This is a photo of me before a six-hour combat mission over Iraq.
The missiles were real and my gun was loaded.
I had a smile on my face, but my head was in a difficult place.
I wasn’t just battling the enemy—I was battling myself. Anxiety. Fear. Panic.
My greatest obstacle was my mind.
The enemy missiles trying to shoot me down were one thing. But being strapped into a cramped cockpit of an F-16 for 6 hrs? THAT was another!
You see – unbeknownst to others, I struggled with claustrophobia most of my flying career, brought on by the PTSD of almost dying in a scuba diving incident.
It absolutely sucked. But I never quit.
I faced my demons, flew through the fear, and did my job.
Every flight was a lesson: fear can be faced, demons can be fought, and growth lies on the other side of discomfort.
But you have to do the work. You have to earn your wings.
“Commitment Before Comfort” means honoring your mission, your team, and yourself—especially when it’s hard.
It means understanding that others are depending on you.
Courage displaces the fear.
Action overcome the doubt.
Teamwork is the “why”…the meaning to the mission.
If growth is your objective, then stay in the cockpit.
Don’t bail out.
Embrace the turbulence.
Focus on who needs you.
Rise up for yourself…and most of all, for others.
Push forward…by Pushing it up. 🚀
PS – My next book will dive deep into these principles.
