Lead, Excel and Overcome

Cpt "E" reminisced their battlefield experience: “The five-month battle against the terrorists was not a walk in the park. It was pure grit and hard work – or simply, blood, sweat and tears. Almost daily there were casualties from both sides. But despite everything that we had to overcome, we would still find time to cheer ourselves up. We were trained to be ‘cool under fire’ at all times. But sometimes there were instances when we felt frustrated also, borne out of our earnest desire to accomplish our mission the soonest.”

He added that everytime he saw some of his troops tired and low-spirited, he would huddle with them and slowly recite lines from General Charles de Gaulle’s Military Professionalism: “...in the world of command, they must rise, march, run, endure bad weather, go out without sleep or food, be isolated in some distant post and work until they drop. They have ceased to become the masters of their own fate. If they drop on their tracks, if their ashes are scattered to the four winds, that is all part and parcel of their job.’

Cpt "E" would then follow with lines from Max Ehrmann’s Desiderata: 

“...whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.”

He added: “Then I would look at their eyes, at their faces. After a few seconds, we would end up shaking our heads while smiling at the situation we were into at that time. Indeed, many would consider our self-help gestures as petty and funny but they helped reenergize us and got us through those rough days.” 

---NO MAN LEFT BEHIND (2018 / Copy&Share)