten some knowledge from my brother and I also did a good amount of homework before I made the decision to join.

16 How much did swimming, and being a swimmer -- the swimming lifestyle -- help you transition into the Army?
Ben:  There are a number of parallels between swimming and military life.  Aside from waking up really, really early to go work out, the teamwork, self-discipline, time management, goal setting and perseverance needed to excel in swimming are really important here, too.  Having that kind of background and knowing that I can overcome challenges make it a little easier to take on each day as it comes.

17 From your time so far, what's the spirit and morale of the troops -- you all are fighting two wars nonstop, and it seems like a lot of folks are pretty doggone tired out?
Ben:  Our military is definitely stretched thin.  Soldiers are being deployed time after time with very little time in between.  It’s hard on the soldiers and their families, but it is what it is.  Being a soldier is hard, plain and simple.  Pray for peace.

18 I saw you on Facebook -- what's it like reconnecting with all of your teammates -- and what's their reactions been to your enlistment?
Ben:  I am severely addicted to Facebook ... it was bad enough when it was just on the computer but now I can do it on my phone, too!  Honestly, though, it’s a great tool to stay connected and keep up with friends.  Most of my old swimming friends were pretty surprised when they found out that I had joined, but at the same time, very supportive.  I suppose I should anticipate a lot of new friend requests after this…and that’s nice.

19 What kind of mindset does one take to go to an area where the entire goal of the enemy is to take you out, and how do you prepare for that mentally?
Ben:  Just like in swimming, there are no certainties, but you prepare by training long and hard.  I suppose it’s scary to think that the enemy is real and that he wants to kill you, but I have faith in my training, my equipment, and my battle buddies.  The sober truth, though, is that I have to be prepared to kill also.

20 On Thanksgiving, all of us in the swimming community will have so much to be thankful for. This year, I count you among the blessings I am thankful for. Just come home all right, please?
Ben:  Your primary objective in any mission is to come home safe.  Thanks for thinking of me for your column, and you can rest easy knowing I'll always do my best.