It was the largest aeromedical evacuation of casualties during the war. As I looked at some of the injury reports it’s pretty amazing who lived and who died. Everyone has a time they will leave this earth. You have a choice to make the most of this life while you are here.
Initially in combat, everybody’s afraid. You probably only see about 25 percent of what is happening because the entire experience is sensory overload. Many times people don’t even hear bullets because they are so overwhelmed by the self-preservation instinct.
You shouldn’t be here, run away, your brain tells you. But you have to move forward. The more experience you have with combat and the more you’re exposed to the disparity between who lives and who dies, the easier it becomes to simply move forward.
You begin to understand that you cannot control whether you live or die. You’ll act tactically sound and make good decisions and not take undue risk, but you have to let go of the fear of death. You have to be concerned and focused on the mission and on others around you.
A great soldier once told me that the Army was about soldiers taking care of soldiers and this is very true in my experience. If you’re a leader on your team or the lowest ranking guy, your purpose is to take care of others and focus on the success of the mission. Being a part of that is something very special.
Surround yourself with the best people, the best tactics, the best equipment and techniques and no matter what, commit to making the mission successful. When you do this and let go of worrying, then there is nothing left but to move forward. As Robert Frost said, “the only way round is through.” Christ said, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to [your] life?” and the reality is you just can’t. Focus your attention on helping others and on accomplishing the mission and let go of trying to control the outcome through worrying. Tap into your faith for the peace that comes only from God he has a plan for you.
Lord, help us focus our attention on others and the mission you have for us. Amen.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25)