You’ve heard the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.” This expression translates not into quitting, but instead, when the situation gets difficult, the strong dig deeper, work harder and persevere. All too often, though, when the going gets tough, people quit. This was not the case for Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Charles Kettles.
Lt. Col. Charles Kettles recently received the Medal of Honor from President Obama nearly 50 years after flying his battered UH-1D helicopter into heavy enemy fire in Vietnam to save 44 soldiers. When many other pilots said that it was too dangerous to go back, Kettles flew back into enemy fire not once, but time and time again, because he believed in “no soldier left behind” and because it was the right thing to do.
He didn’t do it for the accolades or the medals. In fact, he refuses to take sole credit for the mission and gives the credit to his crew who flew along with him. He’s also very humble. He rarely told his story and it was only discovered when a local Rotary club was doing research on military heroes.
How many of us face enemy fire in the form of competition or speed bumps in our planning and execution process that makes us throw in the towel? Walt Disney was turned down over 300 times before getting the needed financing for Walt Disney World. Colonel Sanders’ chicken recipe was rejected over 1,000 times. Can you imagine if they gave up after a couple months of rejection?
The next time you think a situation is too difficult, remember that no one is firing at your vessel. It’s not life and death, and it’s not as hard as you think. And sticking with it is the right thing to do.
Read more about this real life hero, Charles Kettles, here. https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/kettles/