A short story from the front lines of Afghanistan can teach us a lot about resiliency and appreciation as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday.  

Sergeant Kyle White had never been more prepared in his life.  As a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade deployed to Afghanistan, his training for combat operations was exhaustive.  He was ready for the worst-case scenario and expertly trained to save and protect his fellow soldiers.  But what if there was no one left to protect him?

On November 9, 2007, Kyle White and his brigade, along with friendly Afghan forces and interpreters, convened for a meeting with the local elders in the Afghan village of Aranas.  Shortly after the meeting started, an interpreter started hearing radio chatter that was aggressive.  The Marine Embedded Training Team member, Sgt. Philip Bocks, advised his superiors to immediately evacuate the area.  It was a good call.

As the Brigade moved in tight formation up the steep mountain toward the safety of Combat Outpost Bella, they suddenly experienced heavy enemy fire from an unknown location. Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs) then reigned down on them from another direction.  The ambush was on!

Sgt. White emptied the entire magazine from his M4A1 rifle in the direction of the enemy fire.  But just as he went to reload, a RPG struck just inches from his head and knocked him unconscious.  Most of the rest of the patrol was able to slide 50 meters down the mountain and off to a secure position.  But White, Sgt. Phillip Bocks, Lt. Matthew Ferrara, Spc. Kain Schilling, and a local interpreter were cut off from the rest of the squadron.  Sitting ducks.

When Sgt. White awoke, he stumbled to his feet and assessed the situation.  Immediately, enemy rifle fire hit the rocks right near him and sent shrapnel into his face, temporarily blinding him with blood.  It was then he noticed Kain Schilling lying on the ground with a life-threatening injury to his upper arm.  He dragged Schilling to safety behind a very small tree and applied a tourniquet.

Sgt. Bocks was still in the open, badly wounded and taking fire.  White raced into action, and, after several attempts, was able to drag Bocks behind the tree.  But after applying pressure to his wounds, White came to grips with the grim reality.  Sgt. Phillip Bocks succumbed to his injuries and passed.  Just then, another RPG rocked his world and knocked Sgt. White unconscious for the second time in an hour.

When he finally gained consciousness, White fled cover once again to rescue First Lt. Matthew Ferrara.  But upon reaching him, White realized that Ferrara too had passed away.

As he returned to the “safety” of the small tree, he noticed Schilling had taken another shot to the leg.  White removed his own belt and applied another tourniquet.  As night began to fall and the gunfire continued, Sgt. White came to a sobering conclusion.  He was the only able-bodied American in the area.  And that is when a feeling of dread washed over him.

“My training prepared me for all types of dire situations.  Gunfire and RPGs didn’t bother me.  I figured it was just a matter of time before I was dead.  That didn’t bother me either.”

But all of White’s training did not prepare him for the feeling of being alone.

“That night I realized that true terror is when no one has your back.”

Amen, Sgt. White.  And don’t we all need someone to watch our backs in our personal and professional lives?

We Are Never Alone

In our work lives, we face all sorts of trials and tribulations.  Lost sales.  Lost clients.  Rejection.  Menial tasks.  Boredom.  Loss of passion.  Nepotism.  While not as harrowing as a firefight, it can be debilitating and demeaning.  But we can survive it all with some level of personal connection. A shared mission.  A feeling that we are part of something bigger than ourselves.  A hint that someone has our back.  An empathetic boss.  A sympathetic client.  A trusted colleague who will listen. Someone we feel has our best interests at heart.  Empathy goes a long way.

And the same is true in our personal lives.  Lost playing time.  Financial stress.  Relationship turbulence.  Health issues.  We all face them at some point. There are days when it seems impossible to go on.  How do we get through the night?  We need someone in our corner.  An understanding coach.  Supportive teammates.  A spouse who never doubts our intentions.  Parents who will drop everything to help.  A family member who never judges. They give us more than we can ever repay.  The feeling that we are never alone.  And that will get us through any ambush in life.

Give Thanks and Appreciation

Sergeant White stayed calm and secured a radio to establish his coordinates.  Turns out he was not alone.  The US military responded with a fierce airstrike to squash the ambush and rescue both White and Kain off the mountain.  Sergeant White was awarded the prestigious Medal of Honor for his heroics on the battlefield.  But his message of resilience is every bit as important.

We can’t survive the firefight on our own.  We all have someone in our corner.  We need to appreciate the people who get us through the long, dark night.  It is easy to take them for granted.  It is easy to assume they will always be there for us.  But we can’t let that happen.

In this season of Thanksgiving, we are thankful for our military, who always has our back.  But we are also thankful for all the people in our work and personal lives who ensure that we are never alone.

Breathe easy.  Keep fighting the good fight.  Someone will always have our back.